Keep your remote team from underperforming or being inefficient while working remotely. Knowing how to effectively communicate with remote workers will help you produce consistently stellar work results.
webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information and tips on improving remote communication with your team.
What is Remote Communication?
Where “local communication” pertains to a device or file accessed directly from your system, without using a communications line, “remote communication” is a way or standard of communicating direction, orders, and expectations with others online. Meetings, information, guidance, and training materials can be shared over the internet and stored for reference in the cloud. Forward-thinking companies are creating virtual teams that seamlessly communicate and collaborate online (without requiring shared office space).
As with any other process, there are ways to improve or streamline your remote communication with team members. Consider the following:
1. Build Better Connections
Don’t overlook or ignore opportunities to build better connections with your teammates. Take time to connect by asking people about their day and encouraging them to check in on each other. This will help boost team morale and significantly improve employee satisfaction.
2. Use a Timer During Video and Conference Calls
When you conduct virtual meetings, it’s easy to run out of time before everyone can contribute to the conversation or vocalize their concerns.
A timer is a great tool to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak. When scheduling the virtual call, and creating the agenda, assign defined amounts of time for each topic you plan to cover; you can also assign specific times for feedback.
Use your timer during the meeting to keep it on track and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute ideas.
Tip: A timer should only be used as a guide. Don’t stop engaging discussions or great brainstorming because the timer ran out (the timer is there to help guide and insert order to the meeting, not dissuade collaboration).
3. Update Your Remote Communication/Collaboration Software
Remote team communication tools, project management tools, and document management tools can be industry-specific or integrated into operating systems. Whatever the tool, it should be frequently updated to continuously meet your team’s communication requirements.
Tip: When features or capabilities are updated or added to your software, schedule training or learning sessions with your team to resolve questions, difficulties, and doubts.
4. Communicate Clearly
Remote work is inherently different from office work (for obvious reasons). In a remote setting, casual interferences or quick clarifiers are unavailable for your team. With this in mind, your team communication must be precise and concise.
5. Adjust to Asynchronous Communication
By nature, in-person communication is instantaneous. When you speak to a colleague during a presentation or in the cafeteria, their reply is in real-time.
When communicating with a colleague of a remote team, their reply is not always immediate. When a communication is sent without the expectation of an instantaneous response, it’s called asynchronous communication (vs. real-time synchronous communication). Using team communication tools, project management systems, or email allows time between the two sides of a conversation.
There are significant benefits to this which include fewer workflow interruptions and more time to articulate a thoughtful response. However, for teams unfamiliar with this correspondence flow, their adjustment may require time and practice.
6. Trust Your Team
Many managers succeed in a one-on-one office environment because they are face-to-face with their employees. They can walk over, check in on them, ask for updates, etc. If there is a problem, managers can quickly hold a meeting to discuss and resolve it.
When a team is remote, these dynamics no longer apply. With employees out of sight, managers may feel the urge to frequently message team members for updates on a task. Not only would managers be taking up employees’ time to constantly send updates, but such interruptions will likely lead to inefficiencies, impacting their focus and performance.
7. Establish Regular Check-ins
Regular check-ins build connections between colleagues and help maintain the workflow. Check-ins can be video calls, written reports, or individual responses to a specific question.
A robust check-in process ensures everyone is working well, understands what everyone else is doing with intersections clearly understood, and no one is overtasked with work.
BONUS – Establish Communication Guidelines
Don’t assume that everything will be right as rain once your team has the right tools. Effective communication in remote teams doesn’t automatically happen. Establish specific guidelines for your team on how to use your organization’s tools and parameters for remote communication.
This helps everyone on your team avoid common mistakes like:
- Including everyone in an email or text thread meant for one person
- Slow responses
- Using the wrong program or device for communications
The guidelines you establish should determine how, when and where communication occurs. Also, consider potential differences in time zones when constructing these rules.
Note: It’s significantly easier to work together when everyone is on the same page.
Remote Business Communications
In this article, you discovered 7 ways to improve communication methods, skills, and frequency between you and your remote team.
By improving everyone’s communication, company/business tasks will be more efficiently accomplished with less confusion and doubts.
Poor lines of communication and processes for your remote team can lead to missed deadlines, undesired project results and wasted funds.
Sources:
drexel.edu/graduatecollege/professional-development/blog/2020/april/6-tips-for-communicating-effectively-while-working-remotely/
sites.duke.edu/lodtraininghub/2020/10/05/improve-your-remote-teams-communication/
ilr.cornell.edu/work-and-coronavirus/student-voices/enhancing-workplace-communication-during-pandemic-and-beyond
Avoid limiting your company’s hiring ability, or worse, failing at hosting a virtual job fair. Knowing how to set up and run a successful job fair will help you attract and hire the most qualified people for the correct positions.
webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information on what a virtual job fair is, choosing the right online platform, planning your job fair, and Promoting it.
What Is a Virtual Job Fair?
Virtual job fairs are almost identical to in-person ones but with added perks. Using online event hosts, organizations can create an online virtual space where interested candidates can interact with recruiters, chat with other candidates, and attend presentations.
Many job fair platforms allow the hosting company to fully customize the look and feel of the site. Another benefit of using a virtual space is the ability to post informational videos, documents, and even job application links, allowing candidates to immediately apply.
One of the greatest benefits of hosting an online job fair is the capacity to reach a wider audience. With an in-person fair, your audience is limited to candidates in the immediate area. Whereas, a virtual fair allows you to communicate with candidates worldwide that are interested in your company and open positions.
Candidates can speak directly with your company’s recruiters and decide whether to apply for a position or not. Virtual job fairs are ideal for those candidates wishing to relocate or for those whose schedule restricts them from traveling for an in-person recruiting experience.
Choose a Virtual Career Fair Platform
While hosting a virtual job fair may seem like a daunting and complicated task, one of the first things to do is research and select the online platform that best fits your company’s profile. Consider the following platforms:
Talentspace – This platform allows talent engagement with customized features like one-on-one chats, booths, and more. talentspace.io
VidCruiter – This is an efficient and user-friendly platform. You will have a dedicated account manager and unlimited training. Some platform features include pre-recorded video interviews, automated scheduling, and more. vidcruiter.com
Brazen – This is an easy-to-use platform. The platform offers an experience with events, including live presentations, one-on-one video, audio or text chats, and much more. brazen.com
Hopin – With a user-friendly customizable layout, Hopin virtually connects employers and job seekers who can attend panels, visit information booths, engage with recruiters, and apply for the desired position. hopin.com
Criteria used to evaluate potential platforms include:
- Level of customization
- Ease of use
- Data security
- CRM integration capability,
- Metrics and reporting abilities
- Customer service and assistance
Such platforms an excellent way for companies to continue hiring during COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions, but they also seamlessly expedite the hiring process while maintaining recruitment costs low.
Develop a Virtual Job Fair Budget
When developing a virtual job fair budget, you must keep in mind that the cost of virtual events fluctuates with variables like the number of registrants, sponsorship participation and levels, the number of events attendees participate in, and the overall scope of the event. Event costs can range from $1,000 to $10,000 or more for a single event.
Note: The more immense your event is, the more resources you will have to invest in its marketing and staffing.
Define Your Virtual Job Fair Strategy
Develop an effective strategy covering the basics of your job fair and establishing goals for your event. This is crucial to your success as an event host. Consider the following:
Dates – Establish the best date(s) possible to hold your job fair, providing your team with at least a three-month window to plan and strategize.
Content – Plan, schedule, and coordinate time for content creation, including video, images, text, etc.
Scope – You will have to decide on the number of participating companies and what they will require from and contribute to your event.
Goals – Set goals and milestones for tasks, expenses, and expected attendance to attract participating companies and sponsors.
Note: With a dynamic platform, you can still benefit when your planning and strategy fall short by adding booths or extending streaming capacity.
Your Virtual Job Fair Booth
You may be asking what should be available in your virtual career booth. Here is a list of necessities:
- List of open positions
- Downloadable company information and benefits
- Company locations map
- Current news and stock information
- Relevant departmental videos
Tip: Staff your booth with knowledgeable representatives throughout the time your event is live.
Launch Your Job Fair
Now that you’ve invested your time and resources, it is time to launch your event. If your chosen platform permits access to a resource center, make sure it is stocked with downloadable content from your company and the job fair.
Hosting a Virtual Job Fair
In this article, you discovered information and tips on planning and running a successful virtual job fair to help you attract and recruit the most qualified candidates for your company.
Hosting a successful virtual job fair will help you increase your brand awareness, broaden your networking, and flesh out the most qualified candidates in their respective fields.
Relying on only old-fashioned hiring tactics can leave you with a limited selection of candidates and increased hiring costs.
Sources:
careerservices.wvu.edu/employers/plan-your-campus-visit/virtual-career-fair-checklist
careers.bloch.umkc.edu/blog/2021/09/23/how-to-run-a-virtual-career-fair-or-info-session/
Avoid conducting an ineffective or non-impactful virtual meeting that cost your business time and resources. Knowing how to craft a virtual meeting agenda will help you keep your meetings short, informative, and to the point so that your team can remain efficiently on-task and maximally productive.
webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information on creating virtual meeting agendas to keep your meetings organized, reflecting the level of efficiency expected from your team.
What is the Purpose of a Virtual Meeting Agenda?
A virtual meeting agenda helps you and your team prepare for an online meeting and guide yourselves through the topics you need to discuss. The time spent on planning an agenda will save time for all meeting participants by establishing a clear set of objectives, topics, and time frames.
Creating the Perfect Virtual Meeting Agenda
With so many businesses having migrated their operations to remote working, the necessity for virtual meetings has grown exponentially, while the need for these meetings to be streamlined and efficient has become crucial to productivity. Your virtual meeting agenda should include the following:
Team and Meeting Logistics – Include standard meeting details like
- The meeting date
- The expected timeframe
- The meeting access link
- Expected team attendees
- The physical location for team members attending in-person
Your attendees should have quick and advanced access to these details. While they can refer to their calendar invite, having a second or third reference (email and text) can help.
Note: In the digital workplace, it is crucial to know where your team members and/or meeting participants are geographically located to avoid time-zone conflicts.
Tip: Keep your virtual meetings within a respectable 15 to 30-minute timeframe. Remote working is already filled with a multitude of challenges. Your virtual meeting should not create another challenge or difficulty.
Virtual Meeting Objective – “What’s the point?” You will want to include the meeting’s key objective prominently in your agenda. Everyone in attendance needs to be aware of why the meeting is taking place so it can stay on track.
Tip: Including the meeting’s objective can signal the end of the meeting once the objective has been met.
Meeting Discussion Topics – Avoid stray conversations by clearly defining what topics will be addressed. Each topic should be listed with its allotted timeframe and the team member responsible for its presentation.
Virtual Meeting Structure – It is absolutely essential that you establish an order in which meeting topics will be addressed. Give everything a timeframe, including introductions, icebreakers, and Q&As. This will help you ensure precise meeting timing.
Extra Meeting Details – Be sure to include the following information (either in the description or in the footnotes) when you send out your virtual meeting agenda:
- What documents or data should be formulated or prepared and by whom
- List any relevant documents, files, and source material attendees should be familiar with
- Who is responsible for what during the meeting (presentation, minutes, timekeeping, etc.)
Tip: Your meeting agenda should convey all pertinent meeting information to its attendees, reducing or eliminating any potential confusion or misunderstandings.
Team Feedback – A powerful ending to a well-organized virtual meeting agenda is a link or email address for team members to offer praise, criticisms, and suggestions about meeting structure, length, and/or content.
Time and Efficiency
One of the most challenging aspects of a functional and efficient digital workplace is a high level of respect for time.
You will not be effective in a digital workplace if you are in meetings or distracted all the time, and for most successful businesses, meetings are highly valued events. If you choose not to use a virtual meeting agenda, you are being inconsiderate with your coworker’s and peers’ time. Agendas help you keep meetings on task, allow participants time to prepare, define and restrict discussion time, and document crucial decisions and actions, so you don’t have to repeat the meeting.
Note: Meetings are the most costly form of collaboration. By pulling an entire team into a meeting, they are effectively all removed from production. Creating and using a virtual meeting agenda keeps everyone focused and significantly reduces the time spent away from production.
Virtual Agendas
In this article, you discovered what a virtual meeting agenda is, why they are crucial to virtual meeting efficiency, and how to put one together for your next virtual meeting.
By crafting and distributing a virtual meeting agenda, you establish a parameter for the meeting’s beginning, content, and ending. Thus, increasing effective information deliverance from senior staff to team members.
Ignoring the need for virtual meeting agendas leaves your team’s meeting subject to running overtime and accomplishing less than possible.
Sources:
extension.unh.edu/resource/best-practices-hosting-virtual-meeting
nceas.ucsb.edu/virtual-meeting-best-practices
strategicconsulting.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/332/2020/03/Guide-to-Effective-Meetings-Telecommuting_040620.pdf
Avoid becoming outdated and losing your audience as event technologies rapidly evolve. Knowing how powerful trends are forcing event strategies and technology to constantly change and upgrade will help you prevent loss in your audience and revenue.
webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information on 5 trends significantly changing the way events are planned, conducted, and utilize technology.
1. Livestream
Rarely do we see a trend catch on globally and so quickly as live-streaming has achieved. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, businesses and events were forced to seek alternate ways to continue production, staff interaction, and ultimately reach their audience. Livestreaming immediately became a global conduit to continue reaching audiences of all kinds.
With COVID-19 restrictions loosening, in-person gatherings and events are gaining popularity once again. However, innovative businesses are using hybrid events to increase reach and deliver content to a larger audience (incorporating in-person and livestream for the same event).
2. Facial Recognition
Facial recognition is a method of recognizing human faces through technology. A facial recognition system uses biometrics to map out facial features from photographs or videos. It then compares the information with a database of known faces to find a match.
Not too long ago, using facial recognition to Identify people, grant access, read moods, or predict actions was considered science fiction and only seen in futuristic movies.
Surprise! It’s real and already being used in events like:
- Football games
- Trade shows
- Conferences
- Night Clubs
This technology allows greater automation for your event resulting in:
- Contactless check-ins
- Faster moving lines
- Reduced interactions with event staff
More advanced software can read facial expressions and body language, giving it the ability to predict the mood of your audience.
Note: Facial recognition has been used for several years. In 2001, law enforcement used facial recognition on crowd members at Super Bowl 35 and more recently in cell phone technology, allowing the device owner to “unlock” it without using a passcode or thumbprint.
3. RFID Technology
Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to people, animals, and objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver, and a transmitter.
RFID chips are tiny and can discreetly fit inside an event attendee’s bracelet, badge, or pass. Being scannable, they dramatically reduce waiting or check-in times. They are ideal for cashless payments at events like concerts, carnivals, and festivals.
Note: When you use RFID technology in events, you can track the behavior and movement of your attendees, providing priceless insight into attendee preferences and venue layout.
4. Chatbots Tell it Like it Is
As people become more reliant on asking Alexa and Siri to set their alarms, control their household, and advise them of bad weather conditions, we can expect to see digital assistants and artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots becoming commonplace in the events industry as well.
Chatbots are already being used at events like virtual trade fairs to answer attendee questions and provide information. Automating customer service allows for more rapid response times and frees up event organizers to focus on planning and conducting their event.
The following are some of the chatbot software platforms that can be installed on your website and used for audience interaction:
- Chatbot.com
- Hubspot
- ManyChat
- Freshchat
- Drift
At a company level, chatbots free up your time by automatically answering common customer/user questions. A chatbot can also generate new leads, improve user experience, and increase sales.
5. 5G Network Technology
With the implementation of 5G network technology, there’s great expectation that music, party, and event venues will provide a much faster WiFi connection. That’s good news for both event organizers and attendees.
This technology is crucial at socially distanced events where you may be using an app or website for table/bar service. The increased speed makes other technologies like livestreaming, VR, and AR smoother, faster, and more efficient.
Note: 5G wireless technology is intended to deliver higher peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more online reliability, significantly increased network capacity, more network availability, and a more consistent experience for more users.
Changing Strategies and Technologies
In this article, you discovered 5 technological trends significantly influencing the way events of all kinds are being planned, conducted, and evaluated.
Following the evolution of technological trends and implementing them will help you remain competitive at a time when every lead, attendance, and sale is more important than ever.
Allowing technology to surpass you and your company’s capabilities will lead to the disinterest of your audience, loss in sales volume, and severe reduction in company revenue.
Sources:
its.umich.edu/communication/television-video/live-event-streaming/basics
nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-facial-recognition-works/
us.norton.com/internetsecurity-iot-how-facial-recognition-software-works.html
mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/5g-explained
brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2017/06/02/chatbots-move-public-sector-towards-artificial-intelligence/
Avoid making a mistake or not geting live streaming right. Knowing what live streaming is and how it works will help you remain eye-to-eye in business conversations.
webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information on live streaming, its applications, and its benefits.
What is Live Streaming and How Does it Work?
Live streaming is when a streamed video is broadcast live over the internet (without previously being recorded and archived). Currently, tutorials, workouts, and social media videos can all be live-streamed.
What is an Example of Live Streaming?
Livestream services can cover a multitude of topics, from social media to video games to professional sports. Platforms such as Facebook Live, Periscope, Douyu, and 17 include the streaming of promotions, celebrity events, and streaming between users (videotelephony).
Is Live Streaming Free?
There are free social media platforms, like YouTube Live and Facebook Live, among others, that allow you to live stream an event free of charge (your costs are the production equipment and hired talent).
What’s the difference between streaming and live TV?
Live streaming is considered the same as streaming, except it permits content to be delivered over the internet as a real-time data stream. For example, encoded media files are broadcast for single-purpose transmission and real-time playback over the internet.
How do I watch live streaming?
To view a live stream, all you are required to have is an internet-enabled device, like a laptop, smart phone, or tablet, and access to the live stream’s platform. Current popular live-streaming apps include Facebook Live, Instagram Live stories, Twitch TV, and Tik Tok.
What are the benefits of live streaming?
Consider a few of the reasons why knowledgeable broadcasters use professional video services, and the valuable advantages live streaming has on hosting virtual live streaming events:
- Customer Support
- Mobile Streaming
- Superior Quality Streams
- Increased Audience Potential
- Unlimited Varieties of Content Use
- Analytics Tracking
What are the disadvantages of live streaming?
A potential drawback of live streaming events is the required increase in bandwidth. Live streaming demands substantial bandwidth, as synced audio and video data are transmitted in real-time over the internet.
Pros & Cons of Streaming Media on a Website
Media streaming has grown in popularity due to advancements in innovation and technology. Similar to other technology-inspired ventures, there are pros and cons associated with streaming media on a website:
Pros of Live Streaming
Instant Viewing – You get immediate access to the content, even when traveling. Various platforms will charge a flat monthly fee to receive full access to their programming.
No Download Time – Streaming platforms have made it easier for audiences to watch their content without stressing over download time or delays. Only a stable internet connection is required for you to watch or attend.
No Memory Space Requirements – There are no downloads involved, and you don’t have to stress over disk or memory space. Live streaming is becoming highly desired, as downloading content on your computer could take up immense amounts of memory, which can adversely affect the performance of your device.
Immediate Playback – In the earlier days of the internet, there was a need for users to include a link on their website if they wanted to share a video with their audience. The visitor had to download the content to watch it later. Now, with video streaming, you can get instant playback.
Multiple Streaming Options – Streaming websites offer you a vast list of options, and there are no limits on how many videos you can watch in a day, provided your subscription is up to date.
Cons of Streaming Media
Online Only – A downside to streaming media from a website is that the videos are only available online. This option severely limits content accessibility to those without internet access.
Internet Speed – Another disadvantage of streaming content is the requirement of a stable internet connection. For the best experience, you will need a minimum of 2MBPS of internet connection. Any less, and you will likely experience buffering and slow web pages.
Security – There is also a risk of exposing or losing financial and personal details when purchasing a subscription from an untrusted platform. However, reputable sites are adopting security measures to ensure your information security.
Live Streaming Technology
In this article, you discovered valuable information about live streaming, its multiple applications, advantages, and disadvantages.
Applying live streaming to your marketing strategy will help enhance the market performance of your products, increase your business’s visibility, and give your audience real-time information.
Ignoring this technology creates space and opportunity for your competitors to reach your audience and ultimately capture their business, decreasing your potential revenue.
Sources:
its.umich.edu/communication/television-video/live-event-streaming/basics
marketing-toolbox.davidson.edu/photography-video/live-streaming/
