So many organizations have remote teams, multiple locations, or employees working virtually these days.

I want to state right up front that I have limited knowledge of the technology needed or what kinds of processes or procedures remote workers require. What I do know is that for teams or individuals working remotely top-notch communication skills are required, for everyone. All the technology in the world won’t make up for ineffective or poor communication skills.

In fact, exceptional communication skills are more critical when working remotely than if everyone is in the same location. 

Remotely you don’t have the advantage of body language, of catching someone in the hall to ask a quick question, of popping into someone’s office for a quick conversation or to show them progress, or get their opinion.

When employees work remotely, every communication is via the phone, Skype, IM, text, email and less frequently video.  We all know how easily email can be misinterpreted or misread. And I know many people who do not enjoy long phone conversations, which means that communication with people working remotely is often truncated, leaving key points unclear or misunderstood.

Add into the equation multiple people in multiple locations, plus the need for everyone’s listening skills to be heightened, and the typical challenges we all have with communication, and you have a recipe for problems to arise.

Even though more organizations and individuals are using video conferencing for meetings, this still requires everyone to focus on their communication skills.  It can be challenging to stay attentive in a long video meeting, more than in a face-to-face one.  

Making working remotely work simply requires everyone’s business communication skills to improve. There is no getting around this.

Some quick tips are:

A) Listen intently.  This is a great time to practice your listening skills and stay present.  It’s difficult not to have your mind wander during face-to-face meetings, to not be thinking about your next meeting, or what you have to do when you get back to your desk.  When you are on the telephone or video it can be more challenging.  If you aren’t completely present and listening intently you will miss key information.

B) Do NOT multitask.  If you think you can multi-task and read email, text, or IM while on a phone call you are mistaken.  Yes, of course, you can do it, but you will miss parts of the conversation altogether and only hear snippets of others.  You simply cannot multi-task and listen effectively at the same time. 

C) Ask questions to make sure you understand what is being said.  My personal belief is that as humans we don’t ask enough questions. We hear what is said and make assumptions and act on those assumptions.  Asking questions is critical for successful communication all the time.  When working remotely it’s more important.  You’re not able to stop someone in the hall or pop in their office to confirm you are on the right track or ask a quick question.  This makes it essential that you ask questions to ensure you understand what is being said.  

D) Confirm the other party’s understanding.  Too often I hear leaders expressing their disappointment and frustration that the results they got were very far from what they expected.  This is frequently a result of assuming the other person understood exactly what you were saying.  You have to take the time to confirm the other person’s understanding of what you asked, requested, or delegated.  

E) Follow up conversations with a quick email outlining key points.  This ensures everyone’s understanding and provides an opportunity for others to ask additional questions or add something that was missed.  It’s a simple and quick way to confirm key points in case they were missed. 

F) Ensure your emails are crystal clear.  We all know how easy it is to misinterpret emails.  Take the extra time to ensure your message is clear and easy to understand.  And oh, by the way, IM and text are meant to be used for quick communication, not to take the place of phone calls or other forms of communication where details need to be included.

G) Have periodic check-ins to make sure everything is on track.  Because you aren’t running into people in the hall or the break room, it’s imperative that you have regular check-ins with everyone.  Set a fixed time and day for quick meetings to determine status and to ensure everyone has what they need.  Not only will this help with communication, but it will also provide a connection to others that is often missing when people work remotely.

Of course, these are the same skills you should use in communication all the time. And as Emeril says, “Bump it up” to make working remotely work.

Learn your unique communication style by taking our Communication Quiz at the link below. 

It’s quick and you’ll learn a lot about yourself and how others see you.