Communications in project teams should always be the most simple they can to convey the intended message. Simplicity in messages is very important, the messages need to be clear, concise and focused on the subject matter.

At the same time however, team communications must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and, should be used to build and maintain communities of work and communities of practice as well as to ensure schedule and quality compliance.

Despite this need for simplicity, complexity always creeps in. Messages all too frequently become crowded in technical jargon, are written in management speak and rather than serve to build communities, frequently often build barriers and walls between personnel, through unnecessary use of language that alienates the readers, the very same readers the messages are often intended to reach out to.

As organisations and projects become increasingly global in reach and complex in structure, simplicity of communication seems to have become harder for many to achieve. Yet this communication is the glue that binds teams together and helps them coordinate their work across corporate, cultural and geographic boundaries. Following are some of our tips for avoiding complexity in virtual team communications.

Communications Simplicity

* Use simple language in all communications – For many working in projects, particularly those of a complex technical nature, it is easy to fall into a mode of communication that uses a lot of highly technical jargon. In some areas and in some communication, this use of jargon is fine and appropriate, but, when used in more open, broadcast style messaging, such as regular team updates, jargon serves only to alienate personnel. Using simple language allows more team members to see the messages clearly, to read and understand the words and the context and not to feel they are being “talked down to” in the messages.

* Use a common platform for all communications – With the vast array of communications technologies available to modern projects it can be tempting to use a multitude of different tools when communicating to your team. Research has however shown that simplicity beats complexity here every time. Using just a few platforms for your communications is far more effective than trying to use them all. Our recommendation is that you use a project webpage for regular updates and messages that are not time sensitive, email or an email like system such as Slack for team communication. Audio, such as telephone or Skype style VOIP audio, should be used for verbal discussions, video should be used for meetings of virtual teams where available, and then video or audio webcasts and podcasts for project updates. Twitter and similar tools can be used but should be considered as extra and avoided for day to day messaging. There is also some useful suggestions for selecting tools for your team on an article from Cloudwards which is worth reading.

* Work to maintain cultural sensitivity in communications – All messages in virtual team environments need to be culturally sensitive. Messages need to consider the needs and expectations of all of the team members who may be exposed to them, whether directly or indirectly. Senders of messages must consider the various cultural requirements of their team mates, how they will perceive the message and what the likely reactions and responses will be. If a message is not culturally sensitive it runs the risk of alienating team members and damaging both trust and relationships.