noun the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing or using some other medium.
This is the cornerstone of every organisation. The holy grail to relationship success. The yin to profitability yang. And interestingly, not the same thing as talking. We all know someone who loves to talk but isn’t a great communicator. We want those we communicate with to feel less ‘bailed up by their great-uncle by the trifle on Christmas morning’ and more Vanuatu waterhole – crystal clear and completely transparent. Let’s dive in.
When you’re not sharing the same breathing air as your boss, meaningful communication becomes all the more critical. Effective communicators really nail their 5 ‘Ws’ – Who, What, Where, When and Why, plus their one ‘H’ – How. Don’t make your colleagues have to get back in touch to clarify; ensure all bases are covered in your initial conversation.
One of the most important things to look at is what channels you’re using for what sort of communication.
Email. This is best for when you’re sending information that is long, complex and isn’t time sensitive. Great for introductions and detailing systems and processes. Terrible for letting your colleagues know you’ve slipped a disc and won’t be making this morning’s pitch to NASA.
Instant chat. At Pointer, we love the chat facility in Basecamp and use it for quick updates, questions and cat GIFs. There is truly nothing better than a cat dancing in a bowler hat, but the chat function is also awesome for those little fiddly questions which aren’t urgent, and general g’days and how’s your father.
Video conferencing has come leaps and bounds since the days of the frozen screen and alien eyes. We love Zoom and with its conference function, allows us to video meet with multiple members of our team rocking their stuff from all over the country.
Pick up top tips about effective communication and more juicy, remote working information with our fabulous Remote Ready Programs. This e-course delves into how to get the most out of working from afar and sets you up for success from your home office.
Work your way!
Jo Palmer, founder of Pointer Remote Roles
Pointer Remote is focused on supporting businesses to operate remote teams and remote workers to do their best work, remotely.
Register as a job seeker or advertise a remote job with Pointer Remote.
We have an extensive collection of resources for you in our resources ‘Hub’ and don’t forget to check out our great series of informative videos on YouTube.