Signs that a remote team is having trouble communicating

Here are some signs that your remote team is not communicating effectively and suggestions for how to improve.

The group has too many meetings

It's not uncommon for remote teams to constantly jump from meeting to meeting throughout the day without taking a break. Sometimes, this is actually a sign of poor communication.

Usually, your team doesn't need to meet more than once a week. In fact, a lot of meetings can be exchanged via email.

Before scheduling a meeting, think about whether the meeting is a waste of time. If you are unsure, re-evaluate whether the content can be emailed. Also, think about the length of meetings. If the exchange can be brief, do it. It's important, though, to have specific goals in mind when planning remote meetings.

Low level of engagement in meetings

Have you ever attended a meeting where only a few people spoke up and the rest of the group did not? This can be a sign of poor communication as it means some members don't feel comfortable talking in meetings. On the other hand, some people are more introverted than others.

To ensure that all team members contribute, consider asking everyone questions and doing a round-robin so everyone has a chance to speak.

“Watching for signs that the remote team is having trouble communicating will help you diagnose the problem and find the right solution.”

Email is too complicated

Emails should always be simple, clear, and specific. If the email is too wordy, you should make an online call.

To communicate effectively, it's important to know which channels to use to deliver your message. Sometimes email is productive but sometimes it should be a short meeting.

The manager does the job again

If you're a manager and find yourself redoing the team's work, it means you're having trouble communicating.

When the work results are not as expected, it means that the mission is not clear and the expectations are not communicated correctly.

If you've ever reworked an employee's work, it shows that you may not feel comfortable giving feedback. Again, the issue here is about communication. The only way to improve this is to anticipate possible errors and talk to the members.

Lots of misinformation

While working remotely, employees can misinterpret a written message because it doesn't convey the tone you want. In the absence of visual cues, they may misinterpret what is being communicated. If this happens too often, the team is clearly communicating poorly.

One of the ways to mitigate this problem is to simply remind your team that written communications can easily be misinterpreted and encourage them to ask for clarification when necessary. Another workaround is to share information visually using graphs, images, or screen chat.

Deadline missed

Another sign of ineffective communication is missed deadlines. Your team may occasionally not complete tasks on time due to a number of objective reasons, but if this happens many times, it is very concerning. The main reason could be miscommunication among team members.

To avoid this problem, you should assign and monitor the tasks of your team members regularly. Break large tasks into small chunks to encourage them to complete them on time. Every time a smaller task is completed, they will feel motivated to work on the next one and meet the deadline.

Before doing that, make sure the team already knows exactly what is expected of them. When a task is completed by a member, ask them to mark it done through whatever task management system you have set up. This action will help you know if your team is on the right track.

Managing a remote team can be challenging at times, and most of it comes down to communication difficulties among team members. But if you handle this well, managing your remote team can be a lot easier.