The closer you can get to someone, the easier it is to get the full commitment that you seek. In the Old World of Work if a fellow project manager were being a little obtuse then a good strategy was to wander round, grab a chair next to them, ask for a little time and talk eyeball to eyeball. You could register the body language, notice the tone and words chosen and reach some kind of solution.
In the Brave New World Of Covid-19, distance has plunged into our lives. The literal physical distance of working from home and Perspex barriers, the distance induced by Zoom and digital interrupts and the distance caused by uncertainty.
A huge aspect of productivity is knowing that an agreement will get done. With any contact spend some time on process (how we will work together) not just content (what needs to be done). It’ll be a brilliant investment.