It’s no secret that remote work has been on the rise. Before the pandemic, its popularity was already growing. Despite it becoming a necessity for most businesses, it’s probably here to stay for a while. However, it’s become clear that remote teams aren’t communicating effectively. Below, we pulled together 5 signs to help you notice if your team isn’t communicating effectively.
Your team has too many meetings
Your employees should not be having to jump from meeting to meeting with no time for a break. For the most part, your team shouldn’t be having to meet multiples times a week. This is especially true since a lot of meetings can be sent in an email.
Before scheduling a meeting, think about if the meeting will be a waste of time. If you aren’t sure, you need to reevaluate if the content can be sent out in an email. Also, keep in mind that if you schedule a meeting, everyone invited needs to be there. If they don’t have to be, then let them know it’s optional. Regardless, you need to be intentional when planning remote meetings. You don’t need to take everyone away from their work when the information can be sent in an email.
Team members don’t contribute during meetings
You need all team members to be engaged and wanting to speak during meetings. If only the same people speak up, it can be a symptom of poor communication on your team. It might mean that some members don’t feel comfortable talking during meetings. On the other hand, it’s important to keep in mind that some are more introverted than others.
To help ensure that all team members are contributing, you can consider asking everyone a question. Then you can go around to get everyone’s answers. This then allows everyone to have a chance to speak.
There’s no communication throughout the day
The more you talk to those on your team, the more trust everyone will have. It will make things easier for everyone to reach out to each other when they need help. This is why it’s important to make sure everyone on your team is comfortable and communicating each day. Even if they just send a funny image, they need to be comfortable with one another. However, you don’t want anyone to have their notifications blown up all the time. This is why checking in every so often is important for team communication.
Emails are overly complicated
Emails should always be simple, clear, and specific. If your email starts to get overly complicated, you should consider scheduling a quick call with that person. To communicate more effectively, it’s important to know what channel to use to help deliver your message. Sometimes an email is effective, while sometimes a meeting or phone is better.
There’s no agenda or meeting structure
If there is no agenda or meeting structure, you might not be communicating effectively during your meetings. They need to be organized and structured so you can ensure they’re productive. By having an agenda or meeting structure, you will be better on track. While this isn’t necessary, you should send the agenda out prior to the meeting. This will help your team be prepared for the meeting.