How to Improve Communication in Virtual Teams

As technology advances, more and more businesses are using virtual teams. Working in a virtual environment has many benefits. Employers can offer flexible working hours for employees, help their staff manage work-life balance better, or outsource work to overseas workers. With a workforce that may rarely—if ever—meet up, improving communication in virtual teams is essential.

A 2018 report found that around 70% of people work away from their office at least once a week. Just over half of those surveyed said that they work in a virtual environment for more than three days. Many virtual workers view this as a benefit—they work where they want and when they want.

However, the trend of working remotely also has its challenges. Harvard Business Review reported that many virtual employees feel left out when it comes to making decisions. Over 84% of those polled said that it was more difficult to resolve disputes, and sometimes these dragged on for over a week.

How can you improve communication if you are facing the challenges of managing a virtual team? This article aims to show the best four practices of communicating in a virtual workspace.

Top 4 Ways to Improve Communication in Virtual Teams

Let’s look at how to make a virtual team work through smooth communication.

1. Choose the best communication medium

The most important decision is to choose the best ways for team members to communicate. Usually, texting, direct messaging, email, or company chat rooms are all excellent methods. However, each has its advantages and disadvantages.

For example, sending an email is fast and efficient. However, it requires knowing who the recipients should be and not forgetting someone important from the address list. Direct messaging is an excellent communication tool when instant responses are needed. However, constant notifications that are not relevant to everyone can be annoying.

Useful tools for communicating in a virtual workplace are chat apps or online message boards. Apps such as ‘Slack’ or ‘Trello’ allow you to set up virtual rooms—think of these as individual offices—and communicate so that everyone involved knows what’s going on.

2. Have a communication charter

With less face-to-face communication, it can be easy for messages to get confused or misunderstand meanings. These misunderstandings can often happen because you can’t hear the person, see their body language, or other notice other subtleties of communication. So, it’s crucial to train virtual workers to avoid a negative tone and always make intentions clear.

Another part of the communication charter should be regarding virtual meetings. Internet connections can experience lag and it can be difficult to hear if many are speaking at once. So, limiting background noise, talking at a reasonable pace and avoiding side conversations are all important. Also, specify when employees should email and when they need to pick up the phone.

Another rule to establish is the response time for any communication. For example, how quickly should employees respond to emails or direct messages? No one likes to be kept waiting when an urgent decision needs making. It is also essential to establish guidelines for times to communicate. Some remote workers can be on the other side of the world. So, expecting a quick answer when it’s the middle of their night isn’t reasonable.  

3. Manage results, not the activity

In a virtual workspace, team managers and bosses should focus on managing results, not on the amount of work done. In a “real” office, it is easy to mistake busy activity for real work. Communicating expectations with your team is better than setting out a daily schedule.

4. Communicate regularly in a virtual workspace

Regular communication becomes even more essential when you are working with people remotely. It can be easy for employees to get caught up in their work and forget about others in the team. Of course, the dynamics of each virtual team is different. So, have a good idea of what works for your organization. Some virtual teams benefit from a 30-minute video conference once a week. Other virtual employees may prefer a short message to find out how they’re getting on.

The goal should always be to keep the team cohesive and working well together.

Communication in a Virtual Office

Communication is a vital aspect of any workplace—in a virtual workspace, it is even more critical. By establishing clear guidelines and choosing the best communication tools, you can effectively manage communication in a virtual team.