3 truly powerful ways to make communicating with remote consultants more effective

When looking for consultants with specialized skills, there are few methods better than remote hiring for finding the right talent. Opening the role up to remote candidates makes it easier to find the right person in a shorter amount of time. 

Hiring remote independent consultants can be more cost-effective, offer greater flexibility, and can often bring a unique skill set to your organization. However, effective communication with a remote worker can be a challenge, and it won’t necessarily boil down to poor communication skills. With remote employees, there are a number of potential barriers that can negatively affect communication, such as time zone differences, cultural differences, and the lack of face-to-face contact.

In this blog post, we look at some strategies that can help you communicate effectively with a consultant who is working remotely.

1. Know that the communication experience is different for remote workers

Understanding how remote workers experience communication with their team can help you prevent or address issues when they show up. We outline some of the ways remote workers experience communication differently and what you can do to avoid the disadvantages. 

They can’t just drop by

When everyone on your team works from the same location, you can just drop by someone’s desk and ask them a question. When you bump into someone from your project team in the pantry, you could possibly have a casual conversation about the project you’re working on and discover obscure details you didn’t know before. 

It’s not the same for those engaged in remote work. There are several ways to create similar accessibility to such conversations with your remote consultant. Be sure to create communication channels where they can “drop by” or comment on the work that your team is working on together. Be accessible and schedule regular one-on-ones and set up regular team catch-ups with your consultant. 

Video meetings are not the same as in-person meetings 

Video conferencing is a great way to increase engagement and improve team collaboration, but like other communication channels, video calls aren’t perfect. 

When everyone is physically in the same meeting room you can catch body language and facial expressions quite easily. If you are the only team member to join in remotely on a video call, you won’t be able to see these contextual clues. Virtual meetings can also make it difficult for you to hear everyone clearly, particularly if the rest of your team is seated together in a conference room with poor video conferencing technology. 

A good way to manage this is to have individuals in the entire team dial in on their own laptops when taking part in online meetings. Meeting participants are more likely to pay attention, especially if they have their video on (which we also recommend), increase participation, and reduce the likelihood of unclear communication due to being too far away from their microphones. 

Have your team members join in on a video call from their own laptops

They need these 2 things consistently

When remote consultants aren’t in the same office as their project team, it isn’t easy to stay on top of things — unless you encourage employees to do these two things: practice proactive communication and overcommunicate.

Communicating proactively involves engaging in spontaneous conversation, following up on tasks, relaying new information promptly, having open and honest dialogues with each other, and asking and answering questions frequently.

For the consultant working in a remote setting, this practice can provide the clarity that they need. It can help all employees stay on top of things and answer questions before they are asked. As a result, your team will feel happier and more satisfied with their team and the work they’re doing. 

Overcommunication between your remote workers or your remote consultant and the rest of your team can prevent assumptions or risks that could result in costly mistakes. If you’ve had a meeting about a certain aspect of your project, remember to summarize it at the end of the meeting. Reiterate the points and summary in writing using the right tools like email, a chat platform, or a project management tool. 

2. Set expectations with your remote consultant

Distributed teams need to establish expectations about communication among team members to make sure everyone is kept in the loop about project updates. Remote team members are prone to be left out because if they are out of sight, they are usually out of mind. To avoid this from happening with your remote consultant, have a meeting with them to discuss expectations.

When discussing expectations, do it as a team so that everyone is on the same page. Some things you should cover in your discussion are:

• The level of availability of your consultant or remote teams
• Acceptable working hours and flexibility, particularly with team members who are in different time zones.
• How to respond to urgent business needs
• Appropriate communication channels for updates
• The project management tools that you’ll be using
• How and where to share files
• The collaboration tools available
• The importance of proactive communication
• Scheduling regular meetings

By clarifying your expectations, ground rules, and all the tools available to the team, you will eliminate any confusion your team might have about how to communicate with coworkers working from different locations.

3. Use both synchronous and asynchronous communication

When it comes to remote team communication, it’s important to use both synchronous and asynchronous communication methods. Synchronous communication is real-time communication, such as video calls or chat platforms. Asynchronous communication is not in real-time, such as email, file sharing, or discussion boards.

Using both types of communication can be helpful in different situations. For example, if you need to give a quick update or answer a question, using synchronous communication like instant messaging can be more effective than sending an email. 

However, for longer updates or more complex questions, asynchronous communication like email may be more appropriate so that the remote consultant has time to process the information and answer thoughtfully.

Conclusion

Communication with remote consultants and remote teams doesn’t have to be complicated. By following the tips above, you can make sure that your team and your remote consultant are relaying information between each other effectively so that projects can move forward as planned and be completed successfully.

What other tips would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!