6 alternatives for remote communication if your team is tired of video calls

How did you feel the last time you hung up a video call? If the answer is tired, you're not alone.

Zoom was catapulted into the spotlight in 2020 as companies transitioned from real-world meetings to virtual-only meetings - lots of them.

Since remote communication has become the new normal, many remote workers have been suffering from the so-called “Zoom fatigue” , a feeling of tiredness after another video call.

For years, remote teams were more productive than remote ones, and it never mattered how often they videoconferenced. On the contrary, most teams have reduced the number of virtual meetings to the absolute minimum.

In this article, we'll tell you our secrets on how you can communicate remotely and stay super productive - without video conferencing

Different types of long distance communication

There are two types of remote team communication: synchronous and asynchronous communication.

Synchronous communication is any conversation that takes place in real time. For example, you are brainstorming with someone and they respond to you at that moment.

Synchronous communication methods include:

• Video calls
• Phone calls
• Instant messaging on Slack or other team chat platforms
• Live-Meetings

Asynchronous communication is any digital communication that is “not synchronous” or in other words: not in real time. For example, if you send an email to a colleague, that's considered asynchronous communication because you don't expect an immediate response.

Other asynchronous communication methods are:

• Recorded meetings
• Slack or other team chat platforms
• Project management apps
• E-mail

In this article, we'll tell you our secrets on how you can communicate remotely and stay super productive - without video conferencing.

Start with communication guidelines

Do you have a standard set of guidelines that everyone follows? The more detailed your virtual communication guidelines are, the better. People feel more comfortable when they know how to communicate and what to expect, especially new members.

Writing down your communication process will help you see the bigger picture, identify where obstacles arise and how to resolve them. You can then share the written guide with your team and make it part of the onboarding process.

Some things that are in the Remote Company guidelines, for example, are:

• We practice asynchronous communication and do not expect real-time responses.
• You can make time for intensive work throughout the day. Just make sure to update your Slack status with a "Do not disturb until..." message.
• If you're organizing a meeting, let others know ahead of time so they can plan their tasks accordingly.

6 Video Call Alternatives for Effective Long Distance Communication

1. Daily communication: Slack

Working with a remote team means you have to make an extra effort to communicate. We encourage our employees to communicate excessively on Slack. This ensures that no details are lost and that people who start their day later can catch up on what was discussed.

The most important thing is that you keep things tidy. Here's how we handle Slack:

• We highlight channels that are connected to our team or that we use the most.
• We mute channels that aren't really important but that we still want to participate in
• The channels focus on a specific topic to make finding information easier.
• When people mention a problem (or something similar), they must include all relevant details. The team members tasked with resolving the issue must provide a deadline and updates.
• Everyone is encouraged to create channels! Team members can announce their idea in the general chat.
• If someone is no longer interested, they can leave (we promise we won't take it personally).

Encouraging people to leave the channel when they no longer like it can help you create a channel that appeals more to them. This is similar to letting people go when they unsubscribe from email.

2. Task management: Notion

Notion is a remote project management tool that we use across all departments to create new tasks, enter schedules and upload internal documents - all in one place. At a glance, team members can track internal processes and learn how the team works.

The search functionality makes it easy to quickly find information - from vacation policies to our brand language and the integrations our customers request.

If someone has a question, 9 times out of 10 they can find the answer on Notion.

When you have everything you need at your fingertips, you become more independent and can develop your own workflow. Additionally, team members are better able to add and improve processes now that they know how to do it.

Learn more about how remote project management fosters our independent spirit.

3. Interne Newsletters: MailerLite

A good way to keep the entire team up to date on the work of all departments is to send monthly internal newsletters. They help everyone stay on the same page and make it easier to access important information.

When you work in a large company, you may not see or speak to other teams for months. By sharing updates in internal newsletters, every team can stay informed.

4. Present ideas: Google Docs

Do you have an idea that can help grow the company? To structure the exchange of ideas, we ask our team to write down suggestions about why an idea is useful, what needs to be improved and how. Then we share the document with people who can contribute and comment on it, and assign the right person to put the ideas into action.

When people are forced to write down their ideas in a document, they think about how and what should be done and realize whether their idea is actually good or bad. Arguments are very rational in written form.

Having the idea in a shared document also makes it easier to have a structured discussion since everyone can contribute. In meetings, some people are often louder than others. We collect many more comments and make more progress in written form than in a meeting.

5. Reflection and Support: 15Five

Remote workers have fewer opportunities for “water cooler chats,” where chatty colleagues meet, share opinions, and give each other advice. The ability to express frustrations and receive actionable feedback makes 15Five an essential tool for remote team communication.

This tool allows you to ask your team a series of well-being questions and understand how they are doing.

Every check-in is reviewed by a manager, but it is not a 1:1 in real time. This allows team members to share their thoughts without feeling insecure.

6. Team Building: Annual Meetings

Meeting in real life is like a stimulant for remote communication. Instead of holding hundreds of conference calls per year, host at least one annual meeting where team members can collaborate in real life, develop ideas, get to know each other on a personal level, and renew their bond with the team.

Meetups can be particularly beneficial for new employees and those working remotely for the first time. Any new workplace can make you feel like an outsider, but when you're working from home alone, that feeling can increase tenfold. Meeting in real life strengthens the bond between old and new colleagues.

Meeting in real life strengthens the bond between old and new colleagues.

Every rule has an exception

Remember how we said to only hold a video conference if it's absolutely necessary? There are some valid exceptions:

Team building conversations! In this video call, the entire team meets, plays games, and talks about non-work-related topics. For example, about what we learned, who inspired us and which books had a big influence on our lives.

Sprint-Planning Meeting

In a sprint planning meeting you set the project goals for the upcoming “sprint”. It's like a team meeting where plans for the next few weeks are discussed before you get to work.

You can record and save the conversations so that those who weren't there live can catch up on everything that was planned.

Why we prefer these alternatives to video

Most work-related matters can be resolved in writing.

In fact, written communication is even better! The discussion is better structured and people feel more encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. Writing down ideas can help people organize their thoughts, get a better overview, and make faster progress toward goals.

The next time you schedule a video conference, consider whether a) it's really necessary and b) whether you can use another way to communicate instead. Could a video call be a Google Doc? Could a Google Doc be a Slack message?

Fewer video conferences means less Zoom fatigue. And that means a happier and more energized team.