How can you improve virtual team communication and collaboration?

I find that communication is extremely important for a number of reasons and it is generally behind so many problems people face. On a personal note, I have seen friends fallout over something said in a text message that should have been said in person or at least over the phone. When you are communicating with a team member that is virtual, you need to think about what is being said and how this will make them feel. This is were expectations comes in. If you are clear on what is expected of them they know what they need to do. If they don't meet the expectations, they then have context for why you may not be happy about them meeting your expectations. If you are not clear with them upfront you are the one not communicating properly.??

Communicating effectively is collaboration. Virtual teams require full engagement and commitment. Be open to receive support and be kind enough to provide help as much as possible.

Personally I find email the worse method of communication. We get to caught up in clearing our emails. Unlike the post if you got junk mail you had to do something with it. With email it can build up then you dont want to even look at your emails or you spend so much time thinking you need to sort your emails that you don't. if you are virtual I would suggest a messaging app like Slack or Teams. You can jump on a video call or record a short video or message in real time. ????

Trust and rapport can be hard when it is online. I do think however since COVID online has become more accepted in general. It isn't just top executives working from home anymore. As it is more accepted it is generally easier to build trust and rapport. However the key to this as mentioned previously is setting the expectations. This is build trust so much faster. ??

Building trust and rapport with a virtual team is essential for fostering collaboration and productivity. To achieve this, establish clear communication channels and encourage open dialogue, ensuring team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. Regular virtual meetings and team-building activities can strengthen connections and build a sense of camaraderie. Acknowledging individual achievements and contributions publicly can also boost morale and trust. Lastly, actively listen to your team's feedback and demonstrate a genuine interest in their well-being, creating a supportive and trusting virtual work environment.

Don't be scared to try something new. Culture is important and it is hard to change it once people have settled in so make sure this is considered with communicating in a team.

Allow for all the parties to have their opinions and views expressed freely. Don’t discourage anyone from sharing their points. It’s important that all members have the floor to speak and contribute. The smallest contributions often lead to the biggest breakthroughs and are often the ones that will transform your organization into a successful organization and help your team achieve the goals you set forth.

Style can make a big difference in a business and its leadership. not every team is the same and you should adapt your style to fit with your team but also remember you need to be yourself or you wont build rapport or trust with the team.

Too often, virtual is used as the reason collaboration/communication isn't working, when in fact there is or was very little collaboration and comms before virtual came along… Where this leads is action-taking without really understanding what the real problem is. I’ve seen teams implement slack channels, Notion boards, and all sorts of other ‘tools’ which simply add to confusion, noise, and disengagement. Go back to basics. Who are you? Who are your team? Get curious about why the do the job they do, what impact they want to have, what are they getting out of their work… Lean into relationships. Everything else is a tactic or a tool - useful, but only when contextually applied to the relationship you have with yourself and others.

Virtual connect is here to stay. This evolved more Post-COVID. Key elements that got established in this tenure are: Trust, focus on purpose & outcome, effective communication, online etiquettes & flexibility.

One more thing which can help us improve better communication with our virtual team is AI tools. With help of AI you not only reduce the unnecessary time spending but also create insightful data presentations. I believe this could be definitely a gamechanger !