You're navigating sensitive conversations remotely. How do you ensure trust and understanding?

Absolutely! In today’s digital world, fostering trust online requires both transparency and empathy. I’ve found that responding promptly and with genuine concern, especially during tough conversations, helps build credibility. For instance, during a remote project, we faced delays, and I made sure to proactively communicate setbacks to stakeholders, offering solutions instead of excuses. This approach kept relationships intact and maintained trust. The key is being open, honest, and solution-oriented.

If you have no other choice but to have a delicate conversation remotely, make sure cameras are on, so you can see the other person and they can see you. Assure them that the meeting is not being recorded and that if they feel uncomfortable, they can end the meeting at any time. Be gracious, polite, and empathetic. Allow your humanity to come through to make them more comfortable. Review the agenda and purpose of the meeting before proceeding. Follow up with a call, text or email within 24 hours to make sure you are both on the same page about what was discussed.

Navegar por conversas confidenciais remotamente sempre exigiu de mim um equilíbrio entre transparência e sensibilidade. Quando comecei a gerenciar reuni?es à distancia, percebi que a confian?a se constrói em pequenos detalhes: uma linguagem clara, escuta ativa e respostas que mostram compreens?o imediata das necessidades do outro lado.

The difficulty about remote vs in-person conversations is that you are missing the visual clues and nuances that you would have if you were face to face. So you have to replace those cues with something - you have to verbalise them. Instead of being able to see someone shifting in their seat and understanding that they are nervous, you can simply ask - ??Are you feeling nervous??? (if appropriate.) You also have to up the verbal signposts to make sure that the conversation is understood equally. ??Let’s start with a summary of the situation. What I understand is…?? ?Let me underline that aspect…?? ??Some feedback for you on that point…?? It will generally make the conversation last longer but it helps it sink in more clearly.