Building relationships is a key skill for career development, but it can be challenging in a virtual environment. How can you connect with colleagues, clients, and partners online and create meaningful interactions? In this article, you will learn some tips and strategies to overcome common obstacles and enhance your relationship building skills virtually.
Establishing rapport is the first step to building relationships virtually, as it creates a sense of trust, harmony, and mutual understanding that makes communication easier and more effective. To create rapport online, try using video calls to show your face and body language, which helps to convey your emotions, personality, and interest in the conversation. Make sure to use the person's name and pronouns correctly and respectfully to show that you care about their identity and preferences. Additionally, find common ground by sharing something personal or relevant; this helps to break the ice and show that you are not just a professional, but a human being with hobbies, interests, and experiences. Finally, use humor and compliments appropriately and sparingly; this helps to lighten the mood and show appreciation, but avoid being too sarcastic, rude, or insincere.
Avoid sarcasm altogether, especially in a virtual setting. Leave sarcasm to you comedians. For sarcasm to work, you're assuming others are coming from a similar place, appreciate humor, think humor has a place in a business meeting, and even more so do not consider sarcasm demeaning. All of this is even harder in a virtual setting. I am not suggesting that virtual meetings need to be all business. But you have to get a read on your audience and defer to your clients' or stakeholders' preferences.
The second step to building relationships virtually is to communicate clearly and avoid misunderstandings. Communication is the exchange of information, ideas, and feedback that forms the basis of any relationship. To ensure clear communication online, it's important to select the right channel and mode for your message, based on urgency, complexity, and tone. Additionally, messages should be written concisely and structured in a way that conveys your main points and expectations. Avoid using jargon, slang, or abbreviations that may confuse or offend the other person. Listening actively and asking open-ended questions shows interest and curiosity. It's also important to provide constructive and timely feedback that helps the other person improve and grow. Feedback should be specific, actionable, and respectful.
When beginning to work with a new customer or team, create a working agreement that includes values (e.g. open to feedback), communication channels and cadence, and roles. Have a conversation and document what is agreed upon for these topics and others, if you choose. This agreement can be revisited as people learn what is needed in the working relationship. This is a way of proactively communicating expectations and creating clarity.
A crucial step in clear communication is to set the stage for the meeting. Tell everyone the purpose for the meeting. If the meeting is a follow up from a previous meeting, remind people what happened last time you were together with a very quick summary (e.g., 1-2 sentences). Then set the stage for what you will be doing in this meeting and what you want from your audience (e.g., conveying information, getting input, asking for something from them). Remember many senior executives go between meetings all day long and must change the channel for every meeting. Make it easy for them.
The third step to building relationships virtually is to collaborate effectively and achieve common goals. Collaboration is the process of working together, sharing resources, and solving problems. To ensure successful online collaboration, set clear expectations and roles for team members, use online tools and platforms that facilitate collaboration and coordination, encourage participation and creativity from all team members, and celebrate successes and learn from failures together. Communicating expectations and roles clearly and regularly is essential for avoiding confusion, conflict, and frustration. There are many tools and platforms available that can help you share documents, files, calendars, tasks, and ideas online. Invite contributions from everyone, recognize achievements of each team member, and share the lessons learned from challenges and mistakes to build trust and confidence in the team.
In my experience, when collaborating to reach a goal or solve a challenge, we committed as a team to meet as often as necessary starting with a set virtual meeting time and then initiating additional workgroups and smaller team meetings, as needed, that would target a specific need for the project and report progress back to the group. This collaboration strategy helped the whole group to know that progress was being made and we could benchmark our progress against the agreed goal.
Some ways to build a collaborative relationship with a client are: ? Have a quick follow up call after the meeting to debrief. ? Give client peers or recommenders a sneak preview of the meeting. ? Set the agenda so you and the client are presenting together. If it is a client internal meeting perhaps the client will facilitate with your support. ? Honor the client's work. Be genuine. Be concise. Don't over do it.
The fourth step to building relationships virtually is to maintain connection and nurture your relationships. Connection is the feeling of closeness, attachment, and loyalty that makes relationships last. To maintain connection online, you should follow up with your contacts regularly to show your interest, reliability, and commitment. Additionally, show empathy and support for your contacts in times of need to demonstrate your compassion and understanding. Furthermore, share your achievements and challenges with your contacts to show authenticity, vulnerability, and growth. Lastly, initiate or join social events and activities with your contacts to express a fun, friendly, and diverse side. By doing these things, you can build strong relationships online.
Do what you can to be in person with your clients when you can be even in a hybrid working model. Attend networking opportunities. Be in person for some key meetings, especially if your client will be and key stakeholders will be in the room. Travel costs may make this hard. So, do it when you can. Show your client you are invested in helping them succeed.
The fifth step to building relationships virtually is to adapt to diversity and respect differences. Diversity is the variety of backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and styles that enriches relationships, and adapting to it online can be done through learning about and acknowledging cultural and personal differences. Additionally, you should adjust your communication and collaboration style to suit your contacts, embracing and leveraging the diversity of your contacts, and addressing any conflicts or misunderstandings that arise from diversity. This helps to show curiosity, openness, respect, flexibility, sensitivity, competence, appreciation, inclusion, and innovation. Researching norms, values, and preferences of your contacts while avoiding assumptions or stereotypes is key. Furthermore, adapting language, tone, pace, and format to match the expectations of your contacts while avoiding imposing your own style or agenda is important. Celebrating and highlighting strengths and contributions of your contacts as well as seeking their input and feedback for improving work or projects is also beneficial. Lastly, communicating clearly and respectfully while listening and empathizing is essential in finding common ground and solutions for any conflicts or misunderstandings that arise from diversity.
Research your clients' backgrounds and preferred working styles before starting to work with them. You can use LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Read articles and blog posts. Listen to any podcast interviews they have done. Ask their team members about them. Look for common connections in your networks that can help you. Doing this pre-work will not only help you get off to a faster start with your client, it will show that you are willing to adapt to their style.
The sixth and final step to building relationships virtually is to develop yourself and enhance your skills. Development involves learning, growing, and improving yourself and your relationships. To do this online, you can seek and accept feedback from your contacts, reflect and evaluate your relationships regularly, learn and apply new skills and knowledge that can benefit your relationships, and seek or offer mentorship or coaching to your contacts. Showing humility, awareness, curiosity, generosity, leadership, and initiative will help you build relationships virtually. Ask for feedback from your contacts, review and analyze your relationships to identify what works well and what needs improvement, research online courses or podcasts that can teach you new skills or knowledge, and find or become a mentor or coach for someone who can benefit from your experience. Exchange feedback, advice, and resources with others to help improve your relationships. Track your progress and results to measure the outcomes of your efforts.
Building virtual relationships requires intentionality. Start by engaging authentically in online communities, sharing valuable insights, and actively participating in discussions. Use video calls to add a personal touch and make conversations more dynamic. Remember, "In the world of internet customer service, it's important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away." - Doug Warner. Regularly follow up and provide value to maintain connections. #VirtualNetworking #AuthenticEngagement #DigitalConnections