With it being the last day of the month it is time for our month end round-up, as well as a pause point for reflections on the month that was and some planning for September.

This month at the blog we've continued to cover New Team Leader Tips, and then then moved onto tips for Virtual Facilitation. Increasingly, being able to facilitate effective AND ENGAGING virtual meetings, trainings and events has become a differentiator in the leadership space. During the 15 hour Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program we focus on different strategics and techniques for leading ENGAGING And EFFECTIVE Virtual Meetings, Retreats, Training and other Learning and Conversation Events. The next program starts mid-September. Click here to learn more.

as the last day of the month, it is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the month that was, and think about the month ahead. Here are a few questions to get you thinking:

What were my major achievements this month?
What do I want to celebrate?
As I consider my goals (and resolutions) I made at the start of the year, how am I doing with these on a scale of 1-10? Which ones are becoming new habits or something I can check off?
Which ones need to be let go of?
As a leader, what have I noticed about my team this month?
As a leader, what notes should I make about performance issues (if I haven't done it already!)
The thing that has helped me be most productive this month has been ______
The thing that has helped me be most successful this month has been ______
The thing that has helped me be happiest this month has been ________
The thing that has helped me be most healthy has been _______

Looking ahead to September....
My priorities are:
My goals are
I want to......
I'll be really happy at the end of September when I....


Looking ahead to rest of the year....
My priorities are:
My goals are
I want to......
I'll know we will have been really successful at the end of the year when we....

Yesterday we looked at five pitfalls for virtual facilitators. Ranging from tech challenges, to one participant not being able to get on the calls, to group members not hearing you, I also provided a couple of very practical tips around how to mitigate when these pitfalls happen. In the virtual realm it can be best to operate with the premise that pitfalls probably will occur so you can be proactive.

Today's post includes five more pitfalls and what you might consider doing if they happen. These have been taken from my Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog, where I have been blogging on group prgoram issues (coaching, retreats, and facilitation since 2005. Click on over for lots more posts on this topic!

Pitfall #6 - Technology Breaks down – Check out the services you are using and have a back up. Make sure your connection works from your landline and mobile (and voip). Sometimes there can be a difference as to what you can access and where. Know how to complete quick items like record, mute, unmute, raise hands, chat or work a white board. Practice is usually the only way to master these.

Pitfall #7 - No on, or fewer than registered, shows – Rescheduling can become a slippery slope.  Whether you have 4 people on the call or 40 people on the call, consider how your virtual program (or components of it) can be packaged for future benefit. How will  you record the call? What changes might need to be made to the process and approach? It is likely that people will be running late. A best practice is always to start and end on time, given that people are likely to be calling in at different times of their days. As a facilitation team consider how you are handling missed attendees and last minute cancellations.

Pitfall #8 - Low energy: Virtual programs can be challenging for new facilitators in terms of the energy and feedback you receive. If you are using only a phone based system, other than enabling people to raise their hands in response, or signal on their keypad their agreement, it may feel like you are talking into a black hole. Your energy is imperative in keeping the flow going.  Remember too that it is critical to engage your group members every 5-7 minutes. Without involvement and engagement it is challenging for anyone to continue to focus, let alone participate.

Pitfall # 9 - Lack of connection felt by the group - It is surprising how facilitators overlook how important it is to build connection amongst group members. Connection is an essential ingredient for group coaching, and is an important foundation even with a telesemianr or teleclass which may be more content focused. Engagement levels will be impacted if group members do not feel connected with the host and/or others.

Solution: Consider how you can build connection (as appropriate) amongst group members. If it is an extended program are you giving air time for everyone to speak? Are you encouaging that people send out a bio/photo between calls? For one-off engagements are you posing questions to the group which they can respond to verbally, by email/chat or by using their key pad?

Pitfall #10 - The multi-tasking mindset -  The multi-tasking mindset can be common place for many of us. What can you do to capture people's attention and keep it focused.

Solution: Consider these questions: Are you making a request for people to disconnect from other technologies? Are you changing the pace frequently (ie. every 5-7 or 10 min)? Are you creating opportunities for individuals to pause and engage at their desk? What engagement strategies are you employing? Check out Teams365 #967 for Four Tips for Keeping Virtual Events More Engaging.

What other pitfalls are you concerned about? Let me know and I'll feature it in a future blog post.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.

We're continuing with our focus on virtual facilitation this week. I thought it would be useful to explore some of the pitfalls virtual facilitators can face. Knowing these in advance doesn't mean that they won't occur, but it does give us a chance to mitigate against them, or put things in place so they are minimized.

Here are five common pitfalls:
1. Technology doesn't work - As I wrote in last week's posts - Prepping for a Successful Virtual event - Teams365 #969 - knowing your platforms is critical.

Through practice and experience you will be able to figure out some of the immediate work around you can use when technology doesn't work. So for example, breakouts don't happen as planned. You might need to adjust on the fly and change this activity into a chat, voice or white board activity.

Having a back-up is key, and allowing yourself enough time at the start of the virtual event to know that things are working ok is also another way to mitigate against this common pitfall. Just as in in person events you want to show up in the room minutes in advance, build yourself a buffer so you arrive in the meeting space well in advance of your participants.

Pitfall #2 - You Lost your Presentation or Can't Upload it. If you are relying on slides make sure you have some back ups here as well. This might include:

• A PDF copy of the slides you have on hand which you can send out to participants during the call;
• A shared site where participants can download the slides (less immediate effort on your part if you are the only one leading the call, so usually less disruptive

Make sure you think about this in advance.

Pitfall #3 - Your Group Can't Hear You - Once in a while this crops up. Simply you may need to log in again. Some platforms allow you do to an audio test prior to the session, so that you are confident they can  hear you. If it is only one or two participants who can't hear you it is likely their connection not yours. Before you log off to reconnect (which may disrupt the system) check on how many people can't hear you.

Pitfall #4 - One Participant Can't Get on
Give participants the opportunity to log on and test the systems prior to the event. Be specific on what time you  want everyone on the line. For example, if a call starts at 9 am, having them on the line at 845.
It can also be useful to develop a troubleshooting guide people can refer to (i.e. if this happens, try this...) or provide a video tutorial for common blips.
It is important to keep the program moving so always have a back up person who can help that person rather than leaving them to figure it out for themselves.
Finally, figure out if there is an alternative way for people to join. For example, they are having problems with their broadband. Can they call in instead? What supports would they need in advance to benefit from this?
Virtual events can be intimidating to certain learners and staff members. Spend time with your team/event participants in advance setting them up for success.

Pitfall #5 - The Recording Does not Work
In many instances you may have group members absent. If the system's recording facility does not work, what can you put in place. My usual back up is often going to One-Note, which can usually record the audio component of my call. I always have a spare laptop on hand to do this so that it is not recording from the system.

What pitfalls have you encountered or are you concerned about encountering? Feel free to comment below and I'll address these in a future post.

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spo

As I mention in some of my training, " Delegation doesn't mean getting something off your plate. It should provide an opportunity for learning and growth for the person being delegated to".

Delegation is an art form and a necessity for getting more done in today's environment. We want to make sure that we are setting up those who are being delegated to for success.

I posted a quick LinkedIn article on Delegation a few weeks ago - if you haven't read it, please check it out here.

Have a great Sunday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news

Aligned with this week's theme of more masterful virtual facilitation, my Linked In Post this week was entitled "11 Powerful Tips for Virtual Facilitators". You can read it here.

From webinars, to virtual calls, virtual facilitation is becoming a must-have skill for not only trainers, but leaders. Virtual Facilitation skills are the focus of the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program I will be offering next month. It's a 15 hour virtual train-the-trainer covering dozens of tips, strategies and facilitation approaches. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot.

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.

Just as in the case of any face-to-face meeting, preparation is key in successful virtual events. Today's post shares four key things to be aware of prior to your next virtual event - meeting, facilitation or training.

1. Know your audience - Who are you meeting with? What pace is going to work best for them? What strategies can you use to stay engaged and focused? What key takeaways are they expecting from the meeting?>
Your audience should always be the "driver" and shaper of a virtual event. Helping them connect early on with What's In It for Me (WIIFM) makes it a win-win for all parties involved.

2. Be comfortable with the tools at hand - Knowing as much as you can about the platforms you are using is critical to success. Also being comfortable in not really knowing is a key factor. Spending time on the platforms you are using prior to your session will help you gain confidence. Practice, even if you are the only person on the line. Consider how you will transition from section to section, engagement then content.

3. Know When you will engage and how. Having a plan around engagement strategies during virtual events is probably even more important than in the in person realm, given the brevity of our attention span in the virtual domain. Consider the tools you have around engagement - polls, breakouts, annotation, chat etc. What is available to you within the platforms you are  using? What are the engagement activities  you are going to include?

4. What is the end point or takeway from the meeting/process? Starting with the end in mind will help you with the overall arc or pace of the call, along with the questions you ask and engagement opportunities you choose. Make a note around what are the one or two things you want to make sure people leave with.

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.

Today's team building tip gets you to think about starting a conversation with your team around options. We do know that generating multiple options can often lead to better decisions. Being able to explore, and bust assumptions. or re-frame issues can lead to better choices.

What possible options are there?

There are lots of different ways to generate and explore different options. Questions can help us spark the conversation. You might want to ask:
What's another way to do this?
What's another approach?
What else?
What assumptions are being made here? What's another way of looking at it?
What would be the quickest route?
What would be the most budget-friendly route/option?

Many teams today use the Five Why's. Asking Why five ore more times to help people get to the core of the issue. This too can help in generating multiple options.

For more ideas on this, check out MindTools.com's Decision Making Page here. They always have some great resources for professionals of all stripes.

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news

This week's focus is on virtual learning events - training, workshops even meetings. In today's work world where we may spend a significant amount of time in "traditional" death by conference call environments, it can be important to shake things up and make your virtual event more memorable. Here are four things to consider:

1. Let people know it's going to be different. From that first point of contact let people know that they should expect to be engaged (and follow up with this as well!). Consider how you are going to use pace and interactivity as an engagement friend.

2. Don't just use chat, get people involved via annotation or even voice. While group size will impact the amount and type of interactivity there is, be strategic in thinking of how you can foster interactivity. Consider:

• Chats
  
• Annotating/marking up on the screen - in response to a question you may pose or other
  

3. Use breakouts - many platforms such as Zoom's paid account or Web Ex's training environment gives you the option of using breakouts. Giving smaller groups 5 minutes to connect around a question in dialogue can really make things different. Set the groups up for success in terms of how long they have (give them enough time to connect and be in dialogue), what to expect in terms of what they need to do (i.e. they may need to look to their screen and accept), and any other instructions. Hear from members of each group briefly when they return back (and let them know they should select one group member to report back key findings).

4. Get people doing something on their end of the line - sending out a worksheet or giving group members a few minutes to take notes can also create a pace change.

Stay tuned for some more virtual tips as we move forward with this series in the next few weeks!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.
Join us

I spend a lot of time working with other trainers, caoches and leaders in helping them create more engaging and effective virtual learning. in the first decade plus of my career I spent a lot of time on the road, in the sky, in the field. As technology started emerging in the late 1990s with the advent of the internet I was keen on seeing how we could leverage tools and platforms for not only learning but also team development. Since 2004, when I started Potentials REalized, a bulk of our training and learning programs have been delivered virtually. In some months of the year - like July and August  - a 100% of our programming with teams and groups is done virtually.

Creating engaging and effective virtual learning environments is an art form as well as a science. In the next few weeks we'll be looking more in-depth at virtual facilitation - skills, best practices, platforms etc.

Today's post starts with some of the core virtual facilitation skills. What do we need to bring to the table in order to create more interactive, and engaging learning events, meetings and team sessions?

Here's a list of some of the top skills which help to make a virtual facilitators shine:
* Flexibility and adaptability (to navigate things that probably won't work the way you think they will)
* Process facilitation skills
* Exceptional communication skills - clear, concise, ability to adapt the message for different audiences
* Listening skills - being able to listen for the nuances, energy, distinctions and synergies in groups which are remote and often multi-cultural
*Creating connection with group/team members virtually
* An understanding of different cultures
* Being a great  host - there's an important host function as a virtual facilitator
* Confidence and knowledge of their presence (and the ability to be a chameleon)
* Strong observational skills and ability to integrate multiple pieces of information
* Technical skills with different platforms

and while it is not a skill, a robust toolkit!

What else do you see as core skills for virtual facilitators?

With best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news

 

Seven Key Challenges of New Leaders

1. Too much information
2. Too much management by boss
3. Buddy to Boss syndrome
4. Trying to be “liked by everyone”
5. Working to Make Changes too Fast
6. So much to do, so little time! – Create Boundaries
   
7. Trying to be like the last leader
   

Over the last  month here at the Teams365 blog we've been looking at tips for new team leaders. Today's post looks at seven key challenges for new leaders. These are in fact challenges for leaders of all tenure. Let's take a look at each one, one at a time:

1. Too much information: During the first few weeks and even months of a new role there is information coming at you from all directions. Consider what approaches are going to allow you to avoid overwhelm. This might include asking yourself what's needed now, next week, next month, next quarter OR figuring our where you want to file everything, and scheduling a time on an ongoing basis to review it.

2. Too much management by your boss - As I've written multiple times, your relationships with your boss is one of your most important relationships. For many reasons your boss can be overly hands-on and directive at the start of a new role.  Diplomatically you will want to navigate the tension of your own autonomy as a leader, and also taking their advice into consideration.

3. Buddy to Boss Syndrome - When you take over a team that you were once part of you may face the buddy to boss syndrome. In these instances it's not only you making the adjustment, it's also the team as well making the adjustment to you in a new role. What conversations do you need to have with your former colleagues on the team?

4. Trying to be liked by everyone - one of the biggest adjustments for some new leaders is not being liked by everyone. Leaders making the hard calls doesn't always cultivate friendship. There is an important difference between being liked and being trusted, and this is important for leaders of all tenures to keep in mind.

5. Working to make changes too fast - While change is important, making change too fast in a team can create a lot of waves and potentially may not be in the best interest of the team. What new insights are you getting around issues from your new vantage point? What are the key issues which really need a change?

6. So much to do, so little time. Remember that as a leader you can delegate. It's not about doing everything yourself. AS a leader it's important to have the space to build relationships, support the team etc. What are the things you do need to delegate? What boundaries do you want to create with your time so you can focus on the strategic issues, not just the tactical issues?

7. Trying to be like the last leader. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves when we try to fashion our approaches and movements like someone else. In what ways are you unique? What makes you completely different than the last leader? How do you own this and communicate this?

These are just seven areas of many more which may pose challenges. What would you say is on your top five list of challenges as a new team leader?

Have a great start to the week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news