How To Take Care Of Communication During Teleworking?

Good communication implies, among other properties, that the message we send reaches its recipient with the least possible distortions. Thus, the fact of moving to a telework situation can affect communication. How to take care of communication during teleworking?

Are there guidelines that can help us communicate better in this new situation? In this article we talk about 7 of them.

Communication and telework

Communication, from the Latin  communicatio, – ōnis, is defined as ‘the conscious action of exchanging information between two or more participants’. Broadly speaking, when we communicate, our goal is to transmit or receive all kinds of information.

Communication is important in all areas, and this has been particularly affected today, and not only in the social and personal sphere, but also in the workplace.

Many people have gone from working to telecommuting. And logically, working is not the same as teleworking; The impact of this change can be seen in work performance, in the emergence of doubts or misunderstandings, in the work environment, in the relationship with colleagues, etc.

How to take care of communication during teleworking?

For all the comments, it is important to continue taking care of communication, even if we do not share physical space with our colleagues, but through screens. The rules have changed, but communication should not be penalized.

And it is that teleworking implies being connected to new technologies and communicating in a totally different way. How to take care of communication during teleworking?

We leave you with a series of guidelines that will help you to make communication flow at (tele) work and that can also favor a positive work environment. As you will see, these refer to oral and written communication. Take note!

Say hello and say goodbye

It seems very basic, but sometimes, with teleworking, we tend to leave behind certain habits that we assume more naturally with face-to-face communication. Therefore, take care of these two basic aspects of communication during your online meetings: say hello and say goodbye.

Smile

The smile is a very powerful communication tool. With teleworking, this can be colder; That is why it is important to keep a smile during online meetings, because it opens the doors to warmth and closeness that cannot be physically achieved at this time.

Be expressive

Another idea to take care of communication in telework has to do with trying to be a little more expressive during online meetings. As there is a barrier between you and your colleagues and superiors, communication can become colder or more distant. That is why that “plus” of expressiveness is necessary; smiles, gestures …

Moderate the tone of voice

Non-verbal language is as or more important than verbal, in communication, since it represents most of the message. For this reason, it is also important that you moderate your tone of voice and adapt it to each type of meeting. Why? Because in a teleworking context, the voice becomes a key element.

We do not have the person physically in front of us, but we do have their gestures and their voice, and the latter becomes especially important to promote fluid and effective communication (and above all, adapted to each type of work situation).

Use gifs and emoticons

It is becoming more and more fashionable to use gifs and emoticons in our conversations, and not only on a social level, but also at work. It is important to choose a good time to add these elements, it is clear that in a “serious” moment they may not be appropriate.

But gifs and emoticons can enrich the message, freshen up the conversation, help break the ice, bring a dose of humor and relaxation to the situation, and more. Thus, they can be useful to complement and smooth written communications.

Review the texts before sending them

Bear in mind that through written language it is easier to generate misinterpretations; Although sometimes this cannot be avoided, the truth is that another guideline to improve communication during teleworking is to review the messages before sending them.

Review it at the level of syntax, meaning and also spelling. Ask yourself: does the text really reflect what you mean? If so, you can hit send.

On the other hand, try to process what you write. Even for certain messages it may be a good idea to send them, if you can, delayed; that is, write them at a certain time, and review and send them at another. This edition increases the probability that the message will be richer, more expressive and that it will count exactly what you want to communicate.

Activate the webcam

There are people who get into the bad habit of not activating their webcams during telecommuting meetings. This increases the distance between the interlocutors; That is why another tip  that we leave you is this: look at others and allow them to see you.

Communication will always be more fluid -and close- if the participants see each other than if you only speak into the microphone.

And you, do you telework and have you noticed how this new situation has affected communication? Teleworking is a daily challenge that involves adapting and innovating, thinking of ideas that can encourage closer ties with others even if they are not physically with us, etc. It’s time to keep learning!