Communication is the key to success. This applies to friendships and marriages as well as workplace interactions. If you’re a business leader or manager, you want to ensure your team is communicating effectively and often. You also want to ensure that all pertinent employees are part of the conversation.
Prior to the pandemic, it may have been easiest to simply walk over to a coworker to chat something through. In-person meetings were standard daily occurrences. However, remote workplaces are now more common than ever before. With this, communication has transferred from in-office chats to digital messages and video conferences.
Although it’s been nearly three years since the beginning of the pandemic, communication challenges at work are still occurring. What worked when everyone was initially stuck at home in 2020 may not be working now. That is alright. The key is to determine how you can move forward as a team and company. With this in mind, keep reading to learn how to make remote communication a walk in the park.
1. Identify Communications Gaps and Setbacks
Before you try to solve a problem, you need to identify what the problem is. Take a step back and see what challenges your team or company is dealing with from a communication lens. Are people simply not communicating, leading to missed deadlines or work duplication? Or do you find that indirect contact is leading to misinterpretations and lack of connection? These are both common problems for any team, but it can be particularly troublesome for remote ones.
Of course, as a leader you may not know what the communication gaps are. This is a common occurrence, as your role is different from those of individual contributors. With this in mind, you may want to set up smaller focus groups. This can help identify what challenges specific teams are facing. It’s also a way to see how other managers can assist in further collaborative efforts.
While identifying setbacks, this may also be an opportune time to hold a manager training specifically on communication. You can lead this training yourself or find an expert to conduct it. An overview session can either help establish new communication standards or remind managers of good protocols. For instance, something like sending out a meeting agenda may have fallen by the wayside for some managers. However, an agenda can focus teams and communicate to all participants what will be discussed and accomplished during the allotted time. Simple habits like that can improve communication, boost productivity, and improve team work.
2. Introduce a Company-Wide Internal Communication Tool
Now that you’ve identified the areas you need to improve, you’ll need to introduce a standard communication tool. This tool should be implemented company-wide to streamline internal communication. Employees shouldn’t be fumbling to figure out if they need to send a Microsoft Teams or Zoom link, or if they should just start a Slack Call or Huddle.
In order to introduce a new tool, you should plan to ask employees for feedback. This can be done in parallel to the task forces you conduct while identifying communication gaps. You can even do a company-wide survey to give all employees the opportunity for direct feedback. This can help everyone feel like they are part of the final decision.
Before determining which tool or tools to move forward with, see if you’re able to test them out through a trial period. This is an opportunity for you to test out the tools with different types of meetings. Of course, you don’t want — or have time — to try out every platform out there, so choose just a handful to test. After this exercise, you’ll have an idea of what your company prioritizes and which tools match your needs.
3. Model Good Communication Behaviors
As a leader, it’s up to you to model good communication skills. All messages should be clear and sent within standard business hours. Being remote, messages are sometimes easier to be misinterpreted. So while you may feel like the email you’re sending, for instance, is repetitive or over redundant it’s sometimes better than being vague.
Additionally, make sure that you are including all pertinent team members when you send a message. If somebody is left out, even mistakenly, they can feel rejected. At the same time, adding too many people to an email can cause a diffusion of responsibility. That may mean nobody feels comfortable responding and getting you the needed information. It’s a fine balance, and one that may take some time to figure out.
Modeling good communication skills is important because it can help set the standard for effective communication overall. This, in turn, can improve employees’ sense of belonging. It can also assist in reducing unnecessary conflict, increase retention, and strengthen company culture. Think of each message you send as a way of engaging and boosting morale — something that can be tricky to do with remote employees.
Takeaways
Remote communication relies on employees knowing what is needed and expected of them. It’s also a way for employees to feel like they are part of a team. Working remotely can be isolating, yet regular, effective communications can help solve this issue. And remember that every email you send or meeting you lead is an opportunity to communicate well and effectively.