Is Virtual Communication A Hotbed Issue For Companies?

Though it has been over two years since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, things aren't back to normal. In spite of the new directives issued by some governments and companies alike, which encourage people to remove their masks, to gather indoors without restrictions, it is worth noting that the virus is very much still active and causing disruptions. Thus, in my opinion, we are still living in unprecedented times in terms of how we work.

Since the start of the pandemic, the way we work has never been the same. In theory, businesses have been forced to allow their workers to telework. That is something once unimaginable, especially for a company's entire workforce, regardless of its size. For some organizations (particularly small enterprises that account for larger shares of employment) it has been very difficult. Countries face difficulties as well because their infrastructures are not up to par for such large-scale remote settings. As a result of the cybersecurity heightened threat landscape, they faced additional challenges such as maintaining a secure infrastructure.

Prior to the pandemic working remotely would have been unthinkable, 'impossible to sustain' some company leaders would say. But is that so? Has the pandemic birthed a new era of leadership thinking as it relates to remote/telework and hybrid? Some business leaders are fuming at the mouth for workers to return to the hybrid setup while others are relaxed about taking it one step at a time.

It is not that the world has never had an outbreak of this magnitude, far from it. We had the flu pandemic of 1889, the American polio epidemic of 1916, the Spanish flu in 1918, the Asian flu of 1957, and more recently the H1N1 Swine flu of 2009, and the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014. But the one thing those eras never had that we now have in abundance is the great advancement of technology to aid in our work. For instance, Zoom Meetings which was first released in 2011, has seen a boost in its user interface and revenue since the pandemic.

Love it or hate it, technology has made working much easier for us during the pandemic. We can conduct meetings in real-time. It is possible to keep up with the changes in our workforce while still getting the work done (if not more effectively). Therefore, I wonder why we feel the need to rush back to the office when the virus is still with us?

There is no doubt that most leaders today, if not all, are in new territory when it comes to situations where the majority of employees are located off-site. Despite that, it is still a situation that must be accepted in order for them to move forward and be prepared for the future. To accomplish this, they must deal with the situation head-on. When, not if the next outbreak occurs, companies must ensure that they have implemented frameworks and roadmaps. This will ensure that they are not only prepared to work remotely when this occurs. However, we are ready and there should be no urgency or threat of lost benefits and overall livelihood if in the interest of one's self and family it is preferred to continue teleworking.

In all of this, I believe it is imperative to point out that the most challenging aspect is the need for effective virtual communication. However, two years later, businesses are still struggling to keep their heads above water coupled with the challenges that come with communicating with their most critical employees. In this regard, it is important to note that the closure of some of these enterprises was inevitable because of underlying challenges. While this is true, it does not take away from the impact the pandemic had globally.

Problems

Let us take a moment to talk about how we communicate. Many companies, especially small businesses, found it quite challenging to communicate virtually. A remote meeting with a team or a client is simply not the same as a face-to-face meeting. In spite of the fact that you are seeing each other through Zoom, Microsoft Office, etc., your ability to read the room and to adjust your communication style accordingly is not the same. Yet, it is a valuable skill to be able to do this.

Further to that, connectivity issues can be a major headache. I had a few glitches during the height of the lock down period. In a few meetings there were disruptions, and as a result, I missed a great deal of what a presenter was saying. As a result, the flow of the meeting was heavily disrupted. In such situation, one must think quickly on their feet to adapt to the situation if you need to respond to the presentation, without any visual cues to read the room. In a second instance, I had no connectivity at all.

The other significant factor to consider is much less pressure for participants to engage than in a live setting. Again, I have acquaintances who have said they were completely zoned out of meetings because two individuals often ambush them. They complained of getting hardly any chance to contribute, even with the high-tech tools. In most cases, "you are just being ignored" so there is no interest among the attendees, and they are more likely to zone out.

Solution to virtual communication

In light of these issues, here are five ways you can bridge the engagement gap to become a more effective virtual communicator.

1. Research your audience

Whether you are talking to department managers, teams, colleagues or clients, the best thing to do is to always know your audience and what makes them tick. Taking into account that you cannot read the room like you would be able to if you were in a face-to-face meeting, researching your audience will help you to tailor your presentation, paying special attention to your tone, language, and delivery style. It is also very effective to use personal anecdotes in order to convey a message to the target audience. For example, they may be short stories about current events, childhood experiences, and famed literature, to mention a few.

A second aspect of knowing your audience is to examine their demographics because this will also improve your engagement and participation. Accordingly, as I said earlier, the anecdotes will be age-appropriate as a result of which you are likely to have more people listening attentively because they can relate to what is being said.

2. Use the right tools

With 63% of companies having remote employees as part of their team, it is vitally important to use the right engagement tools. There are a variety of tools available on most communication platforms such as polls, chats, whiteboards, thumbs-ups, and hands-ups. Therefore, prior to the event, you should familiarize yourself with these tools to determine which ones are most appropriate for your audience to increase participation. In the absence of virtual engagement tools, online meetings and presentations often appear as a one-way conversation where the audience feels left out of the discussion.

3. You can also improve your virtual communication by:

a. Reaching out to your audience in advance

You can reach out to selected audience members in advance in order to ask them to share their thoughts during the presentation. This is a very effective way to boost overall audience participation from a select few. This, in turn, compels the rest of the audience to engage as they recognize that it is expected of them. The benefit of reaching out to your virtual audience in advance is that they are more likely to engage and participate throughout your presentation because you actively involve them. You can ask your audience to share during your presentation, which boosts engagement. Prepare some sensible topics to discuss in advance as well.

b. Requiring participants to turn their cameras on.

There are two benefits that result from this. It allows you to read the room, and it puts audience members in a position where they have to pay attention. 4. Asking for as well as provide feedback afterwards

You can ask some of your trusted audience members to provide you with feedback after your presentation. This will help you gauge what worked, and what didn’t, so you can adjust your virtual communication style for maximum engagement in the future. A remote team must maintain good communication in order for it to work effectively.

5. Give updates

We have a wealth of technology at our disposal. Therefore, there is no excuse for not keeping your team or clients up to date on any developments, progress, or challenges. As a result, the workflow and the relationship will be more productive. If your employees only know what half your organization is up to, there is no link between the teams. This is where we often have a breakdown in communication. Furthermore, when people are unaware of what is expected of them, a breakdown in relations can also occur. Likewise, when you accept a project from a client, it is equally critical that you communicate openly and effectively with them. You should do this at the same time as your team members.

There have been too many instances where I have seen teams miss project due dates because of not knowing the deadline ahead of time. Also while they may know the deadline, they are unaware of what their colleagues are doing to complete the cycle. If people are aware of what each other is doing, they are able to easily provide feedback where needed, who is behind, and who needs to be helped.

We can certainly improve virtual communication in many other ways such as setting clear goals in order to achieve better results. However, these should help you communicate effectively with your team and clients as well.

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions on how you communicate virtually. Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter, which will be published on Friday, April 29 in order to read more stories like this and other cutting-edge content.