With COVID-19 completely changing our business activities, people have needed to move from working together in an office to working in an isolated environment while still trying to interact with their team members. In this new scenario, it is vital to discuss communication and how it can help build success... or create disaster.
First things first: we need to remember that any virtual interaction is completely different from a face-to-face conversation. There can be misunderstandings due to a lack of body language, reduced intonation and visual cues, and so on. This is why, when we communicate with coworkers or team leaders we should always remember to assume there is a positive intent behind any communication taking place. Do not automatically assume that someone is being rude or curt, and do not take offence from clipped answers. People might be simply trying to be efficient and straightforward, looking to not waste time.
If you are the one delivering a message, be direct but warm. Try including expressions of politeness to make it sound friendly (even if you think this is not necessary, remember: people cannot hear or see you.)
It’s also important to use professional communication tools. It’s already hard to perform efficient internal communication under regular circumstances. If you add the remote factor in there... it can be a recipe for disaster. Avoid chaos by using an appropriate communication platform to help the team have everything they need in one place (there are free platforms for this, you can do some research and choose the best one for your team, or have a multilingual consultant do it for you.)
You might be thinking that you’ve already done your part in building a strong team and trusting their communication skills, but you also need to take into account that remote work represents a whole new way of interacting for them, and that they need well-defined, on point leadership.
Help everyone communicate efficiently, and your team will get stronger. Bring your team closer together, even while working far apart.
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