Always Be communicating
I would like to express the level of importance I believe Communication has when working as a designer, and I would like to bring your attention to a few key points.
Being proactive with communication
In the world of game development, collaboration is key. Unless you're a deity, collaboration is the name of the game. So, don't be shy - speak up about your ideas and concerns.
Elocution
Expressing your thoughts is all about vocabulary & visual aids.
The words you use when speaking to a programmer won't be the same when speaking to an artist.
When speaking to a programmer it might be beneficial to express what you want as an event sheet; you could create an excel sheet with each cell representing an action/event.
Artists might require a more subjective approach. Explaining a character’s motivation, emotions or backstory could be very beneficial. You could even throw in a quick sketch.
Hi, my name is... and I'm a...
Who are you? What do you do? How do we work together?
Three very important questions.
Not understanding what a colleague does or is capable of will make working together very hard.
Knowing what an entire team can do, how you can help them, and how they can help you is necessary when trying to find the right person for the job.
Be attentive
People have an instinctive feel for those who want to listen and who don't.
Listen to your colleagues. If someone wants to talk, there's likely a good reason. Paying attention fosters productive communication.
So, pay attention.
Be diplomatic
Everyone has ideas, and everyone has a valid opinion.
Instead of disagreements, aim for passionate yet respectful conversations.
You would be surprised how far a calm exchange of thoughts will get you.
In closing
These are my opinions.
This list may evolve or grow. (Who knows...)