Virtual Collaboration Best Practices
Collaborating virtually (and effectively) is easier said than done. Here are a few tips to get you started!
Whether you’ve transitioned to working remotely full-time as a result of the pandemic or you’ve always been on a remote team, collaborating virtually is something most all of us have experienced in the past few months. While working remotely can certainly be desirable, it does bring up its own set of challenges - especially if teams are used to having the option of working together in-person.
As with any new obstacle, it will take some experimenting and determining what works best for you and your team, but the following tips and tricks will help get you on the right track of becoming a virtual collaboration pro.
Encourage transparency, open communication, and broadcasting
CC’d emails, direct messaging, and group video calls have suddenly all become our new best friends. Gone are the days of hopping into the conference room to hash out an idea or huddling in a team members office to launch the perfect product. With everyone spread out among their home offices, it can be easy for someone to miss a message or get skipped in an email and suddenly not be on the same page as the rest of the team. So when in doubt - overly communicate. Even if it seems like you’re stating the obvious, do it anyway. It will be well worth making sure everyone is in the loop.
Get comfortable communicating over video
It may not be everyone’s favorite form of communication, but apart from being face-to-face, it’s the most effective means of communication in many cases. So the sooner we get comfortable communicating over video, the sooner we can start crafting a new normal for our work life. If you feel uneasy before hopping on video calls, identify why you may be having those uneasy feelings. Maybe they aren’t warranted, but even if they are, identifying them will ultimately help to nix them so you can focus on the content of the video call, rather than the concept of the call.
Learn how everyone communicates best
Everyone has their own workflow that works best for them - complete with their own quirks and systems that may only make sense to them. This includes how they best communicate. Of course, utilizing several forms of communication each day is likely the reality of most, but by identifying the way your fellow team members communicate best, you can more effectively have those necessary conversations and and not be sitting in someone’s inbox if they only check their email twice a day, when you could have gotten an immediate response on Slack.
Invest in collaboration tools (Slack, Asana, Monday, etc)
It’s essential to have a form of communication that is not email and a project management system that is not just a Google doc. If you haven’t yet tried out any of these tools, give them a shot! It can be easy to stick to what we’re familiar with, but these tools are meant to make our lives easier and, in many cases, will do just that! Pro tip: make sure everyone understands the expectations around using these tools. If half of your team implements the tools and the other half doesn't, that will likely make things more difficult in the long run.
Don’t take things too personally
Collaborating virtually is new territory for a lot of people. Everyone communicates differently and it can be so easy for things to get lost in translation. If you feel like someone is being short with you or isn’t communicating in the ways you’re used to - don’t sweat it too much. Chances are they’re just busy and aren’t even thinking twice about the nuances of not signing off with their usual smiley face or sprinkling emojis throughout their Slack messages. Give them the benefit of the doubt, don’t take it personally, and remember everyone is still learning to navigate this new normal.
You got this!
Collaborating virtually doesn’t have to be daunting or difficult to implement. It will just take time for each team to find their groove, be patient with one another, and acknowledge that there will be challenges to overcome. However, you should be off to a great start by implementing the tips listed here.
Is there anything else you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments!