Remote Etiquette: A Leader’s Guide to Inclusive Remote Meetings

As this pandemic unfolds and social distancing has become the new norm, I have witnessed how the panic has fueled a familiar pattern of fear of the other — a slippery slope when people are faced with the unknown. Perhaps a silver lining to the mandatory social distancing of this pandemic is that leaders must learn how to intentionally be inclusive while being physically separated. Inclusive leaders understand that inclusion is a priority anytime people are working together, whether in person or remotely. Which brings me to something near and dear to my heart-the etiquette around remote working. For those, like myself who normally work remotely, we are accustomed to the shortcomings of remote communication, ranging from navigating the perfect timing for asking questions and trying to make a point when those in the room are talking over each other, to poor technology creating an experience akin to using an old walkie-talkie that picks up one voice at a time.

Now, it’s often difficult for those people in the room to consider those on the phone because it is often out of sight, out of mind. Those who work remotely can experience invisibility or the sense they are missing a significant percentage of the conversation in the room. When not included or asked to participate, remote workers may drift off into multitasking because they are not included in the task on hand, resulting in a lack of productivity and less innovation. All of these challenges can be cured with a little remote etiquette, and inclusive leaders must intentionally make sure all participants are included in the discussion by establishing team Rules of Engagement:

• Use video conferencing as often as possible. Seeing each other facilitates communication and inclusion.
• Establish a norm of one person talking at a time.
• If it is a large group or a new group meeting remotely, establish a norm of saying your name each time before you speak.
• If your team is national or global, rotate the meeting time so that it is not always at an inconvenient time for those who are in different time zones.
• If part of your team is in-person and others are remote, rotate turns for making a comment or asking a question, taking turns between those in the room and remote participants so that all are included.
• Intentionally pause more when presenting, and between topics, inviting remote workers to ask questions.
• If there are questions for the group, make sure to provide these ahead of time for those who speak other languages or who need time to process the information.
• If the remote meeting is more than an hour, have scheduled bio breaks to be considerate of those who may have health issues or children to check on.
• Assume positive intent in remote meetings; without the benefit of seeing the body language, recognize that context and meaning are often incomplete.
• Use icebreakers to promote low-risk ways to learn more about each other, creating a virtual watercooler.
• Notice who speaks first and who is silent, and prompt those who are silent without putting them on the spot, by saying, “I’d like to hear from some different voices.” “Who has a different opinion?”

Establishing team Rules of Engagement is only effective when leaders actively promote, role model and enforce those rules, not just during this unprecedented peak in remote working but when most are back in the office and you still need to effectively manage a distributed workforce. Being inclusive with remote workers ensures that each worker is focused, engaged and contributing to the conversation.

If you’re interested in learning more about inclusion, register today for our upcoming webinar: Measuring Inclusion at any Stage: Launching, Expanding and Mastering this upcoming April 1st.

Originally published at https://eskalera.com on March 17, 2020.