Why?

If you were in the office you wouldn’t attend a meeting in the dark.

It’s important that you can see who you are communicating with so that you can build a connection and create trust.

It also leaves less room for misinterpretation/misunderstanding as you can see each other’s body language.

Set-up tips

1. Make sure you’ve set up your view so that you can see everyone, not just the active speaker. This is especially important if you are the one presenting.

2. Look into the camera/webcam (usually indicated with a coloured dot). This will result in you giving eye contact to everyone in the meeting.

3. If you’re worried about what’s going on in your background you can change it or blur it in Teams (instructions here) and Zoom (instructions here)

4. If you’re using Zoom and you really don’t like looking at your own face on screen you can hide your view (instructions here)

Build up your video confidence

It is weird seeing yourself on screen but the more you do it, you’ll soon forget you’re there.

Some tips on how to get used to it:

1. Record videos of yourself and watch them back

2. Send videos of yourself to someone you trust (ie. friends and family)

3. Find an online group/community who share similar interests with you and meet via video. It’s a great way to ease yourself into talking to others through a screen and meet new people along the way!

4. If you’re presenting: good lighting is helpful. Try placing a lamp behind your screen so that you’re well lit

   
   

Why?

It can be hard to feel like part of a team when we’re separated and working from various locations.

Effective communication can really help with this as it keeps us aligned, continues strong working relationships and helps us feel supported and motivated.

Methods of Communication

There are a variety of ways we can communicate and it’s important to try and choose the right one for each conversation.

1. Email - great for important information that people may want to refer back to

2. Chat/instant message - great for back and forth interaction (ie. a topic to be discussed) either with one other person or as a group

3. Call - great for more in-depth conversation or if you just miss the sound of someone's voice. However, you may need to send an email with notes or follow up actions

4. Video - great for teamwork and projects that involve multiple people interacting. It helps everyone feel involved and connected in the work

Tips

Try thinking “what would I do in this situation if I were in the office” and can you recreate that solution virtually.

For example, if you were in the office and going back and forth via email with a colleague and still not getting anywhere, you might go over to their desk or schedule a meeting to talk about it face to face. While working remotely you could approach this by scheduling a call so you can talk it out instead.

Why?

It's really easy to isolate yourself when working remotely and it's important to remind yourself that this wouldn't often be the case when working in the office.

It is important, not just so you produce high quality work, but also for your mental well-being to interact with others regularly.

Meetings & Projects

There is a balance of course as you don't want to be on video calls all the time. However, don't forget the value of meeting with people face to face. It’s a great way to bounce ideas off each other and stay updated.

When scheduling meetings try and set a clear agenda and share it in advance so you can really make the most of the time you do have together.

Social Interaction / Team Building

Here are some ideas on how you can interact socially while working remotely:

• Virtual coffee breaks - create a video call at a set time every day (ie. 10-10:30am) where anyone can drop in and chat while having a coffee/tea

• Team virtual escape room - there are lots available but check out this free Harry Potter one to start!

• Social chat channels - create channels where your team can have a little fun (ie. “share a photo of your biggest distraction of the week” - click here to see mine when I was creating this resource)