{"id":14719,"date":"2020-07-15T08:17:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T08:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-mondaycomblog.kinsta.cloud\/?post_type=remotework&p=14719"},"modified":"2022-12-22T09:12:24","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T09:12:24","slug":"how-to-effectively-communicate-with-your-remote-team-without-an-overload-of-virtual-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monday.com\/blog\/remote-work\/how-to-effectively-communicate-with-your-remote-team-without-an-overload-of-virtual-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"How to effectively communicate with your remote team without an overload of virtual meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past few months, social distancing regulations have forced companies, both big and small, to work remotely and establish a brand new WFH culture. And luckily, modern technology has gifted us with an extensive array of virtual communication channels to make this all possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as fortunate as we are, many are finding the transition from face-to-face to remote communication to be quite a challenge.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The surprising truth is that a lot of the problems found in a remote work environment don\u2019t stem from a lack of communication but actually an excess of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we dive into challenges and solutions of virtual communication, let\u2019s give it a definition.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is virtual communication?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Virtual or remote communication is any form of communication that uses technology to reach people who are not physically present in front of us. This can be anything from the video conferences, phone calls, chats, and all the way back to the dark ages of faxes and pagers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual communication has always been around, but in today\u2019s world of social distancing, many professionals are experiencing a steep (and oftentimes painful) learning curve when solely relying on it in their day-to-day lives<\/span>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The challenge\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

While many worried about the lack of communication in a remote work environment, the problem that we\u2019ve seen arise in the past few months is actually an <\/span>overwhelming overload of virtual meetings<\/a> and what is now being called \u2018video conference fatigue\u2019.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re also experiencing this – not to worry. There\u2019s still plenty of time to swing the pendulum back and strike the right communication balance for your team.<\/span><\/p>\n

The solutions<\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Wundamail Work from Home 2020 Report<\/span><\/a> concluded that over half of its participants wish they had fewer virtual meetings in order to achieve longer stretches of uninterrupted work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the impulse to \u2018over-communicate\u2019 when working from afar is completely understandable, most of the time you can easily reduce your meeting excess. <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 5 ways your remote team can achieve this:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Use different virtual communication tools<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a time and place for everything, and that goes for all of your remote communication tools<\/a> as well. You can streamline your remote communication by designating specific channels for different types of communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While video and phone meetings are necessary on certain occasions, there are countless situations in which less disruptive forms of virtual communication will do just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got a quick question? Forgot to mention something in the meeting? That\u2019s what chat applications are for.\u00a0 From Slack to Google Hangouts, there is no lack of user-friendly chat platforms to help your team stay connected.<\/span><\/p>\n

And remember emails? Still a completely acceptable mode of communication, emails are great for longer, more detailed memos that can often replace an unnecessary meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Hone your remote communication skills<\/span><\/h3>\n

Just like face-to-face communication, remote communication<\/a> requires a certain set of interpersonal and strategic skills. These skills can help you reduce long-winded virtual meetings or at least make them more effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Examples of virtual communication skills include:<\/span><\/p>\n