Many outsourced and remote workers that you use in your team will come from countries and cultures where they may not share the same first language as you. I was born and raised in Australia with English or, some people say a form of English, as my first language and I primarily work with remote team members who weren’t raised with English as their first language. This means that communication can often be a barrier or a hurdle in working together effectively.

Here are three key principles that I use to help overcome this language barrier.

 

1. Communicate simply

I once had the experience of having a very memorable Skype discussion with a potential client about their project where they assumed that I knew their industry and products. They were an internet marketer wanting to setup a lot of sites and used a lot of different traffic generation systems and products similar to that. The client spoke for about twenty minutes and automatically assumed that I was grasping what they were talking about. I had to finally interrupt and request that they either offer explanations for the terminology that they are using or refrain from using jargon. Even as a seasoned web developer, I could not grasp what he was talking about!

Communicating simply with each other is really the most effective form of communication. Use simple techniques like common words, and avoid using local slang. Refrain from using abbreviations and don’t use any jargon unless you are confident the other person understands the meaning of it.

 

2. Use images over text

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and in this circumstance; a picture is definitely far more valuable than a thousand words of miscommunication.

There are two really effective visual methods that I use for my team to explain intricate details of what needs to be amended. The first one is very simple: In designs, and on live websites, I use “screen capture” software that allows me to take a snapshot of the screen and highlight a certain area and add comments. It is the virtual version of being able to walk over to one of my team’s desk and point at something on their screen.

The other method I use is “screen casting” software. With the help of this software and a microphone on my laptop I can walk through processes, websites and designs and use my mouse and voice to point out areas to my team members. This is one of the clearest forms of communicating difficult and intricate tasks to my team.

 

3. Learn the “lingo”

We need to understand and realize that learning to communicate with each other just takes time.

I found it quite amusing when I saw one of my team members, who has been working with me for a long time, using words like “cool” and “nice” when they thought something was good in the same way that I did. What is even more amusing is the fact that I was also using similar kinds of words that I had picked up from him in conversation.

These are aspects that are just developed over time as you begin to communicate with each other. At first it will be difficult; it will take time to understand each other even when the communication is as simple as chatting through instant messenger. After a while, you realize that you begin to think and communicate the same way and transferring ideas from your mind to your team will become much simpler.

 

Communication is the key:

Communication is really one of the most important aspects of working together as a team and poor communication is highlighted exponentially when working with people in such remote locations. Making a conscious and deliberate effort to improve the communication in your team will increase productivity and therefore increase your overall profitability.