Here's how you can establish trust and rapport in virtual collaboration.

As an HR leader with teams across South Africa, I focus on the individual first in our meetings before diving into business. I start with check-ins, dedicating the first 15 minutes to discuss personal well-being, such as family and mental health. This approach ensures my team is in good spirits and replicates the informal bonding of physical workplaces. By showing genuine interest in their lives, I foster a sense of closeness and trust. This foundation of empathy means that when I provide feedback or constructive criticism, it is received as caring and supportive rather than critical. Despite not being able to meet face-to-face daily, this method deepens relationships and fosters a positive, empathetic work environment.

Establishing trust and rapport in virtual collaboration involves: Effective Communication: Clearly articulate expectations, actively listen, and provide timely feedback to ensure mutual understanding. Consistency and Reliability: Meet deadlines and follow through on commitments to build reliability. Transparency: Share relevant information and be open about challenges to foster trust. Empathy and Respect: Show genuine care and respect for team members' perspectives and well-being. Engagement and Inclusivity: Encourage participation and value diverse contributions to create a cohesive team environment.

I work with a team of 36 volunteers spread all across the globe. We create specific meetings every 8 weeks to check in at a personal level and get to know each other better. Also to know what each team is working on to make everyone feel involved in the overall plans of the organization. Additionally, I would recomend having personal conversations periodically with your team members 1 on 1 to check how they are doing in their personal lives, and hear their concerns and ideas with genuine interest. Let them know also how are you doing. Be honest, open and vulnerable. Predicate with the example. Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions and ask what can you do to help them to accomplish their work and personal goals.

Para poder empatizar con los demás, necesitamos empatizar con nosotros mismos y nuestro mundo emocional. Mientras más nos permitamos sentir las emociones, reconocer las necesidades de cada emoción y tomar acción al respecto, vamos a empatizar con muchas más facilidad con los demás. Siempre recomiendo lo siguiente para desarrollar empatía con los demás. 1. Promover espacios de diálogo abierto, donde cada miembro del equipo pueda expresarse. 2. Escuchar en nivel 2, dejando de lado nuestras creencias, juicios y pensamientos para enfocarnos en el otro y su mensaje. 3. Utilizar el lenguaje corporal a nuestro favor, con posturas de apertura.

In the dynamic world of virtual collaboration, establishing trust and rapport with your teammates is crucial to success. Through effective communication, empathy and mutual respect, you can build strong relationships that boost productivity, creativity and problem solving.

One important, and often overlooked, skill is to check for understanding. Anytime you are sharing a concept that may not be clearly understood the first time hearing it, it is important to ask short questions like, "Does that make sense?". It allows for them to further explain their thought process, ask you follow up questions, and at least shows them that you aren't bulldozing ahead while they are left behind.

Cuando estamos en una reunión virtual, nuestra voz, mirada y gestos se vuelven los elementos más relevantes de lenguaje no verbal. Por lo tanto, para poder comunicarnos asertivamente y con impacto, necesitamos ser conscientes de nuestra voz, mirada y gestos. Todo debe estar alineado a nuestro mensaje y a lo que queremos transmitir.

Be reliable. Open communication with regular check-ins and transparency builds trust and reliability. Actively listen and validate colleagues' ideas to foster a connection. Be reliable by meeting deadlines and commitments. Use video calls for a personal connection and non-verbal cues. I strongly believe these strategies help create trust and rapport on a virtual team. ??

Especially as busy leaders, following up on what you say is fundamental. This gives your team(s) the trust that because you really will do what you say it's worth them investing time, effort, and emotional energy to engage with you and your initiatives.

Work to recognise when someone is making an extra effort. Those are important moments to recognise. Make sure that you see it and make sure that you say it. Especially quieter team members really need to see that you get what they're contributing. At the same time: don't forget the more outgoing people, who often don't get a lot of positive feedback because people assume they're feeling good about themselves. Even a bit of positive feedback up the ladder isimportant - there's a good chance that your manager doesn't get a lot of direct info about how they're doing. Finally, I must emphasise: Be real and be specific.

When sharing personal stories, try to tie it back to the conversation at hand. It can be really easy to get lost in our own story and it ends up detracting from what they are saying. Personal stories can be powerful methods of connection; but use sparingly as they can also detract from the conversation if you aren't careful.

Sharing your personal stories is a kind of being vulnerable with your team members. It shows them that no man is a Superman and that every successful man has had their moments of failure. It helps them to own their mistakes and see it as part of the process. It helps to build healthy rapport in virtual collaboration.

Regardless of your position in the org - if you own the agenda for the call/event, then you own this. Let's be real about it. Not everyone is ready to speak in front of a larger group. Not everyone has their ideas formed on the issue right away. And quite frankly: not everyone has prepared for the meeting. Do: make sure everyone is welcome. Call on people. Promote discussion and alternate POVs. Own your agenda and keep the discussion moving forward. Don't: badger anyone who isn't ready. Shame anyone.