7 Tips for Excellent Remote Team Communication
- It has quickly become one of the most uncertain and ambiguous years of our lives. It is easy to go into reactive mode, but as leaders, we need to be a positive force for those in our circle of influence.
- When 9/11 happened, I was managing a large group of employees across six states. Suddenly, we had to figure out how to begin teleworking while creating a successful remote working environment for all of us. We quickly learned that the most important piece of the puzzle was communication. Of course, this was the most important piece of the puzzle before 9/11, but now it would require much more thought, planning and intentionality to be as effective. We needed to maintain our culture and our level of productivity. What happened to our team? While much of the rest of the nation was experiencing an economic downturn, we retained all of our people and our business stayed healthy during that period of time…all because of strategic communication measures, which I want to share with you now.
- Create a communication plan.
Now that you can’t just walk into your team members’ offices or have in-person meetings, you risk losing connections and problem-solving and recognition opportunities. Don’t let this happen! More is better! This is a time when we really need to come together and support one another. I recommend that you schedule one-on-one meetings with each direct-report member of your team, even if it is only for a few minutes, every single day. In addition, schedule a whole team zoom call at a minimum of 2-3 times a week to enhance productivity and maintain camaraderie and morale. Have a clear goal and objective for each meeting so you don’t get caught up in a giant meeting muddle. Ask for feedback as you develop this plan! How often one person needs to hear from you may vary greatly from the next, and it will take patience and flexibility to work out the details. Also, give feedback and kudos, and check in on your how your team members are doing mentally and emotionally, as they may be struggling with feeling of isolation.
2. Establish standards of accountability.
Clear and specific expectations must be set from the start. How quickly do we expect a response to an email? What is our plan for picking up the slack if someone is ill? Have our productivity goals and measurements changed; if so, how? What check-in times do we agree upon for milestones in projects? Be sure to keep company goals and objectives front-of-mind in emails and conversations. What is our vision? What is our mission? How are these impacted by the changes that are happening in our world right now?
3. Use all of the tools you have available to you!
Do you use Microsoft Teams? Monday.com? Zoho CRM? These apps are continually adding important features that will help grow your business and make your team more efficient, so please stay up to date with their tutorials. Take full advantage of email, instant messaging and video apps like Zoom. Ask your team what they have been using and integrate where necessary.
4.Foster an environment of trust.
Trust is absolutely the foundation of creating a high-performing remote team. Consider paying your employees based on work tasks and results instead of an hourly basis, where you may resort to micromanaging them, which is detrimental to both your own productivity and team trust. I sit down with my team at the beginning of the week and we delegate tasks and projects. Say it is about 40-50 hours of work; if my team members are meeting their deadlines with quality work and are meeting the standards of accountability outlined in #2, I do not need an hourly log of their days. They know I trust them to get the job done, and they can trust me to support them as I have agreed to do in our plan.
5. Always keep in mind time zones!
What works for your team living on the east coast won’t necessarily work for those living on the west coast, or other parts of the world. Your team might have their entire family at home, children that are now being homeschooled and relatives to care for. Take that into consideration as you plan your meetings. Calendar apps can be very helpful in letting everyone know what time zone a meeting is scheduled in and converting it to that member’s time zone…but everyone needs to be up to speed on using their app correctly, and being considerate when scheduling meetings.
6. Build relationships with video calls.
If you receive an email or text with a question from a team member, ask them if they can jump on a zoom call. Instead of just emailing them back a response, your video interaction and human dialogue will create a personal connection like you would have in the office. Use video conferencing whenever possible.
7.Make team meetings a highlight everyone looks forward to!
Open each meeting with a personal story. Make sure you affirm your team members. Ask questions like, “Who wants to share something good from the last few days?” Enthusiasm and excitement, and praise for the big and little wins (inside AND outside of the office) will go a very long way in developing cohesive, productive teams. It is also very important to acknowledge each person’s value as an individual, not solely as a team member.
Communication for a remote team takes work, planning and diligence over time. When your telework team can see everyone “in person” over video, when they feel confident in their roles, expectations and routes of communication, and when everyone feels a sense of trust and accountability, your team will be productive, efficient and successful beyond your wildest dreams. Here’s to your massive success!
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