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How to Run Successful Virtual Communication

Business is currently running in a digital way where many of the employees are working from home and
for the business to meet its targets, the employer needs to interact with its staff to offer guidelines or
receive reports from the entire staff.

For this to be achieved, there is a need for certain knowledge and
skills to strengthen effective communication. On the other hand, we have companies that have different branches across the globe. These include partners and other remote offices in different geographical locations across the world.

Today’s topic will tackle all that your employees need to know about virtual communication while putting it into practice in
their day-to-day call of duties. These are:

Choose a matching tool

How to Run Successful Virtual Communication


There are a lot of many tools out there in the field of technology. Consider choosing the correct
one that matches and favors your communication. For example, Skype can be used by
employees to interact and ask one-on-one questions.

Slack is also one of the tools that are used to build the business by keeping employees organized themselves well while working on different projects assigned to them.


Virtual conferences can also be done via zoom where employees can also interact face to
face with each other while making their presentations concerning the progress of any given
project. This means, at all times you need to know what tool to use to convey any given message.

Some information may be urgent that you may need to use a text message or sending an email may
work better. Therefore make sure to choose the correct channel to deliver your message.

Attend the whole session of the virtual conversation.
Virtual communication works differently from other channels where here you have to put all your
concentration from the beginning to the end. It is advisable to avoid some distractions like
texting friends in the middle of the meeting. To avoid this, you put away your phone till the end
of the meeting.

Multitasking is not applicable here since all the members are not in the same locations
physically. Someplace may have a network problem causing some information to be unclear, but
those who fully focus on the conversation will always capture everything that they can even fill
the gaps wherever there is troubleshooting.

Maintain the topic

How to Run Successful Virtual Communication


As a communicator, always know what your message targets as well as outline the
expectations. Be kind to yourself by drafting down the agendas of any upcoming conversation.
This will guide you to keep time and have a stay within the topic as a leader of the meeting. In
cases where you are just an attendee then it is good also to make a draft of what to contribute
while participating in a given conversation.


Sometimes you may receive an update through an email or a text message. In such a scenario you
are advice to send back an acknowledgment text stating that you receive the update like for
example just short words like ‘thanks for the update’ matter a lot in any given communication.

Stay in the know

How to Run Successful Virtual Communication


There is the need of keeping yourself posted as well keeping your colleagues posted on what
going on. Some channels of communication may not suitable for expressing your feelings through
body language.

These are the situations where you are only following a conversation and your
colleagues can not see you predict your understanding. So in this case you are supposed to
update them through messaging to keep them posted on your progress.


On the other hand, you also need to have all the links of any given meeting so as you can watch
them through your computer to keep yourself posted. This will help you in decision-making
moving forward in the company.


Whether keeping yourself or your colleagues posted, you need to develop trust within your
working environment. You have to always provide honest answers in many cases you are required
to handle an issue.


Make sure that whenever there is an upcoming event or meeting to always switch on your tools
to enable you to receive a remainder and other notifications that you may need concerning the
upcoming meeting.

Organize training conferences and seminars

How to Run Successful Virtual Communication

A company that is performing well is the company that provides the necessary skills to its
employees. There is a need of outlining ways that will guide all employees to communicate
effectively.


Always organize for training to empower your employees with the knowledge on how to utilize
every opportunity and make use of every given resource to get the most through effective
communication.


During the training make sure to engage them well as a way of helping them put into practice
any skill and knowledge acquired so far. To some extend you may be required to provide some
materials that will motivate them to capture new skills that may lead to better productivity.

The following are a list of channels that can be used virtually to communicate;

  • Telephone call
    This is suitable for conveying information to individuals one at a time (one person after
    another one).
  • E-mail
    One can send multiple emails at once to the entire staffs where it is very effective when the
    feedback is not urgent.
  • Zoom
    This is a channel that is suitable in video conferencing where a good number of staffs can
    participate where only speakers can be unmuted.
  • Skype
    Like zoom, Skype work almost the same where instant messaging can take place while the
    meeting is in progress.
  • Slack
    Here the team can collaborate well concerning business projects given.
  • LinkedIn
    It is a professional platform where members tend to know each other through their profiles.
  • Hangouts
    A message with no urgency can be sent through the channel
  • whatsApp
    The team can have group channel to interact more at any given time.
  • Facebook
    An update can made through Facebook where members can give feedbacks through the
    comment box.
  • YouTube
    It’s a channel where only the speaker can go live while the rest of the members can follow
    and give feedbacks on the comment box.