No matter which industry you’re in, effective communication is key to success. I’m sure you and your company have had your share of costly mistakes that could have been avoided with clear, straightforward communication.
However, the remote work industry can be especially prone to miscommunication. Sometimes, sending instructions by email or instant chat to your distributed teams just won’t’ cut it.
While it’s true that a virtual workplace has many benefits, even the slightest miscommunication can result in a major inconvenience. This is especially true when you’re working with a distributed team on asynchronous schedules. Sometimes, it could be too late to remedy a situation by the time it comes to your attention
To save you the aggravation, let’s take a look at four simple tips for reducing miscommunication within your virtual workforce:
Be Proactive
To be clear, miscommunication happens in any workplace. However, that’s not an excuse to be complacent.
So, instead of waiting for your employees to report an issue, check in with them from time to time. You might be surprised at how many problems you can avoid just by reaching out with empathy and understanding every so often.
Use the Right Technology
The right software and communication channels can do wonders for remote teams. If your employees are working in different locations, syncing communication networks and platforms is a must.
For starters, you can use project management tools to enable everyone to monitor different tasks. Trello, for instance, provides real-time updates and has a user-friendly interface.
As for instant messaging networks, choose applications that are secure, fast, and reliable. You will be sharing important files and confidential information, after all. Might as well ensure that they reach the right people at the right time.
Communicate Through Voice Or Video Calls When Necessary
Emails are easily misinterpreted, especially if they’re poorly constructed. Thus, for important projects, sensitive discussions, and complex instructions, it might be better to initiate a voice or video call with your team instead.
Often, facial expressions, body language, and other non-verbal gestures can convey the emotions behind a message more accurately. Voice or video calls can thus provide a better read on how some team members actually feel about something.
However, do know which meetings could just be summarized in an email, so to speak. Zoom fatigue is all too real.
Tailor Your Communication Style Accordingly
The workplace is full of individuals with different values and communication styles. Therefore, effective communication is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Simply put, people respond to communication styles differently.
For example, younger remote workers might prefer communicating via instant messaging and might respond faster through these channels. On the other hand, older employees might still prefer voice calls, especially for more urgent matters.
Either way works as long as you get your message across.
Miscommunication might be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t minimize it. Cultivating healthy communication channels within your remote team help bring about breakthroughs for your business. But only if you have the right people on your team, of course.
Remote Staff has been helping Aussie entrepreneurs like you find the most talented remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. Aside from hiring, we also provide onboarding assistance to help you get the message across to help prevent costly miscommunication.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
