4 Tactics For Leaders To Motivate Teams In Virtual Meetings

While organizations continue to discuss RTO (return-to-work) policies with employees, no one disputes that digital communication will take up a larger percentage of the workday, even among teams in the same building.

Dr. Andrew Brodsky, a management professor at the University of Texas, Austin, believes leaders can leverage all forms of digital communication (text/email/audio/video) to build trust, strengthen relationships, and motivate teams.

I contacted Brodsky to discuss his new book, Ping, which reveals simple tactics to get the most out of virtual meetings. We met virtually, of course, over Zoom, to speak about four strategies to elevate the quality of remote video conversations.

Brodsky taught me that scientists measure the richness of communication by looking at two dimensions: Cues (facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, gestures) and synchronicity (real-time or delayed communication).

For example, in-person meetings and presentations score highest for “richness” because they’re in real-time, and we can read each other’s cues. Video calls fall slightly below in-person meetings because small differences can significantly erode engagement.

Brodsky says simply paying attention to these slight differences will elevate the impact of your remote conversations.

1. Take more pauses.

“Research shows that those tiny lags in virtual video communication, even less than a second, cause interruptions and make conversations more difficult,” says Brodsky.

The problem, says Brodsky, is that when we’re in person, we get more cues when to speak. On video, those cues are minimal or confusing. The result is a lot of extra interruptions and awkward silences that make collaboration difficult.

We’ve all experienced the awkwardness of talking over each other: “Oh, no. Sorry. Go ahead. Sorry for interrupting. Oh, you’re done? Ok. Sorry…”

The trick, especially if you’re leading a meeting, is to pause more and slightly longer than you would in person. Leave enough time to make sure the person on the other end is finished with their thought.

No, we’re not talking about an uncomfortably long and awkward pause of ten seconds. But a pause that’s enough to take in what the person said. In fact, a short pause and a simple nod of approval will show others that you’re listening.

2. Prove your engaged.

Let’s say you’re looking at notes during the meeting—notes that relate to the subject. In a “high cue” environment like being in person, others can see that you’re referring to notes. In lower cue environments like video calls, your colleagues might think you’re disengaged and answering texts on your phone.

Be explicit and tell people what you’re doing. For example, “I’m writing down your observation, Susan. I think it’s valuable, and I’d like to circle back to it before we end this meeting.”

Prove you’re engaged.

3. Turn on the webcam to build rapport. Turn it off to be productive.

You can’t show that you’re engaged if your webcam is off. Turn it on.

Surveys find that most managers assume—incorrectly, at times—that employees without their webcams on are disengaged from the conversation. As an employee, you can use assumption to your advantage. For example, if there are 20 people in the meeting and most have turned off their webcams, then you should turn it on. Your boss will notice.

If you’re the boss, however, set expectations. According to Brodsky’s research, ‘Zoom fatigue’ is real. The presence of a camera creates anxiety, stress, and cognitive overload. If you’re leading a meeting where everyone knows each other and the purpose it to get work done, tell people it’s okay to turn off their cameras so the team can focus on the project.

However—and this is key—if the people on a call do not know each other well or rarely see each other face to face, then leave the webcams on.

Remember, those “cues” are crucial for building rapport with one another.

4). Set the stage.

One of the toughest challenges of remote communication is building rapport and trust with colleagues, clients, or customers.

Turn the remote setting into an opportunity to build trust by giving people a glimpse of your personal interests. “People bond over shared interests,” Brodsky reminded me as we talked about the photo of his two rescue dogs that was placed behind him. In my background, Brodsky saw some of the names of the books I read and a bottle of wine, which led to a conversation about where I live in California’s wine country.

Pay attention to what your setting says about you. If you’re a boss or team leader, choose photos that humanize you or offer some insight into your hobbies and interests. Take the opportunity to add to the richness of the conversation.

Digital communication tools aren’t going anywhere, even if two people are sitting near each other in adjoining cubicles. And there will always be customers or clients who prefer it. So, don’t wring your hands over it. Instead, adapt and use these to stand out.