Written communication can be very effective.

It is asynchronous, allows to collect one’s thoughts and organize them well, can be written as fast or as slow as one wants, can be done without being interrupted, can be shared with others, might serve all those interested in the subject looking it up, etc.

his blog it has already started to change the way I write and has helped me to structure some of my thinking. Writing blog posts is a form of learning.

I like writing and find myself use writing quite often as the default mode of communication.

In a virtual environment, this isn’t enough.

Face to face communication consists of much more than words and sentences.  It’s the ways people smile. It’s the ways people react to joke, compliments and emotions. It’s the ideas which co-create each other as one person brings up an idea and others react to them. It’s the ability to decide things within a moment. It’s the ability to acknowledge each other. It’s also the ability to exchange the little daily details and struggles and to see that they are shared.

It’s adding the human touch.

Integrating video-based meetings into the routine of a virtual team is a service the team can do for itself. Done with care it transforms individual efforts into a team effort.