Don’t be afraid to draw.

You don’t have to be a pro at using the latest and greatest white boarding, sketching, or illustrating application to convey your thoughts visually. You just need a pencil and some paper. We’re not all the greatest artists, but we can all draw lines, squares, and circles. When you go analog with sketching, you can work more freely that you might be able to with a mouse and keyboard. Take a photo of your work so you can share it virtually in a collaboration session. The next layer of sophistication is real-time sketching using a tablet and stylus while you’re in a synchronous meeting. This can be a really effective way to collaborate when you can’t be in person with a white board on the wall.