Communicating in a Virtual World of Work

One thing that most of us probably agree on, is that it can be harder to communicate successfully and work together when we are doing this remotely.

This can be the case whoever you are working with, and for our supervisors and managers, there is the added layer of maintaining motivation and productivity levels.

BODY LANGUAGE, TONE OF VOICE AND WORDS: A COMPLICATED MIX

Trust is at the heart of working relationships, and communication is a key part of building trust.

Yet how we communicate is being compromised and the challenges that we face when communicating virtually are not surprising given that when we usually communicate face to face, the way in which the other person interprets what we are saying is a mixture of our body language, tone of voice and our words.

What might be surprising, is the degree to which we rely on body language (55%) to understand and interpret what is being said to us. This is followed by tone of voice at 38%, with the words that we use only impacting on our message by 7%.

It starts to make sense why it feels harder to communicate effectively working remotely, when all we can see is the other person’s face and hear their voice.

We need to be aware of this in every aspect of our role and particularly aware of it as managers, working with our team. They might be getting very little feedback from us just now, so our interactions become more important.

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS MATTERS

It is helpful to step back for a minute and remember the basics of the communication process.

Sender: As the sender or the person speaking, what I am thinking and what I am actually saying may not be exactly lining up:

I might be struggling to put into words exactly what I mean;
I might be using language that is not clear;
I am possibly bringing emotion into what I am saying; or
I am simply not getting my point across or sharing my thoughts particularly well that day.

Receiver: As the receiver, I hear what I think you said. But I might not be hearing what you actually said.

I might be:

Slightly distracted with other thoughts or what is going on around me;
I might have a pre-conceived view of what the conversation is really about (maybe I am jumping to assumptions);
I might not be picking up all the communication cues correctly; or
I might be struggling with your language, how you are phrasing things or links that you are making within the conversation.

Research has shown that we are 2.5 times more likely to distrust our colleagues than to trust them if we are working remotely from them.

CHALLENGES WE ARE ALL FACING

We have been asking the people that we train on communication and working relationships, what sort of challenges they have been finding or learnings that they have from having to work virtually.

Here is what some of them have said:

It takes much longer to build up a relationship over the phone or by video conference than it does face to face.
What would have maybe taken 1 meeting face to face, can take 2 or 3 meetings to build trust and rapport, when we meet virtually.
It takes longer to resolve things over the phone or by video conference than it does when we can talk face to face.

TIPS TO WORK TOGETHER MORE EFFECTIVELY

To help virtual communication work better for us, we find the following helpful:

Small talk at the start of meetings has become essential. It is important for mental health as you might be the only person they speak with that day.
- It is also important to help you better understand how that person is and to get a sense of how things are for them.
Make the most of technology.
- Keep cameras on so that you can pick up as many facial cues as possible, given that this is the only body language you will be able to read.
- Try to also look at the camera so that you are maintaining eye contact and remember that in some platforms, when you share information on your screen, they might not be able to see your face anymore, so take a break from sharing periodically to be able to be seen for a little while.
Be animative and responsive to what others are saying. Your voice becomes more important with the reduction in visual cues. Nod your head, respond with short phrases such as ‘ah ha’, to let them know that they are being heard and understood.
Get the balance of communication right for each colleague or team member. Some will need contact frequently while others may not need much communication. Some might like you to call them unplanned, others may prefer it to be scheduled.
Remember to keep concentrating and not daydream. Keeping your camera on and seeing the other people that you are meeting with will help with this.
Practice active listening, making sure that you are really hearing what is being said, clarifying if you are not and avoid just listening to find an opportunity to jump in.
Be aware of your own pre-conceptions and unconscious bias that might be heightened by working remotely.
Pay attention to the body language and verbal cues from the other people. React if something needs to be changed: is the meeting going on too long? Is someone struggling to be heard? Are people seeming engaged? Comfortable? Do you need to make any adjustments?