When working as a member of a remote or hybrid team, strong communication is the key to success. This isn’t a new revelation, but a reminder that if you and your team have been running into speedbumps lately, your mode of communication may be the reason why.

These roadblocks could have arisen for a number of reasons. Perhaps your team is experiencing digital fatigue. With the constant back-and-forth between video calls, chat platforms, and emails, employees may become overwhelmed, causing them to lose focus and communicate less effectively. Or maybe your tried-and-true asynchronous communication platform is unable to adequately support your team's communication needs.

When considering how to implement synchronous vs. asynchronous communication in the workplace, finding a balance that works best for your employees is key. The most successful remote organizations recommend that the majority of employee communication be done asynchronously. Studies from Techsmith show that unwanted interruptions can cost big companies a yearly $1 million loss in productivity - money that could be saved through asynchronous work.

To get the most out of your remote communication, it may be time for you to reinvent, or at the very least redefine, your team’s synchronous and asynchronous communication strategies.

What is synchronous communication?

Synchronous communication is any communication that happens in real-time between two or more people, with the expectation of receiving an immediate response. In a typical onsite office setting, the majority of communication that happens is synchronous and often happens without a second thought. However, when you are a member of a remote or hybrid team, synchronous communication requires an added layer of scheduling and planning.

Some examples of synchronous communication are:

• Face-to-face conversations
• Phone calls
• Video conferencing
• Live instant messaging

Benefits of synchronous communication

For remote teams, especially those that rarely meet in-person, synchronous communication helps to build trust and camaraderie. Having the option to conduct business or casually catch up in real-time can go a long way towards helping remote employees feel connected to the rest of their organization. Therefore, synchronous communication should be reserved for situations that benefit from either a humanizing factor or that necessitate immediate responses.

Some of the primary uses of synchronous communication for remote teams are:

• To foster strong professional relationships between distanced coworkers. Virtual happy hours and celebrations are a great use of synchronous video conferencing technology that new teams can utilize to create bonds between team members. 
• To discuss sensitive issues. In one-on-one meetings when critical feedback may be discussed, synchronous communication offers the opportunity for immediate follow-up questions and eliminates ambiguity.
• Brainstorming sessions for new projects. Synchronous communication enhances creativity by creating a space for coworkers to bounce ideas off of one another in real-time.
• Complex project planning. Synchronous communications enable all team members to contribute without having to wait for responses.
• Urgent matters or company emergencies. Synchronous communication is the ideal means of delivering critical information.

Synchronous communication strategies + tips

There are certain situations where synchronous communication is the more logical and more useful form of communication. However, for remote and hybrid teams, synchronous communication requires an added degree of advanced planning to ensure everyone involved can fit the conference call or remote meeting into their schedule. 

Strategies

To ensure that you are using synchronous communication only when it is necessary and to prioritize employee productivity, use these strategies when scheduling your next synchronous communication session:

• Plan ahead to ensure all team members can fit the meeting into their schedules
• Conduct a tech test run of any software needed for the remote synchronous communication meeting
• Plan your meeting agenda in advance to maximize efficiency and keep discussions on track. Browse these meeting agenda templates for guidance!
• Keep an eye on the time zones of your remote employees to ensure that synchronous communication is happening at a time that is reasonable for everyone
• Take full advantage of all your synchronous communication software has to offer by utilizing both audio and visual tools
• Record meetings so they can be used as a resource in the future or to share the information discussed with remote team members who were unable to attend
• Use “Meeting Free Days” to enable staff to have a day secured each week or more than once a week when they can be heads down and not interrupt their flow of work

Pro Tips

Now, here are some pro tips and insider knowledge we've seen work best for effective synchronous communication:

• Team meetings, project meetings, and one-on-one meetings are best held once a week, and remote meetings can all be held on the same day to preserve time on other days for deep, focused work to be done
• Casual remote synchronous employee socializing should happen on a regular basis, as desired by all parties involved

When meetings have a clear and driven purpose, employees will make the most of their face-to-face time and build closer relationships.

What is asynchronous communication?

Asynchronous communication is any communication that does not happen in real time. There is a time lag between when one person delivers information and the other person receives the information. For most remote and hybrid teams, asynchronous communication is the ideal mode of transferring information. Asynchronous communication allows all parties to take the time they need to process and respond to information on a timeline that best fits their schedule. It is an essential tool for remote teams but has gained prominence in office settings as well due to the vast array of modern asynchronous communication tools. 

Some examples of asynchronous communication are:

• • Email
  • Slack or other chat communication platforms
  • Collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams
  • A shared Google Doc
  • Video messaging through tools such as Marco Polo or Loom

Benefits of asynchronous communication

Whether you are a fully remote employee or work primarily in an office, there are many benefits to utilizing asynchronous communication tools throughout your workday. When you turn to asynchronous methods of communication over synchronous methods, you are choosing to relieve the pressure of immediately responding and instead can have the time to generate a response that is more than an automatic reaction. Communicating on your own schedule leads to higher-quality communication, a benefit to any organization remote or on-site.

Other benefits of using asynchronous communication:

Whether you are a fully remote employee or work primarily in an office, there are many benefits to utilizing asynchronous communication tools throughout your workday. When you turn to asynchronous methods of communication over synchronous methods, you are choosing to relieve the pressure of immediately responding and instead have the time to generate a more deeply thought-through response. Communicating on your schedule leads to higher-quality communication, a benefit to any organization, remote or on-site.

Other benefits of using asynchronous communication in the workplace are:

• Fewer interruptions throughout your workday, enabling you to focus on your work without distractions
• A better scheduled workday than if communication was constant. When you utilize asynchronous communication tools, you can designate time during your day to respond to messages
• Written documentation of your tasks and notes that you can reference at any time. Because in most cases, asynchronous communication is written, when you utilize asynchronous communication tools, you are creating a living document that you can constantly refer to
• Much simpler communication for dispersed, remote teams across different time zones
• Increased time to plan and make decisions. Because asynchronous communication doesn’t necessitate instant input, you can take the time you need to plan for projects, leading to a more proactive mindset
• More flexible work hours. Asynchronous teams are able to get work done when they feel most productive rather than a traditional 9 to 5 mindset

Asynchronous communication strategies

When utilized correctly, asynchronous communication allows for more productive conversations among hybrid or fully remote teams. Additionally, asynchronous communication allows for a record of conversations and a more collaborative environment for long-term projects without interrupting the natural workflow.

For fully remote workers, asynchronous communication is a critical tool whose purpose cannot be overstated. To instill asynchronous communication best practices in your remote teams, use these asynchronous communication strategies:

• Don’t shy away from over-communication. Because the recipient can address their asynchronous communication on their own schedule, feel free to provide as much information as necessary when delivering asynchronous messages so the recipient has no need to follow up for clarification
• Have reasonable response time expectations. The more distanced your remote employees are, the more you should adjust your expectations regarding response time for asynchronous communication. 
• Provide resources when you can. Take advantage of all the benefits asynchronous communication has to offer and include web links, documents, or any other applicable resources whenever you can.
• Resist the urge to turn asynchronous communication into synchronous communication. Doing so risks diluting expectations surrounding asynchronous communication. For example, if you and a coworker email back and forth in near-immediate succession on some days, you have turned it into a synchronous communication tool and adjusted your expectations for future emailing.
• Outline clear expectations for each new asynchronous communication tool your organization utilizes to avoid any confusion.
• Leave your team ample time to adjust and get comfortable with new technology so they don’t feel like they are struggling to learn while actively using new software.

Tools to support synchronous + asynchronous communication

The tools you choose to support both synchronous communication and asynchronous communication at your organization are just as important as the decision of which mode of communication to utilize. It will be up to you to find the software and apps that work best at keeping your remote and hybrid teams connected as they work from anywhere. Here are the basic asynchronous and synchronous communication tools to get you started.

The top tools to support remote teams through synchronous communication:

• A computer or laptop
• A monitor/display
• Your favorite video conferencing platform, such as  Zoom or Microsoft Teams. 
• A smart video camera to increase the visual quality of your remote meetings, like the Meeting Owl 4+.
• A microphone for high-quality audio during meetings and conference calls
• A whiteboard or smart board to assist in presentations. Tools like the Whiteboard Owl help remote teams see in-room whiteboards more clearly. 
  
  

The top tools to support remote teams through asynchronous communication:

• A document sharing and collaboration platform, such as Google Drive
• A messaging app like Slack
• A video messaging and screen recording app like Loom
• A project management system like Asana
• A virtual collaboration tool like Notion or Figjam

Incorporating both synchronous and asynchronous communication strategies is key to fostering a productive and collaborative work environment. By leveraging the right technologies and best practices for each approach, teams can enhance efficiency, improve workflow, and create a balanced work culture that meets the needs of all employees. And if you are an educator new to the world of remote teaching, here is everything you need to know about synchronous and asynchronous learning, and how to use each learning method.