Welcome to the world of working from home. You worked hard to get this position or your job was gracious enough to allow the transition from in-office to at home. You get to say goodbye to the regular commute, unless you’ve taken it upon yourself to stay productive in a coworking space, which most likely is down the street from you. Whether you’re a newbie to this new world or a seasoned expert, there’s a struggle of day-dreaming, inbox pile up, and the easy escape to Netflix when a nearing deadline is upon you. This is the new normal in the slow-paced existence of working from home. Supervisors can end up mistaking your silence for a relaxed attitude and before you know it, you will be replaced. In a world where having a job is more important than ever, this by far the biggest fear.

With technology at your fingertips (literally), you can be more productive, responsive, and keep up with the regular office work with no hesitancy. You don’t need to stay on Slack 24/7 to communicate effectively, just stay curious, ask questions, and take these following tips to heart.

Being Present

Mute and chill is the newest work from home trend that is making even the best of us use conference calls as a time to check out.
Instead of being a mute spectator, be a part of the conversation if you don’t want your presence to fade away. The key to making yourself heard is to keep your video and mic on during meetings. If you are shy, simply switch on the mic during Q&As and discussions and join the conversation.
Ideas and efforts often get lost in mail conversations while newer conversations are taking the show in a more real time solution such as Slack. Take initiative at the end of your day and give recaps to your supervisor to let them know all that you have planned or have accomplished that day, or in the days to come. Sometimes even sending a fun GIF to the group amping up their motivation on Mondays is a great start. Apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Slack are platforms to use religiously if you wish to stay connected and make your presence known.

Turn Around Time

Keeping your boss waiting for a response while on a long bathroom break or hanging out with pets can cost you an opportunity.
Having good turn around time helps when you are trying to build credibility and get an edge over others when your company is stacked with multiple employees. Keep your notifications on and stay logged in to your work mail and work chat profiles like Slack by downloading the app on your phone and your computer, so you never miss a beat. Instead of explaining your points on message threads, discuss them over a call for more depth and if possible, document them over an email.
Having a sense of urgency to requests builds trust and reliability. If you owned a business, you would use this same principle when responding to your clients or customers.
Steer clear of auto replies or bot responses and respond cohesively stating the course of action, steps and deadline.

Do Your Research

The secret of communicating effectively is confidence. Before joining conference calls, make sure you are very familiar with the agenda. Make a list of some points you’d like to discuss beforehand and break them down one-by-one. Take notes during the conversation so that you can deliver above their expectations. This could be something as simple as researching any topics related to the one you’re about to discuss and when asked for input or feedback, you’re already prepared and look polished in front of your team and boss.

Don’t have the option to meet with your client in person to create a new campaign for their business? Do your homework and research any and all outlets they are on from social media to their website. It may sound kinda creepy, but the more you know about your client, the easier it will be to break the ice on the initial meeting which will in turn, create a long lasting relationship.

Working from home gives you an edge over walking into meetings with a blank canvas. Make your presence felt with informed arguments instead of staying silent. With an agenda ready, you can be prepared for any meeting you go into and always leave the team feeling like you contributed nicely!

Follow up

Ever wonder what happened to a project you gave some input on or an email you send a customer that’s gone dormant for a while? Follow up.
Look into pending tasks during your free time and seek a resolution. The best practice is to look through your emails first thing in the morning and reply as needed to close those tasks. Google Mail takes a bit of the pressure off by letting you know if you should follow up, since it’s been x amount of days since you sent your response.
We live in a busy world, so if you’re tenacious and on top of things, it will always turn out better in your favor.
Taking the lead to be on top of all of your tasks and communications can assure you a piece of mind while others are scrambling to figure out what they missed.

In Closing

Communication can sometimes be the make or break in various situations of your life, so the more you can communicate, the better. Also, people really appreciate it. It separates you from the majority of the crowd and can gain you major professional points with any client, which will in turn, will make them continue to work with you or refer you to their friends or colleagues. Sometimes replying back to every comment made in Slack can seem tedious or you worry you’re “too hands on”, well there’s no such thing, so keep at it and your teammates will thank you.

Thank you guys for reading and let us know below if you have any hacks or tricks for communicating with your colleagues or clients!