Tips for effective communication with remote colleagues and clients

1) When you begin working with a new remote professional, start the day with a 15-20 minute call, at least for the first two weeks. You can then set up calls every 2 or 3 days, but try to never let a week go by without at least one call. Use this space to give feedback!

2) You might want to ask the remote professional to end each day with an email update. At the same time, you don’t want your relationship to be solely email-based, so use Whatsapp or the instant messaging app you most prefer for a more immediate and fluid conversation.

3) Make sure everyone’s on the same page as to what the work hours will be. Sharing calendars to help keep your schedules in sync is exceptionally helpful.

4) In addition, be clear on which tools you’ll be using. If you’re going to video chat, should it be through Zoom or Skype? Do you use Asana or Monday.com?

5)Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone! Video calls and chatting are the modern way of communicating, we know, but sometimes there’s nothing like a good old phone call. It’s immediate and leaves much less room for misunderstandings as people can hear your tone.

6)Set up a virtual water cooler. Remember those places where, back in the days of in person offices, people would congregate to just chat for a bit? Replicating that online is a good idea because it allows team members to loosen up, take a break and get more familiar with their coworkers.

You can set up a separate channel in your messaging tool or create a public discussion board where people can post random tidbits: the food they cook, vacation pictures and even jokes. Though you might think that this will encourage idle time, it’s actually the opposite, because it’ll help colleagues connect on a more personal level, and that will only benefit and strengthen their groups. You can definitely consider it a team building activity!

7)Make time to bond: host team building events, online.

Virtual trivia nights, virtual happy hour, a weekly virtual breakfast where everyone gets together for a few minutes, even virtual movie nights–with a little imagination and goodwill, nearly anything is possible.

All in all, our most important #BetterProsTip is to remember thatthere is no such thing as over communication! Communicate as often and as frequently as possible. Feedback is key and helps create better and more efficient work relationships.