WORKPLACE SPECIAL....................... 5 WAYS TO - Effectively Interact with A Virtual Team

5 WAYS TO - Effectively Interact with A Virtual Team





In today's workplace, it is not just probable, but most likely that you will work with your colleagues and team members for years before you meet them, if at all you do. Knowing how to maintaining effective communication with a virtual team is thus a necessary skill. Here is an outline of five ways to do it.

1 How to Work in a Virtual Office

Many organisations encourage employees to use training modules on the subject. “At Target, team members and leaders have access to dedicated learning programmes such as `Effective Global Collaboration' and `Leading Virtual Teams' along with other online resources,“ says Andi Marston, director HR, Target Corporation.

2 Do Not Rely Just on Emails

In case you hadn't realised, emails are already outdated. Says Ravi Shankar, chief people officer of Mindtree, “We are moving away increasingly from emails at Mindtree, because relying on emails does not work, and there is a lot of other technology that you can leverage to communicate better.“

3 Establish Rules for Virtual Meetings

Clarify which medium of communication should be used for which scenario. “Use `chat' for communica tion that requires a yes or no response, email to trigger a discussion on a topic,“ says Shreya Chaudhary, head, leadership & talent transformation, NetApp India.

4 Learn to Listen Better

“We read so much about a person from body language, when they are in front of you. But in a virtual team, you don't have that luxury, which means that you have to really listen better,“ says Mark Driscoll, human capital leader, PwC India. Take the initiative in getting to know your team, and remember it is not as simple as walking over to someone's desk and saying hello.

5 Make Your Peers Understand

You Learn cultural differences, and respect them.
Also, seek feedback to know if everyone understands you, your language, and accent.
“This is something that people don't tell you, and you have to find out, if say, some people do not understand your accent,“ adds Driscoll.

Shreya Roy ET140701