5 ways to best communicate with your team in times of social distancing

Effective communication is important for harmonious cooperation in the team and the basis for smooth work processes. In the age of digitization and increasingly in the current situation, which is characterized by so-called social distancing, it plays an even greater role. With this article you’ll find out how to keep your team engaged during remote office times.

A pictured illustration of communication in times of social distancing with no “points of contact”

How does social distancing influences communication?

Employees have to choose between working in turns in the office or completely remote. Supposing that the Internet works and the technology required to work is available, these circumstances initially have no influence on the content of the work.
It is different with the influence on interpersonal relationships. These are built up through communication outside the work context and non-verbal communication. Professor Albert-László Barabási, specialist in scale-free networks highlights how important spontaneous exchanges for employees really are:

“Chatting by the proverbial watercooler — lost time from the manager’s perspective — is what really mattered. What looked like wasted time was actually employees doing important work, strengthening rapport through fluid communication.”*

Another communication type which is also completely eliminated, but also important are encouraging winks or smiles from a colleague when you let your gaze wander.

“Face-to-face communication between team members mattered tremendously to team performance. We’re talking about the old-fashioned, informal kind of chitchat, when people make eye contact, speak animatedly, share stories, take the time to laugh or ask questions or listen.”*

Lack of social networking and its consequences

This lack of social networking can also have an impact on the well-being of the individual employee, especially when it is a new employee.
Where there used to be a decorated table, an office inspection, support in setting up the work equipment, a welcome round with coffee (or champagne) and small talk, the first day often only brings one thing: excessive demands. The employee struggles with the need to make a good impression, to memorize as many things as possible and to cope with the work instructions, technical devices and tools. Communication with new colleagues takes place in writing, which excludes nuances, gestures and facial expressions or via video chat, which is particularly overwhelming if you are not familiar with the media used. If the employee is someone who is very introverted or sees work only as the objective of earning money, communication with colleagues that goes beyond the work-related communication will not be particularly important to him. For extroverts on the other hand, active and communicative interaction is very important and shy people often want to feel included by their colleagues.

The first day in a new job can be challenging because people have to cope with new work instructions, technical devices, tools, the pressure to leave a good impression and the lack of social support.

It’s not all about words..

In order to meet the needs of the individual, not only active communication — the choice of words of the sender — but also passive communication — non-verbal behavior — is important. This is not about better concentration during conversations but also about appreciation — getting involved with the person with whom you are communicating to without dealing with other things at the same time.

Conversation? Preparation!

The more stressful the individual’s job is and the more things the person has in the pipeline at the same time, the more important it is to generate time for discussions. Since you should never assume that the other person think, feel and work in the same way as you do, you should ask yourself one rhetorical and two open questions before an important conversation takes place:

• “Who is important right now?” — “My counterpart!”
• “What do I want to achieve with the conversation?”
• “How long will the conversation take?”

In order to be able to really concentrate on the conversation, unneeded media (telephone / laptop) should be switched off or communication programs such as Slack or the Email tab should be closed.
Concentrated and focused work increases effectiveness; since you don’t always have to find your way back to the point where you leave, you save valuable time and nerves. To fully engage with your counterpart is also a sign of respect, not only in times of Corona.

But how to build bridges?

In addition to good preparation, there are 5 hints below, to help you and your team to communicate best in times of social distancing while keeping good team spirit.

Finding alternatives to communication means finding ways to bridge the social distancing

1. Back to the roots — When it comes to really important, concentration-intensive topics, video chats should be avoided. Most people can no longer concentrate and are distracted when the television in a room is switched on with images and sound. In the end, the transmission in a video chat is nothing else, the stimulus is only increased by the fact that various stimuli appear at a group meeting that stress the brain. If one of the participants also has a bad internet connection, the distraction is inevitable on all sides. Just make a call or a social walk.
2. Social walk — Important one on ones as i.e. feedback talks, should always take place in person, as long as the circumstances allow it. Since the camera is located above the screen on a laptop, eye contact is not possible anyway during digital talks. A walk in the fresh air, perhaps in combination with a coffee to go, automatically leads to a more relaxed mood. Sitting opposite on a park bench (while maintaining the minimum distance) enables eye contact and body language, the distance between technical equipment and concentration and the fresh air enables a clear head.
3. Morning check-in — If the team takes 10–15 minutes (depending on the team size) to socialize every morning at the very beginning, the employees who value it will be attended and the employees who are indifferent to the topic will hopefully not blame the others for wasting their time for a few minutes. A short round of questions about the health of colleagues, important things that are currently on the agenda or personal events encourage a (digital) approach.
4. After work club — A digital after-work appointment for a drink is also an option. However, this should be clearly communicated as voluntary in order not to build up pressure on those who are reluctant to communicate socially digitally.
5. Manuals — Another good way of digital communication are manuals that each employee writes about himself. This is especially helpful for people who are struggling to have emotional conversations or to open up to others but want to be attended. It can be helpful to provide a structure that you can use optionally. This attends to reluctant employees and does not prevent those who are willing to communicate. Writing a manual also supports self-reflection and offers a (sometimes welcome) alternation from the daily work context. Furthermore, future exercises in a workshop on the subject of communication can be based on the manuals. A guideline for writing the manuals can be found here.

We can all hardly wait for the end of these crazy times the Covid-19 entails. It is very important to take time for good communication and to deal with the topic openly to strengthen the team and bridge social distancing. So we can as a team all look to the future with confidence and be excited about what it may bring to us.

A first impression about the “new normal after Coronavirus” you can get here:

The world after coronavirus: What will be the new normal?

*Sources:
Professor Albert-László Barabási (2018): The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success