As the world changes, it’s hard to keep up with new trends and changing times, especially if you are so caught up in your own world. Recently, I have shared an article titled “The Hottest Chat App for Teens Is … Google Docs” by The Atlantic that outlines the ways in which teenage students communicate with each other through unconventional means, the Google Docs chat feature being the most popular. Google Docs are not the only newfound way of communication found by the generations teens, social media platforms and even programs like OneNote have proven to be efficient ways people can communicate with each other. Within your business, your main goals of communication may be drastically different than those of a high schooler, but there is a lot you can learn from the adaptive ways to enhance your communication overall.

Google Drives have came into focus in the past decade because of the ability to put all created documents in a cloud and it’s completely free to use. In public schools throughout the country, Google Docs are being used in classrooms for various assignments, essays, and projects. In my school, I have never once been asked to perform a task on Microsoft Office. While Microsoft Office is still an efficient platform, it is slowly becoming less and less used as new innovative programs come into play. As teens, and soon working adults, start coming into jobs, they will carry proficiency in these modern tools, and if the company is not willing to adapt to the changing times and skill sets, it could cause a delay and even major difficulties when it comes to communication and hiring.

Slack, another new communication software, is yet another example of the importance of staying relevant. The software brings team collaboration to an even more modern level. In fact, we’ve embraced Slack at Pulse Group and love how easy it is to keep conversations centralized. While staying in your own business bubble, you may feel perfectly content with how you are communicating with you team, but widening your horizons can bring a whole world of opportunity. You have potential that you can’t even touch if you stick with “what is working for you” because chances are there is something out there that works even better.

Not being up to date on the newest trends by no means means you’re not successful, it just means that your success can come with a little less stress and less delays in your teams communication. Instead of adopting these programs, it may be beneficial to just be familiar with them.