[Internal LT Conference] Why is remote work difficult? 6 Persian cat solutions

Hello!
I'm Inoue, a Persian cat from Beyond Co., Ltd.'s Shikoku office.

On Wednesday, May 13th, an internal LT conference was held, with the theme "Telework Know-how."
I have no experience with teleworking, but at Beyond, I have worked remotely more than anyone else.
As someone who works remotely from a location separate from the head office, I
gave a presentation on the theme of "What we do to ensure everyone can work comfortably even when we are apart."

Why is communication over a screen so difficult?

1.
Image quality can make it difficult to see facial expressions, or the camera distance can be a problem.
When it's hard to see the other person's facial expressions, it's hard to read their emotions, making communication difficult.
2. It's
hard to hear their voice, and it's hard to ask them to repeat themselves if you can't. Network issues can often cause voices to cut out, or the other person's voice can be
difficult to hear because it's too quiet. Asking them repeatedly can feel rude, so even
if you can't hear them, it can be hard to say, "I can't hear you, please say that again."
3. You can't sense the atmosphere on the other side of the screen.
When you're in the same space,
you can sense whether they're busy and tense, or whether it's okay to talk to them now.

But online, you can't sense that at all, and you often miss the opportunity to start a conversation. Even casual conversations can be heard by everyone online, making it difficult to have casual daily conversations
building relationships takes time.
For some reason, I struggled with my relationships and trust with my coworkers for a while.
Now that I've been working remotely for two years, I'd like to share what I've been doing so far.
I hope it will provide some insight into overcoming the obstacles of remote work and teleworking!

When greeting someone, it's important to laugh loudly, smile, and make eye contact!

Laughter is a voice that lets you know someone is smiling even when their face is not visible.
When working remotely, you communicate a lot through voice, so speaking with a laugh is well-received.
Laughter gives the impression of being lively, so you naturally speak in a louder voice that is easier to hear.
By actually smiling, you can naturally laugh.
If you find it difficult to smile, try to be conscious of lifting the corners of your mouth.
Also, even if you're busy and concentrating on your computer screen, just taking a quick
glance at the person on the other side of the monitor will help them know that you're responding to their greeting.

Use "Thank you!" as a catchphrase

Japanese people tend to say "Sorry" when someone does something for them, but
saying "Thank you" seems to convey gratitude more easily to the other person and increase the sense of happiness for both parties.
When I receive a small compliment or someone says "thank you" to me, I say
"thank you" with the feeling of "thank you for saying thank you." I

try to use
"thank you" as much as possible because I feel it is a magic word that makes both the person saying it and the person receiving it feel good If we stop saying "thank you" because it is something we take for granted, there will be no occasions to express it.

Use magic words that will improve your communication skills

my last blog , I introduced the idea of ​​"giving compliments."
Make it a habit to compliment others if you notice a change in them or if you think they're nice.

Communication is fostered by casual compliments
such as, "Did you get a haircut?" or "Your outfit is cute today." Giving compliments is an essential action for building good relationships. I think that
even just adding interjections like "That's lovely" or "That's wonderful" at various points in a conversation
will increase the sense of happiness that both parties feel from the conversation.

The reaction is big

Why make big reactions?
That's because when communicating over a screen,
it's hard to convey emotions or get your point across properly.
While using gestures is important, nodding when the other person is speaking is also very important.
Because it's hard to convey your feelings over a screen, nod "yes! yes!" more vigorously than when speaking face-to-face.
This conveys that "I'm listening to you," and
being able to see the other person's reaction makes it easier to talk.
Just as it's important to "look into each other's eyes" when speaking face-to-face,
it's also important to "look at the person on the other side of the screen when speaking over a screen."

You have to take control of your own mood

Of course, there are days when you feel good and days when you feel bad.
However, the emotions that are most easily conveyed to others are "anger" and "sadness" from the three "emotions.
This is true even over a screen.
Even if you can't hear someone's voice when they're talking, a sudden sigh can sound loud even over a screen.
I think negative emotions are easily conveyed to others, whether in person or over a screen.
Emotions are strangely contagious, so it's important to "take care of your own mood."
Working in a bad atmosphere with both parties is sure to result in poor performance.
Whether you're in the same space or over a screen, I think we all want to work comfortably
, so try practicing "taking care of your own mood."

I can't read the atmosphere very well. I'll try to be bold

My strength is that I can sense the subtleties of what others are thinking. But at the same time, that can also be a weakness. I
just can't read the atmosphere or the mood in the office through the screen.
I read the mood too much and miss the chance to talk to the person I want to talk to.
This happens a lot.
Sometimes, if I get a little bolder and speak to someone, I'm surprised the other person is happy to respond.
It's very difficult to read the mood when communicating through the screen, but
sometimes it might be important to deliberately not read the mood.

Do what anyone can do, but better than anyone else!

The secret to smooth communication over the screen is actually simple and easy for anyone to do.
However, what makes it difficult is that in the everyday environment of work and regular coworkers,
people can unconsciously treat others rudely, even without any ill intent.
"Don't be rude in greetings"
is a common sense, isn't it?
But don't you sometimes come to work as usual and give a lackluster greeting?
If you could say "Good morning!" with a smile and a cheerful voice every day, the atmosphere in the workplace would surely improve.
I believe that such small efforts can make a big difference in human relationships. This is
my second year at Beyond. Working remotely
for a long time, I struggled with communication.
However, I feel that these six simple steps have helped me improve my relationships.
I believe the biggest problem between locations is communication between employees. I encourage
those who work remotely like me, those who are telecommuting to prevent COVID-19 infection
, and those who go to the office every day and work with their usual colleagues to
try these out. I would be happy if they could help foster better communication.

Growing every day, progressing every day.
I have to update myself every day!!!
Thank you for reading to the end.