My Go-To Tool for Asynchronous Connection across Time Zones

Since moving to Germany I am 6-9 hours ahead of most of my network in North America, which sometimes makes scheduling calls really complicated.

So I had to adapt and lean on a few tools that I want to share with you in today’s email that make asynchronous connection much easier for me – I am especially excited to tell you more about tool #2!!

1. Voice Notes

This is such an underused feature in my opinion.

The amount of people that are surprised that you can not only send voice notes in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but also LinkedIn is huge.

Here are 3 reasons why I think voice notes are better than text messages:

1. Voice notes can convey emotion more effectively than text. It is easier to convey sadness, happiness, frustration, or other emotions through the tone of one’s voice than it is through text alone.
2. Voice notes can help to reduce misunderstandings and confusion. It is easier to pick up on cues and context when we hear someone’s voice than when we read their words on a screen. This can help to reduce misunderstandings and ensure that both parties are on the same page.
3. Voice notes can be more engaging and interactive than text. When we listen to someone’s voice, we are more likely to pay attention and engage with what they are saying. This can help to build a stronger sense of connection and understanding between two people.

And the best part, for me, is that I can send and listen to messages on my own time 🙂

I know, you’re probably now thinking: “But isn’t it a waste of my time to invest in listening to a 5-minute audio message from someone that I don’t even know yet?”

I feel you!

So what do you think is the ideal length of a voice note?

When I connect with someone on LinkedIn, I usually send a voice not that simply says “Hey, great to connect with you” and asks an open-ended question. It’s usually between 10-20 seconds long.

It’s usually good to keep these very brief because people’s attention span is limited and they may become disengaged if the message is too long.

For people that I already know well I like to keep a message to 1 minute or less and rather would send 3 shorter messages than one long one.

2. VideoAsk

The second tool is a subscription app that I get compliments about almost every week: It’s called VideoAsk which allows you to create interactive contact forms and polls by recording yourself on video.

👉 Here is an example of how I am using it on my contact form (You’re welcome to leave me a message if you like and I’ll promise to respond between now and the new year!) 🙂

For the last few years I have been replacing every call to action on my website, my contact forms, my feedback surveys, intake forms, proposal videos, product videos, thank-you page videos with an interactive experience using VideoAsk (I challenge you to browse a few pages on my website​ to explore where I’ve hidden these videos 🙂 )

For me, it’s just building those relationships without my time being spent, so when we actually get together in-person or for a one-on-one call we can already get into the subject matter a lot faster.

If you want to learn more about how I am using VideoAsk in my business to connect with my customers and clients, plus get some hands-on tips and tricks for creating engaging VideoAsks, check out this interview​ I did recently with Grace from the VideoAsk team.

During the conversation we talked about:

• Taking an in-person concept online during the pandemic
• How VideoAsk works well for a “Choose your own adventure” experience
• How video can help to build online relationships
• My tips and tricks for building engaging VideoAsks

I am curious to hear:

What tools do you use to stay in touch with people and build connections asynchronously?