Working in a Virtual Environment: Tips for Effective Communication

5 key tools for implementing effective communication in your team.

by Brett Watkins

As many on our team have written about tricks to help your day-to-day strategy on working from home, in this blog post –  I’d like to talk more about the overall company and its approach to working as a team.  So for those leading teams, or even companies and are dealing with a virtual workforce for the first time in this new “normal,” I’m talking to you!

For many, this rapid transition from working in an office to working at home has led to a lot of challenges.  I am sure everyone is quickly realizing that the things that were likely taken for granted when everyone was in one space are now “oh wow” moments that have presented new challenges to leaders as to how to get their teams to continue to be productive, as well as measuring effectiveness.

Prior to diving deeper into the challenges of the virtual workforce and building effective teams virtually, it’s important to highlight what all businesses must-have throughout the organization to be successful:  leadership. It took me years (and some embarrassing experiences) to realize leadership wasn’t speeches or “larger than life” personalities.  Leadership is an action that people commit to daily in order to inspire and comfort others, and this results in people’s comfort following their lead.  While there are varied attributes, I have ascribed to the six following elements of leadership:

1. Authenticity: Leaders come in all different forms, but the key is authenticity, being true to themselves.
2. Vision: Knowing where one wants to go, what goals are to be set out and accomplished.
3. Strategy: How do we intend to get there?  What’s the plan?
4. Culture: What are the common beliefs we all agree are the principles of our team?
5. Metrics: Our ability to agree on what those rewards will be is critical.
6. Communication: If your team does not know what the vision is and how the journey will be successful, you don’t have anything.

As a backdrop, when L&E made its transition to a virtual workforce in 2009, we shortly thereafter made our first expansion in Tampa, Florida.  There were two main employees that were added to the team, and roughly 10 employees overall to our existing team of 30.  My biggest surprise was discovering how often the team was having “miscommunications.”  Balls were regularly getting dropped. Misinformation was as common as accurate information. The success of our new office was genuinely in jeopardy.  Clearly, we had some problems to solve if we were going to succeed.

Fortunately, over 400 employees later, we did figure it out.  For effective communications, we implemented 5 key tools to help us get everyone on the same page.

1. Meetings

First off, let’s be clear that meetings are useless unless they are effective. The keys to effective meetings break down into 4 parts: 1) they must have an agenda, 2) they must require engagement, 3) they must have action items, and 4) they require a leader who is going to follow through and hold people accountable.

2. Company Surveys

good communication isn’t just about telling people things; it’s more about listening. An annual survey of team happiness is an instrumental tool in your listening toolkit. In time, teammates will trust their leaders more.

3. Use a Commonly Accessible System Where Information Can Be Stored

Don’t think emails out to the team are going to be effective forms of communication! Use systems that can document and keep a permanent record of the goals sought after. Google docs and spreadsheets are effective.

4. Regular “broadcasts”

Leverage tools like Zoom or GoToMeeting and talk to your team quarterly. Answer their questions, share the vision, and engage with them actively.

5. Repeat Yourself…a Lot!

A famous quote from a Fortune 500 CEO was “repeating myself.” Repeating yourself becomes an important strategy. Consistency is key to effective communication.

And if after reading this you’re thinking “I don’t run my company or my department, so what can I do?”  remember that you can be the biggest influencer of policy as a team member. Good leaders want to hear your opinions.

In conclusion, good communication is critical to having happy teammates, which fosters productivity and embraces the company’s best interests. I hope this content has been helpful in creating a more effective virtual team in your organization.

This article was originally published by L&E Research.