A lot of people are going to be experiencing remote working for the first time over the coming weeks. So here are some observations/tips for effective collaboration when you aren't all in the same room...
1) You can't rely on non-verbal cues in the same way as you do (consciously or unconsciously) when you're in the same room with other people;
2) Due to latency inherent in the technology, it can be harder for people to identify natural breaks in the discussion and when to speak
2) Due to latency inherent in the technology, it can be harder for people to identify natural breaks in the discussion and when to speak
3) Don't be afraid to have short conversations - audio or video. It is easy to slide into the habit of communicating in writing with people who aren't with us.
4) Be deliberate in inviting comment from everyone individually instead of a general 'Any questions?'...
4) Be deliberate in inviting comment from everyone individually instead of a general 'Any questions?'...
... people will often be in noisy locations and be muted. They need to go off mute and then start speaking. An explicit invitation can be needed in order to provide the space for input.
It can be useful to follow the rule: If one person is remote, everybody is remote.
This puts everyone on the same level in terms of technology and the ability/freedom to provide input into the conversation. There are exceptions to this rule, but make them exceptions.
This puts everyone on the same level in terms of technology and the ability/freedom to provide input into the conversation. There are exceptions to this rule, but make them exceptions.
We lean heavily on tools like Zoom, Trello, Slack, Miro, and Google Docs.
