In the last post, I discussed how successful delegation to your Virtual Assistant should start with sharing the vision of the business and the project. When this happens, projects will turn out more successful. But those are not the only ways that a project’s success can be enhanced. In this post, we’ll cover another element that all delegation instructions should have.

Clarity

Successful project instructions should be clear. We all communicate in different ways and we know well from real life just how difficult it can be to understand people all of the time. Some people might use different words than we would; some people might mumble; some people might be more direct while others might be less direct; some people are quiet and mousy when giving instructions; and the list goes on and on.

If that’s the case, it is certainly going to be the same with giving instructions to your Virtual Assistant.

Since we all communicate in different ways, and those ways aren’t always clear to all of us, we need to make doubly sure that what we want is understood by the person receiving the instructions. If they understand the project before they begin, it will be so much faster and more successful!

Of course, asking if they understand is good, but there are a few things you should do before you ask.

1. First, plan what you want to say. Start with the vision of your business. Then talk about the big picture of the project. Then talk about how the project fits into your business. Then get into details. This is a good order because it creates a context for the project, which is a great way to ensure clarity.
2. Second, write down what you want to say (assuming that you are providing written instructions, which is a good idea because it helps to make sure things are even clearer AND it creates a “paper trail” just in case you need to go back to review those instructions). Keep your instructions short - usually a paragraph for most of it and then followed by whatever details you need to provide.
3. Third, proofread your instructions. This might seem like a pretty basic instruction but business owners are busy and they might leave proofreading off as something that isn’t necessary. That might be okay for some things but when it comes to delegating to your Virtual Assistant, clear instructions help to keep project costs lower so it’s well worth the few moments it takes to proofread. Double-check to make sure that your VA has everything he or she needs to be successful: Files? Resources? Access to software? Etc.
4. Fourth, Now it’s time to ask if the instructions were clear! Follow up with your VA to see if your instructions made sense. If the project is particularly complex or it is mission critical to your business, invite the VA to briefly describe what they are going to do and how they are going to do it. This might not always be a good use of your time (and it could get annoying for both of you if you send a lot of projects) but on those really important ones it’s not a bad idea to have the VA restate what the project is.

Don’t forget that your relationship with your Virtual Assistant can sometimes be a challenge so be always clear with your instructions.