Interruptions or Moments of Connection?

I was reading this article about our need for talking more and typing less. Using the phone instead of texts. Calling someone instead of sending a chat via Slack or Teams. According to the article, “While asynchronous messaging is efficient and can spare us the potential awkwardness of a voice call, it's also making us feel more disconnected, according to fascinating new research”. I agree. There is a time and a place for asynchronous communications and there is a time and a place for voice communications. 

The article went on to share that while many felt the phone call would be better, they felt that it would be more awkward than a text. I’m not sure exactly what they meant by awkward; but I wonder if, in the workplace, it’s less about feeling awkward and more about feeling that you would be intruding or interrupting someone. 

In the virtual workplace, you can’t see if someone is heads down on a project, answering emails or at a point where they can be interrupted. So, many of us default to sending an email or posting a note in a team space or sending an IM. And while there is nothing wrong with that, I wonder how many of our back and forth texts and emails can be eliminated just by picking up the phone.

Let’s be honest though, even in the office, you really didn’t know if a person was okay with being interrupted. Just by passing by their office or cubicle, you couldn’t really know if they were in the middle of a project, deep thought or just waiting for someone to interrupt and distract them. However, that doesn’t stop many of us from knocking on the cubicle or office door and saying “got a second”. And how many of us would respond with a “sure” even when we really didn’t want to be interrupted?

All of this got me thinking about how we can build a build a better habits around reaching out in the virtual workplace. Not just to have a phone call but making space for those moments to connect. One that isn’t just about you tapping someone on the virtual shoulder via IM and saying “got a second to chat”?  One in which we are respectful of others but also welcoming of connecting with others. 

As I thought about it more, I looked back on my virtual workplace habits and wanted to share a few of the things that I do and have found helpful: 

As an individual, set up your own boundaries first:

• Decide when you can and cannot be disturbed. Leave time open on your calendar or while you are working to be available. 
• Use Do Not Disturb when you can’t be disturbed or close down your instant messaging tool. 
• Use “In a meeting” when in meetings. Oh, and if someone pings you while you are in a meeting, maybe you shouldn’t respond. What’s more important during that time? The meeting or the message? Consider if you are encouraging that behavior by responding. 
• Be okay with letting a call go to voice mail. You don’t have to pick up every call or answer every email right away. 

As a team, discuss your communication preferences and availability. This is the time to work on a team communication charter and agree on things like: 

• How to be reached in an emergency.
• Your typical response time.
• How to use the different tools at your disposal. What will you use for updates? For quick responses? For project work? 

As a leader:

• Set open office hours. Block time on your calendar for people to pop in to a Webex/Zoom/Teams or tap you on the virtual shoulder. 
• Work with your team to discuss communication protocols and hold yourself and the team accountable. Regularly check in with the team to ensure that it’s still working as intended or identify areas that need to change. 

One final thought is to remember to assume best intentions. A tap on the virtual shoulder is the virtual equivalent of stopping by someone’s desk to say “hi” or ask a question. Most likely, your colleague has a quick question and saw your availability light on and was pinging you. Look at it as an opportunity to connect. 

What do you do to set boundaries but also make room to connect? 

This post was originally published at: https://www.chriscoladonato.com/2020/11/20/interruptions-or-moments-of-connection/