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The debate over remote work obscures the fact that whether we’re at the office, home or coffee shop, a great deal of communications these days is virtual.

Even if you’re in the office, it is likely that much of your communications with people down the hall, in the next cubicle or two floors down – let alone clients and suppliers in other office buildings – is electronic.

And it’s not just employees working at desk jobs. Andrew Brodsky, a management professor at the University of Texas, points out in his book Ping that plumbers and landscapers use e-mail, text messages and online platforms to communicate with customers. Grocery store cashiers and fast-food workers regularly text managers about schedules and receive e-mails from corporate headquarters about new procedures.

In-person conversations are often believed to be the best in terms of quality, reducing misunderstanding. But they are less efficient than virtual electronic communications. Those can also be asynchronous, making them more flexible. “The debate is no longer about what is lost when communicating through technology. It has become: How can we leverage technology to improve our interactions even more,” writes Mr. Brodsky.

In choosing what technology to use, the main considerations scientists use are the variety of cues (whether you can see facial expressions or hear tone of voice) and synchronicity (whether the communication occurs more in real time, like video-conferencing, or is it delayed, like e-mail). Those two dimensions determine how “rich” the communication is, with in-person and video calls high in richness while letters, memos and e-mail are low.

There is no ideal format, he says. It depends.

“When it comes to virtual communication mode choices, the simple act of stopping for a moment to consider more deeply why you are making a decision and what your goals are for that interaction – rather than just following your normal routine – can substantially improve your communication productivity,” he says.

He also notes that one of the biggest virtual communication fallacies is believing it has less non-verbal language than in-person. Although virtual communications lack the breadth of cues of in-person communications, such as voice and hand gestures, you are sending many signals intentionally or inadvertently and should be alert to them. Your choice of mode of communication can signal something, as can the nature of your signature on an e-mail. The time of day the message goes out also says something.

There is a clamour these days to replace meetings with emails. It not only seems to save time but also can feel safer. We can optimize our message, rewriting and rewriting, fitting everything in carefully.

“Unfortunately, this can be the wrong decision. More complex conversations often require a great deal of back-and-forth, which can occur more expediently via a real-time conversation. For instance, if your boss asks when you’ll finish the report they requested, you can answer their question in fewer than 30 seconds when you’re in a synchronized (real-time) meeting. If you’re communicating via e-mail, however, you’ll spend significantly more time crafting your message, adding extra details, and proofreading,” he writes.

He also warns that e-mails can be used to show “face time” – that you are working – without seeing people face-to-face. After all, what would you think of a colleague who only sends e-mails between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m.? That they are super-organized and disciplined? Or that they only work then? Research shows it would be the latter – that they aren’t working most of the day. If you are too easygoing and flexible when scheduling meetings by e-mail, he adds, you are sending a cue that you aren’t all that busy compared to folks who only can be available a few times in a week.

As we opt for so much virtual communication, he warns we are losing the connection of the water coolers that offices once had and the trust that was built by regularly dropping into one another’s office. And that, he stresses, can be happening even if you are all in the workplace together but communicating primarily by text and e-mail.

Quick hits

  • Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff urges you to improve by conducting tiny experiments: “You could try a new morning routine for two weeks while keeping other variables constant or test different work environments to find what helps you focus best. Document both what you did and how it affected you throughout the experiment.”
  • When asked in a job interview whether you have questions, U.K. careers coach John Lees advises before moving into that new phase of the discussion you still want to take one more opportunity to show you are the best for the job. Tell them, “I do have a few questions but before I ask, can I say one thing?” and go on to drive home your key messages.
  • “There will never be a perfect time to do something that stretches you,” says Atomic Habits author James Clear.

Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.

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