Type of Messaging That Boosts Remote Collab

When you want a harmonious and synchronized work team, then having everyone 'on the same page' isn't just an idea; it’s the ultimate goal.

But with remote teams, it’s not that simple. It's not like you can just throw a morale-boosting or 'get-to-know-each-other' event party. That isn’t possible because oftentimes remote teams have members all over the world, in multiple time zones.

So, what can you do? Well, it has to do with team communication. More precisely – messaging.

It’s about how teams communicate via messages, how these are made, shaped, and said when there are no usual office chit chats or in-person office communication (even gossip).

Words are the most important part of every modern team. In remote environments, these words are usually written, meaning that every chat, email, or project update has more weight than ever before; more than it had in an office.

When words aren't clear, progress suffers. When they're precise, teams thrive.

Story Moments Where Messaging Makes Or Breaks It

Working remotely with a team isn't only about tools and getting things done. People have to communicate in order to be able to complete tasks. Sometimes they're even forced to communicate. And when your only realistic form of communication is messaging, then you're likely to run into a few issues.

When there's even one vague message (or a double-meaning one), that can have a serious impact on a project, it can end up in missed deadlines or strained relationships.

This isn't something that's uncommon; on the contrary, it happens quite frequently.

Here are a few examples so that you get the idea (perhaps you've been experiencing some of these without realizing it):

The 'Silent Misunderstanding'

There's a project launch happening, and Sarah sends a Slack message: "Send updates by EOD." with Tom replying back with, "On it.".

But after a while, Sarah notices the update hasn't arrived, leaving her with question marks and frustration.

Lacking the office space or spontaneous face-to-face catch-up, that one word "Sure, Okay, On it, No Problem" becomes a fault line.

Remote teams can lose context in a beat.

What's required then are constant follow-ups and check-ups to make sure progress is happening; this can be extra exhausting and can lead to burnout.

The 'Email Avalanche'

At office-based companies, people tend to solve things in person, and if there is a misunderstanding, they can resolve it in 30 seconds and move on. In remote workplaces, all of that gets transmitted into email, chat, and threads. That creates an avalanche of partial updates, attachments, ambiguity, and buried questions. Productivity is drained away.

The 'Tone Trap'

When you can't hear a person's tone, there is a lot of room for misinterpretation: "We need this now" turns to pressure, not priority. "Let's talk tomorrow" turns into an option. The tone of voice, the empathy, and clarity – all of that gets lost when messaging isn't intentional.

This goes to show that remote teams don't just need 'tools'; they need a more developed message architecture.

Five Key Practices to Support Your Messaging Culture

If you want to make messaging in a remote workplace better, here are five practices/techniques to achieve exactly that:

Establish the Purpose and Rhythm of the Channel.

Decide what messaging channel (video, chat, email, document comment) is employed for what reason. Having a communication policy is helpful: e.g., sensitive matters go on video, administrative tasks on chat, status updates in a shared doc.

Write in a Way That Leaves No Room for Misinterpretation.

When swiftly replayed without deciphering the meaning behind the message, you'll need to spend more time to process and to reply (and to think about how to reply so that it isn't misinterpreted). That means adding who's responsible, what outcome is needed, by when, and where to discuss issues. Unclear communication is a big remote productivity barrier, according to research.

Create a 'tone and Voice' Routine in Team Spaces.

The 'default' messaging tone should be used in all work-related communication (e.g., docs, chat channels, briefs, etc.). When your business's website or internal portal has a different voice (or multiple voices), everyone ends up feeling disjointed because they aren't sure how to talk with one another.

Think of the main website of any business – it's written in a specific way (at least, you want it to be) that reflects the business as a whole. That's why businesses hire professional website copywriting services to make sure not only that the website is visible online, but also that all the text is written in a way that the site's visitor knows what to expect from the business.

In the same manner, all workers should get training, or should at least be made aware of how the company expects them to communicate; this way, all workers know what to expect and what's expected of them. This means – no miscommunication or 'oh, I didn't realize!' moments.

Make Asynchronous Communication Work.

With multiple time zones, your team will not overlap each time. Set expectations: messages by the end of the day in one zone should be responded to in the next available work window. This helps prevent burnout.

Tell Stories, Not Status Updates.

Rather than "Task X complete," start with something like, "We delivered draft 1 of the API document; stakeholder feedback positive; review B due Friday." Use a story format: what did happen, what's next, what you need.

Message Types – Office Vs Remote

Below is a quick comparison of message types and how they shift when your team goes remote:

From Principles to Practice

To turn a healthy messaging culture into a habit, start small and build habits week by week:

• Develop channel guidelines: Decide what goes in chat, email, or shared documents so no one gets confused on where to post.
• Try storytelling updates: Encourage team members to post one progress update in a story format rather than a bullet point.
• Review and refine: At the end of the week, ask what was more clear and what was still confusing.

Conclusion

When there are no 'office chats', which usually happen in the hallway or by the water-cooler, all you're left with to communicate are messages. That's the prime reason why every message needs to be clear, in the right tone and intent. Think about it – you interpret the message based on how you feel in that moment, or how you presume the other person feels. You don't see their face, nor see their body language. You don't hear their tone of voice. You don't see how they feel. You're left with presumptions (which can be hit or miss).

In remote teams, messages should be treated as a strategic tool. If you use the tool well, you'll avoid chaos.

It also helps with creating connections and making remote teams communicate with minimal space for errors or misunderstandings.