For sensitive matters, it is easy to take cover behind a screen after delivering the needful.

But the risk of misinterpretation, and/or lack of due deliberation can be detrimental to your business relationships, damaging them in the process.Bearing this in mind, emailing is most effective in the following cases:You are providing directional, important, or timely information.You are sharing detailed information and data, which likely is sensitive/confidential.You are ensuring there is a record of communication.

It also can hurt one’s reputation by leaving a bad impression on whomever will be receiving it.

Face-to-face communication is particularly effective when:You’re clarifying something: Due to the conversational nature of this communication, each person can obtain clear answers in a quick manner in addition to gaining more information from asking questions.You’re building relationships: Face-to-face communication helps develop trust between two people.

This is especially important when building relationships, which in general are essential for future communication, and are difficult to form through text on a computer or merely by call.You’re having hard conversations: Face-to-face communication is important when having tough talks, as it’s the most direct line of defence in ensuring that the problem is fully solved.

Services have evolved to be low-cost, dependable and innovative, leading businesses to utilize this means to the best of their abilities.

For breaking down silos in this manner, here are 3 strategies.Incentivize CollaborationWhen a group of people collaborate, they bring together their knowledge, skills, and expertise.

In this manner, they can talk any problems out, and identify or evaluate potential solutions, so that stalled work can move forward once again.The very operational efficiency of a business, the start of any relationship, the ability to lead and the building of trust, all are dependent on effective collaboration.

At the same time, it’s also quintessential in team building, and in acquiring each team member’s optimal value.Collaboration is key in that it:Assists in Problem SolvingBrings Company and Employees closerHelps people learn from each otherOpens up new communication channels This can only be done by ensuring synergy in one another’s roles, and minimizing conflicts with the right communication tool.

One such tool to help you with this case is MultiCall, a group calling app dedicated to let you call many with the ease of calling one.Create A Unified VisionA consequence of siloed team management is that fixation on departmental work sometimes becomes so much that the very problem the business strives to solve is forgotten.

MultiCall’s Call Monitoring is of help here, not only in being able to monitor who is involved, but also to record and keep track of all discussed aspects.Maintain Information in Real-timeIn your personal life, when you look for information to resolve a problem, you never stop at just once single source for it, do you?

You might turn to friends.

In the current situation still peppered with work-from-home offices (thus preventing you from seeing face-to-face), this becomes crucial.It’s therefore important to ensure that what messages you're sending are also being interpreted in the manner you intended when sending them.

Knowing how to do this means we have to learn about the four different communication styles as well as how to relate to each one.DirectorTwo things drive a person with this style of communication:The need to get deliverables done,The need to control the way they are executed.This kind of person is therefore comfortable in an environment where they are able to manage others and take control.

With an orientation towards pace and goals, Directors are focused on bottom-line results and achieving success.

So, how do you communicate with a director?Keep things clear, concise, and fast.Be well-prepared to provide solutions to their problems.Once you’ve settled into the call, bypass the chatter, and get down to work.Avoid going into too much detail about any one given aspect, unless specifically asked.Find out their goals and provide clearly outlined options.Back up your progress statements by showing the appropriate numbers.Show how goals have been achieved.

SocializerSocializers are the kind of people who are fun to be around.

Thus, how do we communicate with a thinker?Take it slow; give them the necessary time and/or space to think things through.Be well-prepared to answer their questions thoroughly with precise data.Put everything down in writing.Deliver on your promises.RelatorOf the four styles of communication, this one is the most people-oriented.

A lot of content centres on strategies for individual interpersonal communication.

That is indeed important, but it’s necessary to see the big picture too.

Leaders set the tone for the rest of the managers and employees to follow.

This would let them leverage an organization to be an impetus for productivity, innovation, and differentiation.Related: 5 Communication Elements of an Efficient & Effective LeaderEncourage channels for two-way feedback  Two-way conversations help companies and their culture primarily in the following ways: It helps the organization be more transparent in and about their dealings.

It puts forth ideas and innovations proposed by employees, letting them feel valued and heard in the process.As a result of these two, two-way communication in this manner would help the organization align and collectively understand the strategy.

Employee engagement is key to help employees understand how they contribute to corporate goals, mission and vision.

Decision-making is a staple in the manager’s everyday routine.

This would be beneficial in 5 ways.Less likelihood to give in to consensus Given a chance, its human nature to try avoid conflict, so as to nurture a harmony among the group.

In a professional sense, this would mean people, particularly managers, giving in to consensus.

Conflict or a disagree with team members may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary so as to reveal any hidden assumptions or data that can mislead individuals towards (or against) certain decisions.Simply put, the greater the diversity in thoughts and opinions around the table, the more innovative the solutions put on the table.

With highly engaged employees, companies can enjoy substantially better outcomes, with team members more likely to stay, and experience less burn-out at work.Related: Disengaged employees and how to coach themEnabling Collaboration and Communication Studies have shown 3 in 4 employers rating teamwork and collaboration as important.

Further studies also showed 86 percent of respondents attributing workplace failures to a lack of collaboration and/or poor communication.Involving others in the decision-making lets managers create opportunities for co-workers to share ideas, learn from each other, and work toward a common goal.

It’s expected typically that it’d be the superior’s/leader’s responsibility to be the one giving feedback in a team.

But this not only proves impractical, it would cause the very dynamic of groups to suffer as well.

This also means at the same time that you request feedback for yourself as well, particularly in light of what they would like to see from you as a leader.

As a result, one would have a more streamlined communication among teams therein.Related: 3 Challenges of Teamwork and Overcoming Them Ask general questionsWe live in a world with multiple channels and sources that lead to an ocean of information.

It results in one becoming a more connected and genuine communicator, making it a very important art to master with regard toward providing team feedback.Asking open questions is the first step in this regard; starting with “how”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “who” or “why”.

In a group call you are likely to use open questions when:You want to help change the mindset of those you’re on call with.You want to better understand what your teammate(s) are saying.Related : Mastering the Art of Questioning in 5 Minutes Keep performance issues in the openConsider the possibility that some of your team members are affected by a sudden power cut.

It’s critical that managers need to commit to progressing in their work goals toward a plan, and that progress and performance must also be also apprised to everyone who is involved.

But beyond that, recognizing employees for their hard work and being thankful is integral to employee morale as well.It’s already obvious that positive feedback boosts confidence.

But when expressing thanks, it also shows people you value them.

Hold an impromptu callThis isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill business meeting.

This is an opportunity for bringing together the many members of your team in one go, and expressing your gratefulness for each and every one of them and their contributions to the outcomes your company has.Of course, with companies not entirely back in full swing with full-time working, the need for a good communication tool to do such a call with is raised.

Take the team to lunchTaking a few hours (or even only one hour) and treating employees to a fun lunch outside of office would be another way to express your thanks.

Vaccines being made available seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but prolonged work-from-home and its reliance on tools such as video conferencing has one other bad news can leave employees feeling drained!The frequency of virtual meetings on a daily basis is off the charts, given that social distancing protocols have kept team members apart.

But here’s the good news; studies have narrowed it down to specific causes, and there are steps that you can take in order to address it!

Excessive close-up eye contactBoth the amount of eye contact we engage in on video chats, as well as the size of faces on screens is dramatically beyond what we can normally handle.

Now imagine this sort of intensity being felt for hours on end!Arguably, one way to counter this would be to simply reduce the monitor size.

But an easier step to counter this problem would be to reduce the stimuli involved (video conferencing) and even move around freely to reduce the stress from prolonged sitting.

And MultiCall is one such solution that can help you with this.

Teleconferencing technology has evolved and improved over the years; so, here’s the million-dollar question: Why is it that we still have to endure bad audio conferences?The main source of the problem typically is traced to user error.

What’s best for conference calls in terms of practices may seem counterintuitive, and goes against our natural tendencies.

That carries social cues that are valuable!

Using your phone voice, can end up robbing those listening to you of those social cues that are so necessary to effective communication.

Stand Up When SpeakingFor many people, standing up when talking on call would allow them to increase their focus.

Consider using a wired or Bluetooth headsets during your group calls to go hands-free.

Meeting regularly over a MultiCall, be it for a weekly review or the start of a project can help with this.

The Call Monitoring System allows you to maintain check-ins with the entire team, and they can report on progress, plans, and challenges together with you.Related: Using MultiCall – Everything You Need To KnowBelieve in effectively completing tasks together.

Too much, and they become complacent and don’t look for signs of issues or challenges is ahead.

Excess diffidence, and they may not take important and necessary risks to push ahead.Related: 9 Tips to Better Task AllocationShare a common teamwork model  Working as a team means that all team members need to be in sync regarding each person’s roles, responsibilities, and interactions in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

In order to be an effective model, two elements will be required:Being accurate: Everyone doing the right thing at the right timeBeing shared: All agreeing on what they are supposed to be doingOnly one or the other is not good enough.

It’s possible that team members might agree on what actions to take, but even so end up take the wrong set of actions.

As the response to the pandemic improves, many companies have begun the decision-making on implementing a partial, perhaps full return to the office in a post-pandemic scenario.

There are four things that managers can to assist their teams in the transit back to office.Emphasize heavily on communicationNormally, people perform better they are reliably stable; that is to say, free of frequent distractions and changes.

This is more so applicable, in a post-pandemic scenario, when employees would be desiring the hard facts and reassurance about the continuity of their work.For example, prior to an office return, managers may have to provide revised information about the new safety protocols in place, as well as their expectations about what the return would be like.

But besides sanitary protocols, employees also may be unsure of how the new organizational dynamics are, specially in cross-functioning teams.Having a review call allows you to take an objective view on this, and even incentivizes you to be proactive with future aspects and their planning.

This accordingly means having a timeframe and a tool to enforce it with.One such tool to help you with this case is MultiCall, a group calling app dedicated to let you call many with the ease of calling one.

Listening, especially active, intent listening is extremely valuable in helping people transit smoothly after disruptive events With MultiCall, it’s possible for managers to set this stage.

Hearing the words ‘Office Politics’ usually doesn’t sport a good connotation.

As a result, you’d prefer to avoid it as much as possible.But preferred or not, office politics are very much existent, and inevitable in any company.

Be aware of the social networksWith your position in a company, and with time, you get to understand the various superiors, subordinates, and how to create the balance.

But remember, this goes beyond your main team, and across the hierarchy on all sides.Get to know them, and build connections that are high-quality, and devoid of flattery and/or “buttering”.

High-quality connections require a communication tool that is nothing less.MultiCall is a good tool via which this can be executed.

Its Call Scheduling assists in helping set up the meeting, not just in setting the date and time, but with the necessary team members as well.Related: MultiCall - Everything You Need To Know 3.

The teams in today’s businesses are no different.

But the success towards great teamwork and collaboration largely remains the same.

After all, it centers on human nature.

Compelling DirectionIn businesses, the mission and vision lend a direction towards their purpose of being.

They also need to establish norms deterring destructive behavior.

This ultimately can help teams to be more creative and avoid going with decisions by consensus only.The best method to organize teams in such a manner would be to have a dedicated communication tool for the same.

Here are 7 trends that you should know!Hybrid Office Models On The RiseVarying combinations of remote work and onsite work have already started becoming the norm.

As may be suggested, this effectively is a blended model where some employees return to the workplace and others continue to work from home.Tech-Empowered Remote WorkAs companies expand remote working capabilities to support their operations, they are presently spending only 20% of their original meeting room budgets on conference call technologies for collaborating with one another.

But with more people settling to work from home, the intrusive nature of video conferencing calls starts taking shape, among other WFH problems to already deal with.One such solution to the problem here is MultiCall.

Employers need to rise to the occasion here, and set clear rules and guidance about avoiding calls after work hours or requests that need an immediate response.Enhanced CybersecurityGiven the multiple devices and setups involved with the hybrid model, there are growing concerns around how data is accessed remotely and how secure it can get.

The Wall Street Journal even called the hybrid workplace a “cybersecurity nightmare”Less Infrastructure Expenses ; More SavingsWith far lesser need for physical work sites, companies with no HQ or organizational office are slowly becoming a reality.

Companies will need to plan strategies and review calls; to set specific days for meetings and collaboration, while having other days for remote work.

We’ve all been there.While group calls or conferences such as via MultiCall reduce social pressures and conflict, group effectiveness is at risk of being reduced, in that it requires more time to complete tasks, and results in reduced member satisfaction.

Have a Leader As far as business conferences go, designating a leader will help in a MultiCall not only by reducing the length of calls but also by focusing the conversation solely to the main discussion points.5.

Prepare: Be On-Time, Available and Organized As the old adage goes; ‘Fail to Prepare; Prepare to Fail’.

A lack of preparation for a conference can more or less end it even before it begins.

There aren’t that many “one size fits all” principles that explain how people can be managed.

Because people aren’t alike, the ability to make simple, accurate, and sweeping generalizations is limited.

No visual cues, regular disturbances and background noise.

That one person who is in the meeting but who has no questions or comments, let alone have a clue on what it’s about.

Use the following tips in order to ensure seamless group calling and collaboration.Set a clear meeting agenda.Organizing meeting objectives in an outline would allow for a clear path to follow during the meeting’s course.

You can call your entire team in one go without the hassle of entering PINs or having to await a moderator.And the best part?

Participants of the call do not need to connect via data or even have the app installed.

It also maintains the benefit of portability since the app only requires your smartphone to run.Join early.As the adage goes, the early bird gets the worm.