I’ve been writing, thinking, and leading workshops about virtual communication for almost two years. In that time, I have been remarkably hit-or-miss in instituting some of my ideas with my own team.
My explanations for this include some that our clients use: our team has worked together for a long time, we’re friends, we have a great shorthand together. And I have another explanation that’s specific to us: we think about this all the time, so we’re already doing it “the right way” from our experience and we don’t have to spell it out.
These are all excuses. Every team that works virtually or hybrid, (including mine), needs to implement three practices to keep the lines of communication clear and to reduce misunderstanding.
First, start every meeting with your intention. Be transparent! An intention isn’t the same as an agenda. The intention is what you’re hoping to walk away with—I got everyone on board with the new plan and they’re comfortable. Or I reduced anxiety about the budget numbers. Or I got my questions answered so I can move ahead. Starting your meetings with everyone’s deliberate and productive intention ensures everyone is working towards the same goal, and if not, at least you know that at the beginning, and the team can course correct.
Second, make sure you’re connecting all the dots. When you’re meeting virtually, it’s easy to miss the subtle cues that someone isn’t satisfied with a topic, or they have another question. Additionally, if you’re the person who needs more dots connected, it can be harder to get your voice heard in a virtual or hybrid setting. Check in frequently, and try to cut down on making assumptions.
Third, take minutes and share them. This may seem super obvious, but one way to cut down on the “I thought we decided X at that meeting!” phenomenon is to capture the major takeaways and send out the notes right away. Everyone with action items should confirm “yep, that’s my understanding! Got it!”
These are my three Fall Resolutions. Will you join me? Let me know how it goes!
Hey! My book is out! Go here to order Before You Say Anything: How to Have Better Conversations, Love Public Speaking, and Finally Know What to Do with Your Hands! If you’re an audiobook person, stay tuned. The audiobook version (read by me, full disclosure) will be available in October!
