Thoughtful communication in a distributed environment depends on your role and personality, not just your organization!

1. Figuring It Out
Remote Communication
Steph Yiu + Davis Shaver
SRCCON Minneapolis

2. Welcome
Goal: Communicate better!

3. 1. Choose your primary job. (Yes, we know it’s hard.)
2. Find the Post-It notes of the corresponding color.
Organizers | Builders | Communicators

4. Exercise One
Roles

5. Roles, pt 1: TOOLS
Which tools do you use to do what you do?
Write them down on the Post-It notes and stick them
up on the wall marked “WALL”. You have 10 minutes.
If you see a Post-It note for a tool already, overlap!

6. Roles, pt 2: CHALLENGES
What’s the biggest challenge you have working
remotely in your role?
Tell your group what you did about it. Take 10 minutes
& then we’ll ask each role group to share themes.

7. Exercise Two
Your Personality

9. L1 | L2 | R1 | R2

10. Personality, pt 1: Motivation
Where do you get your energy from?
What motivates your work?
Get to know each other, and discuss among your
group. 5 minutes.

11. Personality, pt 2: Challenge
You’re part of a 9-person team building a product. Four of you are
located in the main office (including the “manager”), two in a satellite
office, and three remote. You’re launching a big feature this fall.
How would you, using communication tools, brainstorm a marketing plan
with the team, and how would you facilitate execution?
Think about the challenges we shared earlier.
10 mins to plan. 1 minute to pitch. Then we discuss.
Go!

12. Conclusion
Communicate thoughtfully!

13. Before we go
What’s one thing you learned in this session?

14. Thanks!
Check out bit.ly/srccon-remote for this deck (and these links).
Gitlab: The remote manifesto
“Remember to say thank you.”
How P2 Changed Automattic
“Now Automattic had a pulse, a place where the incredible amount of activity was chronicled and captured.”
Managing Across Time
For advanced remote workers, this is a great read on how to work asynchronously, and manage notifications.
18F: Processes and artifacts
Great section on breakout meetings. This is a really awesome read overall.
HBR: Why remote work thrives in some companies and fails in others
“Many companies focus too much on technology and not enough on process.”
An Epic List of Remote Work Resources
Managing a Geographically Dispersed Team
What I love about this post is the section on fairness. Remote workers tend to be isolated, and it may require you to go the extra mile to ensure equal treatment.
Communication for Distributed Teams
Includes a section on when Lullabot chooses to get together, and when get-togethers make sense for a team.
HR Tools for Remote Teams
Payroll? Check-ins? Expenses? Hangouts? This includes a list of popular HR tools for remote teams.
Remote working for Extroverts
For extroverts, recognizing non-social cues of affirmation can be really important to job satisfaction.