Three Virtual Communication Culprits In Your Life
It’s no secret that Covid-19 prompted massive change in our professional lives. As more workers are remote, companies are forced to adapt — creating a shift that, in many cases, won’t be temporary.
Not only do experts maintain that the pandemic will change our professional landscape moving forward, many workers are in favor of long term adjustments. In fact, recent data reveals that over 90% of professionals would prefer to do some or all of their work from home moving forward.
Fortunately for them, many employers plan to offer this option well beyond the scope of the pandemic — and with good cause! Not only are employees generally more productive working from home, they’re happier, earning more, and feeling better about their work.
There’s one aspect of telecommuting, though, that presents very unique challenges.
The Remote-Work Trap
With everything I’ve seen in this space — and after 8+ years working mainly remotely — I can’t stress what I’m about to say enough. As we shift from boardrooms to Zoom calls, swap in-person catch-ups for Slack threads, and make important decisions within the confines of our inbox, communication is paramount.
With a remote environment comes major potential to draw things out. All of a sudden, many of us find message composing, email threads, and unnecessary walls of text from coworkers to be a huge time suck.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The tips that follow can help your team dodge this sinkhole — and preserve your time and energy at work.
It, That, This — The Three Time Killers
So tiny, but with infinite potential to gobble up your work day, are the words it, that, and this — which I’ve come to call the “three time killers.”
While your first thought may be that you’d struggle to write an email or Slack message without them, I can guarantee that they’ll cause confusion if you’re lacking context. If you catch yourself using these words in writing, take a step back and put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Read out loud if you have to. If there is any chance that the reader may not know what it, this or that is, the word has to go. Period.
While making these adjustments can add a few extra seconds (or minutes) to composition, they save you time, energy, and inbox space by eliminating the need for clarifying follow-ups.
To put this all in context, here’s an example that doesn’t work.
“I changed that to reflect what they said. But if we change this, we should change the title too. I don’t like it right now.”
Honestly. Um… what? What does this even mean? Let’s fix it.
“I changed theimage on the second page of the investor deck to reflect what the CEO said. But if we change the image, we should change the title too. All the titles in the slides are placeholders for now and we can finalize them in the morning.”
See what I mean here? Ok good.
The Perfect Finish
Also crucial to an email or message that works for you is the perfect closing line. You want the reader to be crystal clear on what you want from them (if anything) and how they should proceed.
Here are some great examples.
“Is there anything I’m not adding that you think is relevant?”
There’s no better way to get feedback than to ask for it.
“Does anyone else have further context to add?”
Don’t assume readers will volunteer their opinions. An implicit request may not be obvious to them.
“We’re launching XYZ at 3pm today. If anybody has revisions, please add them to this thread by 11am. If we do not receive your revisions by 11am, they won’t be incorporated until the next round, next week.”
A clear timeline is crucial to quick response — and not ending up lost in someone’s inbox.
If you’re looking to optimize your team dynamic and thrive in a digital workspace with better virtual communication, I’ve got lots more for you! Sign up for my newsletter for more great tips on how to save stress, foster an effective team, and create an environment of clarity and calm today.
Remember: Good communication creates clarity. Clarity creates calm. Calm decreases burnout. Win.
Photo by Bobo Zhao