Trust and power

In all your interactions, remain conscious of two factors: trust and power.

• A manager should consider whether their brevity is regarded as efficient or as a general lack of interest.
• We should be careful to express our appreciation. A handshake or smile used to give us those signals, but our gratitude is less evident in online communication. A simple remedy is to send a follow-up email after a virtual meeting to express that you valued someone's role or input.

Video calls have their own problems.

• In group calls, people could be asked to raise their hands before speaking or a moderator can ensure people stay on topic.
• It is not advisable to multitask during these calls or to allow you...