101 Remote Team Communication Approaches for Stronger Teams

Master remote team communication with variety and consistency.

If you’re serious about becoming a better remote leader, you’re going to want to become a master in the art of remote team communication.

Key initiatives, motivation, strategic priorities, updates, celebrations–there is so much to communicate with your team.

But here’s the big question.

How do you know your messages aren’t getting lost in the background noise of competing priorities, digital distraction, and hazy sameness of emails and instant messages?

Communicating What Matters Most

It’s no exaggeration to say that every time you or your team form a memory, your brain changes. You literally build new connections (or strengthen existing connections) between neurons.

We also know quite a bit about how people build memories and retain information. As a leader focused on remote team communication, four of the most important principles are recency, repetition, recall, and emotion.

Recency

One way to spark memory is through recent experience. You probably remember what you had for breakfast today … but lunch three weeks ago is likely fuzzier.

Repetition

It’s easier to remember what you encounter more often. Hear a song once and you might say “that’s a nice song.” Hear that song ten times and it might not leave your mind for a week–whether or not you want it to.

Recall

One way we strengthen memories and retain information is by accessing it. When you have to recall the information to answer a question or do your work, you are more likely to retain it.

Emotion

Emotion has a powerful effect on memory. If you reflect back on a time you experienced a strong emotion, you probably remember more about your surroundings. For example, I’ve been in many high school auditoriums, but I still remember details of the auditorium where I learned I’d won my first multi-state high school debate tournament.

Bringing it All Together: The Power of 5×5 Remote Team Communication

Effective leaders don’t leave these memory enhancers to chance. You can build processes and plan your remote team communication strategies to leverage these characteristics of memory.

One technique to help you do this is our 5 x 5 Communication Planner.

5 x 5 refers to communicating key messages five times, five different ways. “Five times” achieve repetition and recency. Five different ways can help with recall and emotion–particularly when you engage your team and get creative.

The first two or three elements of your 5 x 5 communication plan will be the standard ways you use consistently and people come to rely on. These might include team meetings, emails, project management software, and message threads.

When you extend beyond these and do something differently, that creates positive emotion: “Oh, wow, this is different and fun. This is important.”

It can feel challenging to get creative and mix up your communication strategies when you’re busy and tired. So, we made it easier.

Mixing it Up: 101 Remote Team Communication Techniques

We’ve been working with remote leaders around the globe to help them communicate clearly and ensure they and their teams align around what matters most. We’ve also asked them what’s working and how they vary remote team communication to help keep everyone on the same page. Here’s what they said:

Visual ReinforcementScrolling bannersVirtual backgrounds for MS Teams, Zoom, etc.Items on shelf/credenza in the virtual backgroundLogin messages on laptopsSplash screens when logging onto the company websitePhysical whiteboard, chalkboard, or poster placed next to, or behind, you in a video callScreen saversPop-ups on internal websitesEmail signaturesA second monitor in your background scrolling the message or with a related imageBanner or ad on an internal websitePollsVirtual desk dropsQuick recorded video messageCreating memories with a bit of funClient or customer presents to the teamInternal wikisMusic videoRiddles at the end of emails or agendas related to the topicHave another leader recognize one of your team members or team for performance related to the topicTemporary tattoosDress up in costumes to emphasize the message#HashtagsVideo text messagesGamificationMemes or fun graphicsAn inspiration speaker related to the messageAnimated GIFsSongsWrite a poemCameo app (where a celebrity delivers the message)Play a game related to the messageA humorous presentation or sketchTelephone game–pass the message in a loop through the teamText-based Games that Reveal the Message (eg Wheel of Fortune)Games that reinforce the message (eg Jeopardy or Trivia-style with related content)Theme musicNamed group-chats or text threadseCardsInternal competitionsCross-team presentations related to the message or themeMessages on (or with) StuffSend flowers or plants with the message.Sending food (many leaders were very specific about the kind of foods including: pizza, pastries, cupcakes, frosted cookies, muffins, healthy snacks, goodie bags, meal-delivery services, coffee, and tea). Messages are either printed on or included with the food.Send a book that emphasizes the message or has it written on the front cover BookmarksSwag gifts (Tchotchkes with key messages)Personalized/inscribed beverage bottles with a messageSend a balloon with a deliverable or key message inside the balloonClothing with message printed on it (eg: hats, tee shirts, sweaters, jackets)Print it on mugs or cups that are used in virtual meetingsMessage in a bottleYard signsMeetingsRotate team members sharing the message in a meetingTeam members presenting to one another on key message / topicHave a respected peer, colleague, or another leader share the messageVirtual coffee chats (supply the coffee/tea and invite to change camera view to something more casual.)Virtual lunchesMeeting notes / summariesMeeting agendasCalendar invitations with key messagesMeeting pre-reading materialsOne-on-one meetings Skip level meetingsAll-hands meetingsVirtual walk and talksDemonstrationsOld School Tried and TrueA positive, encouraging start-the-day message from leader (recorded or written)EmailMS Teams & Zoom Meetings & MessagingProject management software (eg: Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Slack)Phone callsText messagesCell phone notificationsVoice messagePowerpointPhysical mail–letters, greeting cards, postcardsNewslettersSurveysThank-you notes (handwritten)Recognition and celebrationCheck for understandingPress releaseVary the timing and context of routine messagesAcronyms related to the message (if you’ve read any of our books, you know this is one of our go-to favorites)Tag lines to make it memorableSocial MediaLinkedIn (articles, posts, features, video)TikTok videos (and ultimately, all social media channels were mentioned)Online paid adsWrite and/or share articles related to the subjectInternal blogInternal podcastSocial media spotlights celebrating related behaviors and accomplishmentsProject TrackingAction trackersProject plansOpen issues listsStoryboardsCalendar invitationsMicro-learning softwareShared documentsStatus settings in collaboration softwareAnnual or project kickoffsPost-project celebrationsYour Turn

There’s a starting list of remote team communication techniques. To improve your remote team communication, work on one or two items from the list that add variety and break up preoccupation.

We’d love to hear from you–what would you add to help leaders master this critical skill?

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