Gray Matter at White Space

When speaking with someone in person, you know if they are listening. I mean, really listening or just pretending. When having these in-person conversations, we’ve developed ways to inaudibly say, “Yes, I’m here listening—and I hear you.” We smile and nod, make eye contact, or sit facing the person we’re speaking to, body bent slightly forward. Opposite visual cues reveal if your conversation counterpart is distracted, with thoughts a million miles away. These external behaviors help us navigate face-to-face communication. But what happens for those of us communicating with clients and coworkers exclusively by digital means?

I was supposed to publish this blog last week. But, the week came and went, and I had written nothing. Past deadline again, I found myself sitting at my desk on a late Friday afternoon with no creative inspiration in sight. Plus, I couldn’t muster up the energy to write about the right way to do things when I myself had seen everything go wrong.

In my blog a few weeks ago, I discussed some of the pros and cons of running a distributed company—a way of doing business that is becoming more common than not. Having been in a remote working scenario for a number of years, I’ve learned which tools are required to ensure daily operations run smoothly.