One thing that I’ve learned over the past few months while working from home is that it can be hard to get motivated in the home office. I sometimes find myself looking for anything to do except work. Bills, phone calls, cleaning my room, making a sandwich; it’s easy to get distracted when there’s nobody else around to focus with you.

I’ve written before about how we use MeetCast to keep in touch while working, but I didn’t touch on how the ability to speak to one another in real-time actually motivates us. I now find real-time meetings essential to disparate teams, and any team that doesn’t utilize a solution for real-time, face-to-face interaction should seriously consider it.

So what are the benefits? Face-to-face interactions with others is quicker than written communication, can help the team connect and build trust, and can be an excellent motivator. Regardless of whether or not you’re in the same physical location, actually speaking to others and seeing their reactions to ideas and statements results in better feedback and quicker decision making. Still not convinced? Read on:

You Are Social (yes, you)
People are inherently social creatures. They thrive on social interaction and encouragement. Especially for remote team members that work from home, a chance to look at and speak with other teammates can be uplifting and a refreshing break from the monotony of the day.

Additionally, the bond between two teammates grows stronger with more personal communication, as does trust and commitment to deliver quality work. I personally find myself more pumped to accomplish things after a MeetCast meeting; I get a little boost from knowing that others are working hard on the same project.

The Motivation Factor
In every team there are members have what I like to call the ‘motivation factor’. These are the people on the team that inspire others, that help move meetings to a consensus, or that set deadlines for firm decisions or task completion. They are the factor that drives the team forward when they are discouraged, and that helps produce tangible results. You’re either that team member, in which case you should be meeting face-to-face to motivate others, or you’re not, in which case you should be meeting face-to-face to get motivated yourself! Regardless of how much you motivate others, real-time meetings help bring everyone together as a team to discuss issues or ideas, and that alone can be extremely beneficial.

Email Sucks
Email is undoubtedly one of the greatest changes to how we communicate in the modern office, but anyone that’s worked remotely or with remote customers knows that email can also be a huge pain. Intentions are lost or miscommunicated, and it’s not uncommon to completely misunderstand or miss important points in an email. Emails are delay-able, even ignorable, and the back-and-forth required to detail any complicated actions or decisions take precious time.

Talking directly is quicker, more reliable and helps ensure that everyone stays on the same page. One study at UCLA indicated that up to 93 percent of communication used to express feelings or emotions is delivered through non-verbal queues. If someone isn’t jazzed on an idea, it may be hard to tell via email, but it’s certainly easy to see when speaking face-to-face. Email 0, Face To Face 1.

Harder To Lie To A Face
Along the same lines, real-time meetings encourage clarity and honesty about timelines, progress reports and general feelings. Email and IM allows for more ambiguity, but it’s harder to take both sides of an idea in real-time. Face-to-face meeting also forces real interaction that results in firmer decision making, because it’s much harder for everyone to just let an issue go than on email or IM. You’ll find that people are more responsive, more clear in their responses, and that you come away from a meeting with a more complete understanding about how to move forward with your work and the status of others.

Inspiration Comes From Others
It’s easy to get locked inside your own head, especially if you work alone. When I work remotely, I often get stuck thinking about something from a single perspective, but usually a quick conversation with another teammate will let me see a new angle on an issue. Sometimes it takes just a small off-the-cuff remark from someone else to completely change your thinking on a business plan or design. Brainstorming is definitely enhanced through conversational banter. A real-time, face-to-face web connection is essential for real collaboration and brainstorming when you can’t be in the same room as other teammates.

Seriously, Try It
Although I can’t often meet with Wes & Gordon in the same physical location, I do get a lot of the problem solving and brainstorming accomplished when we connect with MeetCast, and I come away from each meeting motivated and ready to work. If you’ve experienced similar benefits, please let us know! We’d love to hear how MeetCast or any other web collaboration tools have enhanced your remote working experience.

Side note - I used to love Face To Face when I was in high school!

Leave a reply