Let's firstly review the different communication channels and how it affects communication effectiveness:
In-person face-to-face communication is the most effective form of communication; because it enables us to communicate in both verbal and non-verbal forms
Remote face-to-face communication is almost as good as in-person face-to-face communication, and it has become a dominant form of communication in our times; it is enabled through Remote Video Conferencing tools with cameras and microphones; indeed, this has now become a very common form of communication because many teams are working remotely, working across geographical borders; it enables us to have both verbal and non-verbal communication
Audio-only communication is the next form of communication; for example, speaking with a microphone but without a camera, speaking via the mobile phone
Textual communication is the least effective form of communication; it has text without audio or video; this is common for email and chat communication; thus, it should not be used for deep discussion but rather just administrative work (e.g., status updates, arranging meetings, formalities, etc.)
The Agile Manifesto has a principle: "The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation."
Furthermore, Remote Mob Programming explains: "Working face-to-face is powerful because we communicate with the whole body, not just our words. And we are much more attentive because any distraction like looking at the smartphone during a discussion will be detected immediately... We activate our cameras all the time... It felt strange at first, but after a few days, it felt natural. It gives a sense of presence in the team, almost like working in the same room together. It’s easy to see if someone is away from keyboard, talking to their children, or otherwise distracted... In a multi-monitor setup, we make sure that the camera is at our main screen so that you’re looking at each other. We mute when we go away from keyboard, but leave the camera on."
This is aligned with research about communication mechanisms:
70% of communication is non-verbal (requires face-to-face communication)
30% of communication is verbal
Other psychological factors also come into play:
We find it much each to feel a sense of a team when we see each other, esp. now in remote settings when people have become disconnected
We are better able to react to non-verbal cues, esp. the Technical Coach can much more easily adjust communication based on participants' facial expressions
However, we leave the decision whether or not to use cameras up to the team:
By default, we recommend the usage of cameras to facilitate remote face-to-face communication because that is the most effective form of communication. Indeed, from what we've seen, most companies do use cameras for all meetings.
However, we recognize that in some companies, it is not commonplace to use cameras. In that case, we do not require anyone to use cameras (we see it is a theme of individual free will), but please note that in that case, the Technical Coach may be losing 70% of communication capacity with the team (and also the team members between each other), it may lead to distractions (mobile phones, social media), may cause team disengagement (reduced participation) and lack of bonding.
During our sessions, if we draw any drawings, or need to send some web links, we will typically send it during the session itself. Generally, we prefer company chat channel if possible, otherwise email.
We will generally not have communication with the team beyond the scheduled sessions, nor send any technical advice via email nor chat.
If team needs access beyond the scheduled sessions, they can make a request to their Manager for our On Demand Consulting Service, which means that we would be available for ad hoc calls.