Before getting upset, step back and consider whether the writer didn’t mean what they said at all. You wouldn’t use emojis in an email to your boss, but in a chat thread with your team, it can work wonders. You need that one piece of information that you know a team member sent to you the other day. Proofread every message Yes, every message that you send. Helpful communication tools So, not you have you have the tips to help you improve communication, you need the tools. If you feel your emails aren’t up to task right now, get in touch with this writing service. They’ll help you spruce up your emailing skills, and can even check over any emails for you before you send them. Your messages could be spread across four or five platforms, making it impossible to find the one you want. You can keep all your messages together, so everyone can see what’s going on. As you already know, communication in a remote working team is vital.
Working with your team in the same space has a lot of benefits. You see each other day, so you can get to know each other personally. You can see right away if one team member is tired, or struggling with something. You can just wander over to their work station if you need to chat with them, too.
Remote working has a lot of benefits, but a lot of drawbacks too. One of those is making communication with your team harder. What with distance and time zones, it feels as though you can never all get together to make a decision. Communication is hard, but it can be improved. Here’s 7 ways you can improve communication in your remote team.
Keep up to date
Every remote worker has done it. You’ve stepped away from your computer, and when you’ve come back you’ve found an overflowing inbox and all kinds of things that you need to manage, right now. It’s stressful and it can make you resent your colleagues, even if they’re just doing their jobs.
The answer is to keep up with what’s happening within the team, as much as you can. If you’re in different time zones, you obviously can’t help the fact that they’ll be working while you’re asleep. However, if you keep on top of things, they won’t be so overwhelming.
Assert yourself when needed
Having said this, you don’t want to be working 24/7. Being remote means you’re somehow more contactable than you ever were before. You can feel as though you need to be always on and available, which can leave you stressed out.
Encourage yourself and your team to step back when they need to. If you allow each other to say ‘I need to switch off so I can finish this piece of work’, let them do so without the hassle.
Use Hanlon’s Razor
In writing, communications can look like they mean something the writer never intended. That’s because there’s no tone or body language to back it up. This can lead to upset if it’s left unchecked.
Remember Hanlon’s Razor: If someone has said something off colour, they probably meant it in ignorance rather than malice. Before getting upset, step back and consider whether the writer didn’t mean what they said at all. Ask them outright what they meant, and you’ll see that 9 times out of 10 the comment was made innocently enough. If you encourage your team to be open with each other, you’ll come across these problems less and less.
Try using emojis
Yes, emojis. They’re something everyone is happy to use in their texts, but what about your work communications? Surely that would look unprofessional? After all, they’re something you’d associate more with teenage girls than with the workplace.
It’s all about context. You wouldn’t use emojis in an email to your boss, but in a chat thread with your team, it can work wonders. It gives everyone the context to what you’re saying, making you much more easily understood. Body language and tone don’t come across in text, so by using emojis you can be clear and obvious in what you’re saying to your team mates. They’ll appreciate that you’re making the effort. Be sure not to overuse them though, or their effect can wear…
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