In this changing world, we are all adjusting to the new normal. For some of us we are converting our living rooms into home offices. Many of us may feel disconnected from the visibility a corporate office environment provides. How do we stay connected and continue to collaborate while away from the office?
Here are some points to help boost your communication for remote working:
1. Become comfortable with being vocal:
Seeming like you’re drawing attention to yourself can feel uncomfortable to start with, particularly if you are more introverted by nature. Letting others know what your working on helps to provide more visibility to others. This allows greater opportunity for teamwork and collaboration. Use emails and chat platforms to keep conversations going.
2. Provide meaningful context to your peers:
Communicate to colleagues about topics that matter to them. Don’t just share your own news, talk to others about topics they are interested in. Maybe ask how their project going? If you want to share your own work try linking it back to a piece of work they did so you can celebrate success together. Without meaningful context you may come across to others as self-promoting rather than a team player.
3. Consistency:
Approach communication in a consistent manner. This means creating a routine for when and how you connect with your colleagues. For some people this could be a group web chat every day at 9am over a coffee. Or others might enjoy a casual “huddle” every afternoon at 2pm. These communication opportunities are above and beyond the standard work meetings.
4. Ask Questions:
Quality questions provide quality answers to gain clarity. Don’t be shy when it comes to clarifying your key work priorities. What you think is important may differ for others. Without being in the same room as your colleagues you may miss out on small bits of information. Asking questions to your colleagues can help to steer away from your own assumptions and keep you on track.
5. Collaborate:
Find ways to complete your work to involve other people. Working remotely for long periods of time can be isolating. On top of all the social distancing, we have to do working alone can compound things. Look at your daily tasks and break them down, so they can be shared. Even if it’s just sharing an idea with a colleague, or drafting an email for them to proof read for a second opinion.
Creating a culture of over-communication allows colleagues to feel more connected and in-sync with each other. This will be even more rewarding once offices re-open and life goes back to a sense of normal again.
We at ATI-Mirage can help with tangible tools and support to make working from home easier:
Communication & Interpersonal Skills (with DiSC) – Virtual Class
Leading Virtual and Remote Teams – Virtual Class
Collaborate with Office 365 – Virtual Class
And please let us know if you need assistance with the transition to remote working as well as help overcoming the challenges. Call us on 9218 9059 or email us hello@ati-mirage.com.au
