Little gestures — such as a smile, a head nod, a shared grimace, a touch on the arm, and small movements — say a lot when you’re working with your direct reports, team members, peers, colleagues, bosses and others. These gestures put people at ease as well as emphasize and reinforce your words.

So how do you communicate with the same proficiency when you’re working remotely and can’t use body language? You don’t; the virtual world is an emotional wasteland.

To compensate though and to provide some sense of psychological safety, you can supplement your words with other thoughtful actions. These gestures are based on my 20+ years of experience working virtually and backed by science. Read the article, Four kind gestures for communicating better in the virtual world, which Forbes published online on February 25, 2019.