The way we communicate at work has shifted. Consider this statistic from a study published in Nature: the average number of meetings per person has increased 12.9% compared to before the pandemic. At the same time, people are sending more internal emails than ever (up an average of 1.4 per person per day).
Increases in remote and hybrid work are driving these trends, and they aren’t going away. To succeed in the modern workplace communication landscape, you need to be fluent in a range of communication modes: digital/analog, synchronous and asynchronous, and formal/casual.
How do you thrive in a workplace world that’s moved away from solely face-to-face communication? You don’t have to do it alone.
Vautier Communications helps everyone from individual contributors all the way to Sr. Leadership and C-Suite navigate this complex landscape with confidence and clarity. Our coaching has expanded into “early career development” populations, or HiPo’s (high-potential employees), who are looking to be fast-tracked to leadership roles down the line.
In this guide, we’ll draw on our experience to break down how our executive communication coaching can elevate your communication across all channels.
Different Types of Workplace Communication in the Digital Age
To master communication in the digital landscape, you need a map of the terrain. Here’s a survey of the four types of workplace communication that dominate today, plus emerging channels that could shape the future of work.
1. Digital & Asynchronous: The Productivity Backbone
Digital, asynchronous communication is rapidly becoming the default communication mode, even for organizations working primarily in-person.
What It Is & Channels Used
The definition of digital communication is obvious. It consists of communication across channels as diverse as:
- Project management tools (Asana, Trello, Wrike, etc.)
- Documents (mainly Google Docs, but also Microsoft 365)
- Slack/Teams messages
- Company knowledge bases (Document360, Confluence, Notion)
But what about asynchronous? Asynchronous communication refers to any digital communication that doesn’t occur in real time. A classic example is comments and messages in a project management app like Asana or Wrike.
However, asynchronous can also apply to emails or even Slack messages if a response isn’t expected in real time (which is common for organizations working across global time zones).
Why It Dominates Modern Work
The rise in digital and asynchronous communication isn’t just a result of the pandemic. While it may have started there, the continued popularity of remote and hybrid work is being driven by a number of benefits to both workers and organizations, including:
- Higher employee engagement (Gallup)
- Increased worker productivity due to decreased interruptions (American Community Survey)
- Decreased office building costs (BLS)
The Formality Shift
With a shift to digital communication, the old norms around formality aren’t as clear. Context now dictates the appropriate level of formality, and rapid context switching is the norm.
Consider Slack, which is now the backbone of day-to-day communication for many organizations. Both emojis and GIFs are commonplace in internal Slack communications, with emojis in particular adding valuable emotional and tonal context that can otherwise get lost in text-based communication.
At the same time, formality isn’t dead. Emails, particularly those to clients and external partners, require a higher level of formality than internal Slack messages.
Want to master context-switching across digital channels without losing your leadership voice? Discover how our executive coaching programs build this critical skill.
Here’s what one of our clients had to say: “Very powerful. This should be shared with as many professionals as possible – it is hard to think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit.” (Managing Director, Product Strategy & Mgmt)
2. Digital & Synchronous: The “Live” Connection
While asynchronous communication is now the default for many organizations, synchronous digital communication remains hugely valuable for situations where voice and tone convey information that text alone cannot.
Channels & Use Cases
Synchronous digital communication happens across channels like:
- Video calls (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet)
- Chat huddles (especially common in Slack for quick discussions)
- Virtual whiteboards like Miro
- Phone
Consider using digital synchronous communication when:
- You need to have a complex discussion with multiple participants
- You need to discuss a sensitive topic where text leaves too much room for ambiguity and misunderstandings
- You want to collaborate and brainstorm ideas as a team
- You’re meeting a client, teammate, or business partner for the first time
Video: The New Face-to-Face
With remote work and globally distributed teams now commonplace, video is becoming the new face-to-face communication (though that doesn’t mean it’s always better, as we’ll discuss below).
In many cases, video has replaced in-person meetings for standups, client pitches, and trainings. It’s thus essential to master your on-camera presence and virtual presentation skills if you wish to communicate effectively in today’s business world.
Etiquette in the Camera-On Era
Successful video communication means new etiquette and norms. Here are some tips to maximize your virtual meeting effectiveness:
- Look at your camera, not your screen – To maintain virtual “eye contact” with other participants, look at your camera while speaking instead of your computer screen.
- Practice “voice equity” – If you’re running a meeting, be sure that everyone involved is given equal time to speak. In video meetings, especially, there’s a greater risk of one or two outspoken people dominating the conversation.
- Be fully present – When you’re on a video call, resist the urge to multitask. Close all but the apps you need for the meeting and focus on the discussion at hand.
Check out this podcast episode for more digital communication dos and don’ts.
3. In-Person: The Human Touch
In-person communication may not dominate the workplace like it used to, but it’s still critical in some situations. Indeed, the decreased prevalence of in-person communication can make it all the more impactful.
Where In-Person Still Wins
Sometimes, there’s no substitute for face-to-face. It’s especially valuable for:
- Building trust – When we communicate in person, we benefit from nonverbal cues like gestures, subtle facial expressions, and overall body language. These small details help build trust between people, just as they have for millennia.
- Complex brainstorming – If you’re trying to determine the next strategy for your company or negotiate an intricate business deal, in-person communication can bring a certain “magic” that digital methods lack.
- Sensitive conversations – Sensitive topics like employee termination, discipline, legal issues, or HR violations are best conducted in person to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. Empathy shines brightest when you’re in the room together.
- Culture rituals – Coming together face-to-face helps build camaraderie, trust, and teamwork. This is why even fully remote companies often meet in person for culture events at least once per year.
The “Purpose-Driven” Shift
“Going into the office” used to be the default way to work. But with the rise of hybrid work, office time has become more intentional.
Many employees and managers now plan meetings and collaboration for in-office days, while reserving focused work for days spent working from home.
4. Hybrid Communication: Bridging the Gap
Speaking of hybrid work, we need to address a common challenge for many organizations: hybrid communication.
The Challenge (Remote vs. In-Room)
Many day-to-day meetings are now hybrid, with some attendees in the room and others virtual. With this reality comes many challenges not seen in the past, requiring a mindset shift for successful meetings.
Mainly, it’s important to avoid the “two-tier” experience that’s typical of many hybrid meetings. Remote attendees often get ignored as those in the room naturally focus on each other. But this doesn’t have to be the case!
Best Practices for Equity
To run a successful hybrid meeting where all attendees feel heard, follow these tips:
- Give first priority to people in person – At Vautier, we believe that people in person should be given first priority when you’re communicating. This doesn’t mean you should neglect remote attendees, but it does mean you should focus on directing your executive presence to those in the room with you.
- Use the right tech – High-quality room microphones and cameras can go a long way towards making remote attendees feel more present in the conversation.
- Facilitate carefully – Proper facilitation is important for successful hybrid meetings, especially for large groups. Have someone in charge of monitoring the chat for questions (whether that’s you or another employee) and avoid side conversations that stray from the meeting’s main topic.
As one of our past clients put it, “I wish I had learned these skills 20 years ago! I’m very happy to be gaining them now. Excellent and worthwhile training.” (Information Architect, Hospitality)
5. Emerging Channels: The Future Is Here
Our discussion of workplace communication would be incomplete without mentioning some emerging channels. While many organizations are still adopting them, these channels could come to shape the way we communicate at work in the coming years.
Internal Social Platforms
Internal social platforms are emerging as a way to share informal updates and build company culture, particularly at large, globally distributed organizations. Some examples include Workplace by Meta and Microsoft’s Viva Engage.
AI Tools Changing the Game
AI is an inescapable topic these days, and when it comes to work communication, it’s more than a buzzword. AI is bringing real innovations to:
- Meeting transcription and notetaking – Tools like Otter and Fireflies mean it’s now possible to automatically transcribe and summarize video calls in real time.
- Grammar checking – AI-powered apps like Grammarly can detect and correct spelling, grammar, and usage errors while also offering suggestions for adapting your tone to your audience.
- HR Chatbots – AI chatbots can now answer many routine HR questions, directing employees to the appropriate company resources while freeing up human HR personnel for other tasks.
- Training and coaching – AI tools like Yoodli make it possible to receive personalized communication coaching and feedback on demand, which is something Vautier has used to enhance our executive communication coaching with AI.
Key Trends Rewriting the Rulebook
At Vautier Communications, we’ve identified three key trends that are rewriting the rules of how we communicate at work. Keep these trends in mind as you develop your digital communication strategy.
Speed > Formality
Speed is often more important than formality, especially when it comes to internal communications. We live in the age of TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) culture, where employees expect messages to be succinct.
At the same time, technology now allows us to communicate many subjects visually, using a mixture of screen recordings and even GIFs. Formality still has a place in client communications, but speed is now the top priority when you want to get a message across inside your organization.
Context Is King
Unsure what tone to use in a given situation? Context is everything. We like to break it down using this formula:
Channel + Audience + Purpose = Tone
For instance, if you’re sending your team a Slack message wishing them a good weekend, you can opt for a fairly informal tone and use emojis or a GIF if you like. On the other hand, if you’re emailing a contract proposal to a prospective client, good old-fashioned formality is the way to go.
Asynchronous Respect & Digital Wellness
With the decline of full-time, in-office work, the boundaries between work and life can get murky. To maintain your and your employees’ sanity, it’s therefore important to set clear boundaries around notifications.
Many companies find it helpful to adopt formal policies around when responses are expected to Slack messages, emails, and meeting invitations. This prevents employee burnout and helps avoid 24/7 work culture.
And even during normal work hours, constant notification pings can harm employee productivity. To combat this, consider letting employees designate blocks of “deep work” time. Remember: the notifications will still be there later.
The C-suite leaders who excel don’t guess at communication strategy—they master it systematically with leadership communication coaching.
As one Vautier client put it, “Amazing! The best content and facilitation I’ve ever been a part of… This investment will pay dividends to my career and for our organization.” (Chief Nursing Officer, Healthcare)
See how our executive communication training transforms communication challenges into opportunities. Get in touch.
Conclusion: Thriving in the New Communications Ecosystem
Workplace communication has changed a lot in the past few years. We hope this guide has given you some practical tips for adapting the way you communicate while still maintaining the strengths that got you where you are in your career. Let’s quickly recap the important takeaways.
The Core Skills Needed
Successful workplace communication requires mastery of these core skills:
- Channel literacy
- Intentionality
- Empathy
- Hybrid fluency
Communication skills development doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t have to learn all of these skills at once, and you don’t have to be perfect. But you do need to commit to continuous learning and keeping an open mind.
Final Takeaway
Communicating in today’s workplace isn’t about choosing one channel — it’s about mastering the mix.
Ready to take your first steps toward mastery? Vautier’s leadership presence coaching will teach you how to convey executive presence across channels and messages. Get in touch.
