Ways to communicate

When hybrid working, keep in mind that you have many ways of communicating with your colleagues and team.  These can be described as synchronous or asynchronous.

Synchronous communication is when you expect an immediate response, for example:

• Meetings: In person, on Microsoft Teams, or a hybrid of both
• Microsoft Teams text, voice and video chat
• Phone calls

Asynchronous communication is when you do not expect an immediate response, for example:

• Email
• Yammer (also called Communities)

Keep in mind that you also have different means of communicating with different groups of people.  For example:

• One-to-one (via email, Teams chat, phone)
• One-to-many (via email, Teams chat or channel, meetings)

When deciding how to communicate, think about who needs the message, how quickly you need a response, and what might be more appropriate.  For example, a phone or Teams call might be best if you need to have a discussion; if you simply need to share information, email might be better.

Questions for your team to consider

While adjusting to a hybrid working model, you and your team should discuss the following:

• What informal and formal methods of communication do we use now? How do we communicate at our best?  
• Where do we have any communication gaps or challenges now? What are the circumstances where we don’t communicate well?  
• What information do we need to share? 
• How can we ensure that everyone receives the information that they need to do their job effectively? 
• How can we ensure that people who are working remotely are included in communication? 
• How often do we need to meet virtually? 
• What do we want to use our team-on-campus face-to-face time for?  
• What platforms (e.g. Teams, Outlook, Yammer) do we want to use for asynchronous communication?   
• What information should we share synchronously (either in person or virtual meeting) and what should we share asynchronously?   
• Other than meetings, how else should we communicate?  
• How should we deal with general or status updates?  
• What are our personal responsibilities for effective communication?  
• In our meetings, how do we ensure a consistent experience for all attendees, whether they are in the office or remote?  
• How can we ensure that our communication choices are consistent with wellbeing and work life balance? 

Other resources on LinkedIn Learning

Leading Virtual Meetings

Leading virtual meetings is a critical competency for leaders who manage a remote or blended team. Join leadership and management expert Kevin Eikenberry as he identifies the challenges to holding a productive meeting online, and shares tactics for making these meetings successful. Learn about how to choose the right platform, set expectations for conduct, clarify roles, create a great agenda, and more. 

Leadership Through Feedback

If you're not providing timely and effective feedback, you are not being the best leader that you can be. In this course, leadership expert Linda Croyle explains how to give feedback that delivers results. Linda covers what makes feedback unique, why it's important, and why it can be so difficult.

She discusses the brain science of feedback, including how our brains learn and why we are wired to connect to each other. Linda describes communication patterns in feedback and how to identify your own patterns and clearly understand others’ patterns. She goes into how to avoid bias in your feedback and how feedback can help you improve solid relationships, become an effective advocate, and build trust. She concludes with helpful tips on how you can give and receive feedback correctly.  

Building Relationships Whilst Working From Home

Working from home removes distractions, but also eliminates important face-to-face interactions. Home-based workers often report feeling disconnected, isolated, and alone. This course teaches us how to create professional yet personal connections with remote team members and how to satisfy that missing element of closeness that people get when they are together at work.

Productivity expert Dave Crenshaw explains how to reach out to others, be authentic online, build a great reputation, and make meaningful connections with your peers. These tips are invaluable for anyone working from home—and particularly relevant for those working under the challenging conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the time to watch this course and invest the time and skills it takes to rekindle your most valuable relationships at work.