The right words at the start of a collaboration not only will help you have a successful collaboration, but will also stop resentment before it starts.
By the end of this post, you’ll have three short scripts you can use to start, pause, and reframe collaborations so you say the right thing and build trust.
And you’ll kick your next collaboration off on the right foot.
Rather watch?
Psst…would you rather watch than read? Then hit play below!
#1. Put your assumptions on paper
This will seem like a no-brainer, but the number one mistake collaborations make is keeping assumptions in your head and not saying them out loud to your collaboration partner.
Because once you say them out loud, your collaborator then has the opportunity to assess if they also were making that assumption (or a different one).
Which is why the first script is all about making sure you aren’t going to unintentionally disappoint your collaborator because you had different assumptions about how the collaboration would proceed.
So you’re gonna kick your collaboration off by getting those assumptions out of your head with this simple note.
Hi [NAME].
I’m excited to work together. Before we start, I want to make sure that we’re on the same page about roles, timelines, expectations, and how we’ll use the final work. I’ve just shared a Google Doc with you that outlines my understanding of each of these. Please review and tweak anything that’s not aligned with your understanding.
What topics (and what exact language) should you include in that Google Doc? You can read or watch what to include in a minimal collaboration agreement here.
#2. Hit pause when things stall out
One of the things you should mention in that collaboration Google Doc is feedback windows. And that’s because vague feedback windows lead to stalled collaborations and stalled projects.
But what if you’re already in a collaboration and you didn’t outline those feedback windows, and things have stalled out? How should you handle it?
If you are stuck in limbo, here’s the script you can use.
At this point, I’m putting things on pause on my end because without your feedback, I can’t move forward. Let me know when you are ready to hit play again.
People go silent for many reasons, and rarely is it personal. Usually, it’s just that things have gotten busy, and it keeps getting pushed down the to-do list.
So this script allows you to hit pause and puts them in control of restarting things when they have the bandwidth.
#3. Recognize that the scope needs to shift
Just like with regular client projects, sometimes scope creep happens in collaborations. Either because your collaboration is successful and you want to do more, or you weren’t sure what the scope should be when you started.
The sooner you can nail down who is responsible for the additional pieces, the less likely you are to start resenting the other person. So you can continue to happily work together, here’s your script:
I am happy to explore this, but this isn’t outlined in our original collaboration working doc. I’ve made some edits to our Google Doc that explain how I think this shifts things. Take a look and tweak anything that doesn’t work for you.
Once again, you are framing this as an opportunity to collaborate. Not a “my way or the highway” discussion. All you are saying is, “I’ve recognized we have the possibility of not being on the same page here, so I’m making a first attempt at getting us back aligned.”
That’s a Wrap!
If you notice, the scripts above are only two to four sentences long. They don’t need to be long or complicated. They just need to be clear.
What do you do after hitting send? Once you and your collaborator are in agreement, you’ll add the exact things you’ve agreed to to your shared Google Doc along with the date that you agreed.
That way, this document becomes the go-to place for all collaboration information. You can turn to this document when:
- you aren’t sure
- you are making assumptions
- life gets messy
- things need to shift
It becomes your central hub for everything related to this collaboration.
If you want a place to practice these scripts in a safe, private space while getting feedback not only from me but from other creatives going through it, join us in the artist’s Courtyard.
If you are scaling a creative business, you already know the legal side matters. The problem is finding the time to handle it properly, so it often gets pushed to the side.
When that happens, small details get missed and expectations are not as clear as they should be. Clients have questions. Boundaries get tested. And suddenly, you are spending time fixing issues that could have been handled up front.
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