Excellent communication is the foundation of a harmonious team that delivers results. That being said, shows that over half of employees say they’re often given unclear instructions, and almost 70% of senior leaders are not comfortable communicating with their teams.
Many, if not all, of us, were plunged into the world of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This mainly consisted of struggling with Wi-Fi issues forgetting the password to our cloud storage, and a lot (I mean A LOT) of video calls.
Long meetings, short chats, team brainstorms, update calls… It could easily get out of hand. So what if we told you there’s a communication solution that’s a happy middle ground between a message and a video call?
In this article, we’ll be exploring asynchronous video communications and why we think they’re the future.
Asynchronous video definition
Asynchronous communication is interactions that don’t happen in real-time. The opposite would be synchronous communication, which includes video calling or live streaming.
Asynchronous video communication involves someone recording a message, delivering it to one or many people, and not expecting an immediate response.
You might be thinking, “I do asynchronous communication all the time in chat groups with my friends”. You’d be right. It’s a far more efficient form of interaction.
Not only is spending over two full days every week in meetings time-consuming, but it can also be unengaging.
Why should you care about asynchronous video communication?
Video calling is the best alternative to face-to-face communication when we’re working remotely. But it can take time to organize, people turn up late, and there may be connectivity issues.
Asynchronous video communication gives you the benefits of a video call without the hassles, as people are free to view it at any time they want.
As we mentioned above, asynchronous communication tools are already prevalent in our lives, like emails and instant messaging. But asynchronous video messages are superior.
Even if you’ve been working for months with the same team on a marketing campaign, your team could miss valuable insights if you simply rely on long, and often time confusing, email threads.
Why is asynchronous video communication the future?
With remote work looking like it’s going to stick around, even after the pandemic, companies need to find a more efficient form of quick communication. Leaders cannot organize a video call every time they want to update employees or have probing questions for sales teams.
But, because 93% of communication relies on non-verbal social cues, the best method of communication is still face-to-face. So, asynchronous video messages are the way forward.
Let’s have a look at some advantages of asynchronous meetings:
- Short notice remote video calls can be invasive. Not everyone dresses up in a full suit or formal wear when they work from home. But, in more formal companies, you’re expected to attend remote meetings dressed like you would be at the office. Asynchronous video messages often don’t require a response, and if they do, you can get ready in your own time.
- They’re incredibly easy to record. You don’t need to download any special asynchronous video platforms. Most good video conferencing platforms offer a record option.
- You can save a lot of time not typing. Long emails often take time to compose and could ultimately be misinterpreted.
- It can be more accommodating. Remote work can often be distraction-filled, especially during a pandemic when all the family is at home. We’ve all seen the interviews with news reporters’ kids walking in. A pre-recorded asynchronous video message could’ve prevented that.
- It allows you to be more engaging. As opposed to an email, you can really get your point across in a video. Everything from your vocal tone to facial expressions makes your point crystal clear.
- Security is guaranteed. If you’re working at, for example, an outbound call center solution company, you are constantly discussing sensitive client and customer information. Luckily, most video platforms ensure message and recording security. You can even make them password protected so only certain members can access the files.
So, how can you stay ahead of the trend?
The likelihood is you’re not the only one at your company or in your remote team that feels this way about video meetings. But, if you’re not an executive or team leader, you might find asking for a communication style change tricky.
Luckily, there’s little that needs to be altered with asynchronous video communication. All the technology is already present. The best way to introduce this communication technique is, ironically, to communicate it to your team in an effective manner.
This means providing real examples of how it will benefit your company by using the points mentioned above. The key is giving people the option to use asynchronous video communication and leading by example. Eventually, employees will appreciate the benefits, and everyone will be on board.
To sum up
It’s clear from the points above that asynchronous video communication is not a technology in its exploratory testing phase: it’s here to stay. It’s a great stress reliever and has the potential to make remote work even more popular. Everything from its efficiency to its personability makes it the perfect tool to elevate your remote team’s time management, engagement, and overall productivity.