Staying in Touch

Before, we mentioned FOUR (4) common issues experienced in virtual teams. On this page we’re going to focus on numbers one (1) and four (4).

Those are:

• Poor Communication (1)
  Many digital tools help remote teams stay connected; but, these tools can lack the personalization of face-to-face interaction. Text-based communication, such as email and text messages, lacks body language, tone, and other subtle nonverbal cues that workers receive from the in-person conversation, increasing the likelihood of misinterpretation. Team members may be more reserved on digital channels and less likely to participate in meetings or reply to emails if working remotely.

• Lack of Personal Connection (4)
  Remote workers can often feel isolated, that can create a degrading effect on team unity. A lack of face-to-face contact may lead to lower team cohesion and a lack of rapport between team members. Spontaneous, informal communication—chatting over coffee or in a hallway—has shown to reduce conflict. However, it is hard to replicate in a virtual setting.

While these are both large separate issues, there’s a solution that works for both of them: Staying in Touch.

Something so simple can increase the sense of connection and camaraderie between coworkers, as well as increase the amount and quality of communication that is circulating through your team. 

My #1 recommendation is to have a short check-in every morning. Even something as quick as 15 scheduled minutes that allows for people to stay as long as they need. You may be surprised at how much more your team gets to know one another, as well as how many more questions you get from your team both inside and outside this meeting time. 

Here is a video (Click Button) from Harvard Business Review on YouTube, featuring Keith Ferrazzi, that talks about virtual teams, and how to connect with your team to get the best out of everyone

Here are the Key Points covered in the video.

• Sweet and Sour – Start your virtual meetings with a light open dialogue to reduce that fight or flight in your reptilian brain and increase affinity. 
• Break meeting into smaller groups for more dialogue and interaction – Big groups makes it hard for everyone’s thoughts and ideas to be heard, breaking into smaller groups makes it easier to get to everyone’s points (especially for those more shy or quiet) as well as increase individual peer interaction.
• Designate a “Yoda” – The idea here is to have a designated person as a truth teller. The person whose job it is to call out the group for a topic they missed, or an idea they should give more attention to. 
• The “Fluffy Factor” – With virtual meetings, we’re all working from home. The idea of the fluffy factor is to not be ashamed of your kids, animals, or other homelife aspects. We’re all people, and it can help to increase the sense of connection to let some of these aspects of your life shine through, and to not be ashamed of them.