Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

Teams365 #2824 - 6 Questions: Communication

9/23/2021

As we go to wrap up this three-week series around the communication chapter in Reconnecting Workspaces, let’s take a look at the Six Questions I share:

SIX TEAMWORK QUESTIONS: COMMUNICATION

For this chapter’s teamwork questions (Chapter 6 of Reconnecting Workspaces), let’s return to the essential questions we want to be asking
ourselves around communication each time:

1. What is the purpose of this communication?

2. Is this the right channel?

3. Is it clear?

4. Is it sent to the right people?

5. Have I made a request?

6. What is the receiver’s preference?

Several other chapters touch on this foundational skillset of communication, including:

• Chapter 13: Performance Management and Feedback
• Chapter 15: Coaching and Mentoring

Be sure to pick up a copy of Reconnecting Workspaces on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2823 - Is It A Monologue Or A Dialogue? Communication Enablers

9/22/2021

Regardless of the channels you are utilizing, several things help to facilitate effective virtual conversations, including:
• Trust
• Connection
• Knowledge of each other
• A common framework around styles and strengths to provide knowledge and understanding; even though we have a preference, we are able to adjust our approach/style to be with others
• Knowing what works and what doesn’t

Key to successful virtual conversations is leaving time to:
• Breakout and connect with others in a smaller group setting in meaningful dialogue.
• Incorporate silence and a reflective pause so that people can think and capture ideas. If you are incorporating silence, be specific as to how long you will be silent for. Consider setting a chime or alarm on your phone so everyone can relax into the experience.
• Get things done. Virtual retreats, or virtual co-working sprints like the 21 for 21 Virtual Co-working Sprints, are a powerful way to work in real-time.
• Clarify what’s been agreed to and what next steps are.
• Write things down. We continue to see that the act of writing creates new neural pathways in the brain, reinforcing learning in a way typing does not. This might involve having people keep a journal or take notes by hand on a worksheet. To a lesser extent, annotation also helps to make the conversation more kinesthetic.
• Get people moving. Many new virtual team members and leaders are able to move around. With “sitting becoming the new smoking,” it’s essential that in the shift to virtual work, we are also encouraging a healthy workplace. This could involve building in more kinesthetic and activity-based virtual exercises, i.e., sending materials to be printed and having team members post these, standing up and moving to different sheets as they go (consider a SWOT).

(Excerpt: Reconnecting Workspaces, page 111, © Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved, 2021).

Be sure to pick up a copy of Reconnecting Workspaces at your Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2822 - Priming For Listening

9/21/2021

Behaviors don’t just happen naturally. Often, we need to “prime” people, or set them up for success. Here’s what I write about helping people become better listeners, or helping to prime them to do so:

“Throughout the day we are part of a myriad of conversations. In some, we actively listen, and in many, we don’t. In teaching coaching training skills, I share a framework of three questions to encourage people to become more active listeners, or prime them to be an active listener. Next time you observe a conversation (e.g., conference call, team meeting), rather than listening passively, note these for yourself:

1. Listen to what speaker #1 says or asks.

2. Notice the impact.

3. Notice for yourself, what’s important about that?

Leave time at the end of the conversation to discuss what you notice.”

Except: Reconnecting Workspaces © Jennifer Britton, 2021, page 113

What do you notice about this?

Enjoy your conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2821 - Keys for Clarity

9/20/2021

A big part of success in the remote space rests on clarity which is one of the 7 Remote Enablers™ I share in my work.

Let’s take a look at six quick things you can do in your written communication to ensure things are more clear:

Keys for Clarity

Here are six keys to help ensure you are clearly heard and understood:

1. Check in with people to ensure that they do understand what you are saying. Have them repeat back and/or share what their interpretation is, as it relate to their own work context.

2. Use word choice that works, given that your working language (English or other) may be a second, third, or fourth language to others.

3. Put it in writing as well as saying it verbally for important issues. Do a further follow-up in writing. We may be moving so fast that it is hard to read through everything. Be clear (or bullet out) main points and deadlines
.
4. Be brief and use bold, underline, and italics to draw attention.

5. Avoid the “!”

Excerpt Reconnecting Workspaces, Jennifer Britton, 2021, page 121. All Rights Reserved.

What else is important to note for you with your communication and clarity?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2820 - Week in Review and Inquiry

9/19/2021

Welcome back to another week in review. What were your major accomplishments this week? I hope you will take a few minutes to note down all that you’ve accomplished.

This week we covered a lot of ground as we continued through Chapter 6 of Reconnecting Workspaces.

This week we’ve explored a lot of different posts around key themes for both conversations and productivity. This week we looed at:

Monday – Linking back to the recent Remote Pathways podcast episode on 10 Systems for Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Work.

Tuesday - Productivity Tip and a look at the PlanDoTrack Weekly Planning Hack #61 – Work Ahead

Wednesday – In the Spotlight – Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach – Kimberly Sauceda

Thursday – Business Etiquette for Remote Teams

Friday – Flashback to the 8 Layers of Remote Work From mid-September 2020
Saturday – Weekly Journaling Prompt – What layers do you notice?

What else is important to note right now?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2819 - Weekly Journaling Prompt 167: What Layers Exist?

9/18/2021

A common point of conversation with many teams and leaders I work with these days is around layers of work. What do you notice around the layers of your work?

Today’s post, follow’s yesterday’s exploration of the 8 Layers of Remote Work. If you haven’t read it, check it out here.

Enjoy the focus!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2818 - Flashback to The 8 Layers of Remote Work – the 8 Ds

9/17/2021

Last year in mid-September (2020), I shared a blog post on the 8 Layers to Remote Work. These were all elements which are still as important today in the remote and hybrid world as they were then. Let’s take a look back at what I wrote:

Picture
The remote workspace is varied, and we don’t always see the context of our colleagues. For any of you who have a copy of my remote working whitepaper, you will know that in it I explore the 7 Enablers of Remote Work. You can read more about these 7 essential elements here.

Recently I have started sharing more about the layered nuances of remote work. Some of these are skills, some components that are standalone.

In today’s article I wanted to dig deeper into the 8 Layers of Remote Work, which interestingly turn out to be the 8 Ds.

Let’s look at each one of them in turn:

    Digital
    Decisions
    Delegation
    Distractions
    Design
    Dialogue
    Do
    Depth

The digital economy has existed for several decades, having been jettisoned into exponential growth this year as part of the 2020 pandemic. I recently came across an old edition of a book by Dan Tapscott who wrote the book Digital Economy back in 1995. I’m thinking I must have picked up the copy when I was a grad student. In one of next week’s blog posts, I’ll be going into the 12 hallmarks of a digital economy. The digital space is one of the important layers which is impacting business, teamwork and leadership. Whether all work is virtual, or some components have reverted to face-to-face, how are things different than at the start of the year (or decade)?

Decisions are the second layer of remote work. There is a cost to making decisions, and as we discussed earlier this week in the September Remote Pathways podcast community, https://youtu.be/Fb_FQdR3Ifk, decisions are a critical part of getting things done in the remote space. Given that we usually don’t operate in isolation, making decisions remotely may take more time.

Another significant shift that we’ve been seeing happen is people’s comfort in making decisions without having as full, or complete, information as they might have had in a face-to-face context.

Delegation is another critical component of remote work. The nuance with remote work is that we may need to be more proactive in delegating and may need to be more strategic in getting people to focus. For the foundations of Delegation check out this Linked In Pulse post I wrote a few years ago on delegation here. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-key-success-effective-delegation-jennifer/?trk=pulse_spock-articles

Distractions is another key layer of remote work. In fact, distractions have the potential to really derail professionals of all kinds in the remote space, particularly if our motivation levels are low, or we are not motivated. What are the distractions you want to take note of? For more on digital distractions check out this recent Teams365 blog post - #1470 on Minimizing Distractions here. https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1470-minimizing-distractions

Next week’s Friday Flashback post is going to pick up with the last four of the 8 Layers of Remote Work. From these first four, what’s important to note?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2817 - Business Etiquette Items for Remote Teams

9/16/2021

The topic of business etiquette is often not discussed widely but can play a key role in creating a welcoming environment to work within.

Here’s a little bit of what I share in the Reconnecting Workspaces about Business Etiquette for Remote Teams:

BUSINESS ETIQUETTE ITEMS FOR REMOTE TEAMS

There are several etiquette items for remote teams to take into consideration:

1. Starting and ending meetings on time. It is absolutely essential to start and end meetings on time, given the possibility that people are participating at different times of their day. It has become more common practice in recent months to have meetings wrap up five to ten minutes before the end of the hour to allow for people to prepare for, stretch, or take a “bio-break” before their next meeting.

2. Use subject lines appropriately. Here is an example of what not to say, and what to say:
Do not say: Feedback please. This is unclear as to what the email is about, who needs to be involved, and when a reply is needed.
Do say: KPI Priorities—Response needed—11/15, 5 pm GMT

Let people know when a response is needed, and give enough time. If you need a response quickly, will end of business today be enough time given that several team members may be five to twelve hours ahead of you?

Watch for the acronyms you use, i.e., KPI—Key performance indicator (agree within the team on key words which you will shorten).

3. Send materials well in advance. How much time will people need to read, review, action, and prepare?

4. Be clear on any pre-work, time involved, and what the expectations are in terms of pre-preparation (reading, prioritization, pre-discussions, and decisions).

5. Consider the impact of language. While many global teams may have one working language, it is likely that some team members may have that working language as a second or third language. Consider the impact of:

a. Excessive acronyms. Does everyone understand what it means?
b. Idioms such as “speak of the devil,” “a piece of cake,” “rubber hits the road.”
What are the slangs or colloquialisms used commonly that may not translate as
you intended?

6. Video and conference call etiquette. Use your name when speaking, (i.e., “This is Jennifer.”) Let people know if you are not able to stay and how you will catch up and follow up and be sure to do this. Avoid overbooking where possible, as this sends a negative message. Use headsets to avoid echoes and feedback. Mute when needed. Notice the background and be sure to show up in professional clothing.

7. Be aware of your surroundings. Consider any other ambient noise which might be picked up. In video streaming, be aware of your background and how others can hear your call/see your call. Do not move around with video on. This can be very disruptive and distracting to other group members. If you need to move, be sure to turn off your video feed.

What else is important to note?

(Except, Reconnecting Workspaces © Jennifer Britton, 2021, page 120)

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2816 - In the Spotlight – Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach: Kimberly Sauceda

9/15/2021

When I set out on my mission in early 2020 to impact the work of 5 Million virtual, remote and hybrid workers in this decade, I realized that I could not do it alone. To help me scale this work and take it forward into conversations in virtual and physical spaces all over the world, I am training and certifying Reconnecting Workspaces Coaches. They are uniquely equipped to facilitate the most important conversations needed in the remote and hybrid space.

To spotlight their work, and highlight their insights, I have started doing short conversations with each of them.

This week, we meet Kimberly Sauceda, a certified coach who comes from an extensive background in the tech sector and now works with individuals, leaders and teams in tech and other industries.

LISTEN in as Kimberly and I talk about what she likes about Reconnecting Workspaces and how she is integrating it into her work with clients here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6Io0-6jvs

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2815 - Remote and Hybrid Productivity Tip: Work Ahead (Repurposing WPH #61)

9/14/2021

In today’s tip I wanted to reach back to one of the many PlanDoTRack Remote (and Hybrid) Productivity Tips. Today I wanted to zoom into my Weekly Planning Hack #61 – Working Ahead.

This is a practice I still undertake, including how I write my blog posts in regular batches (today’s is part of a writing burst for two of this month’s posts).
Here’s what I shared over at the PlanDoTrack Blog in Weekly Planning Hack- #61

In the remote workspace working ahead (a little bit) can be an important practice, especially if disruption is more the norm than the blip in your work style.

While some things will change if we undertake them too early, there are several things that you might benefit from working ahead around. Consider these items:
Reporting
Administrative tasks
Presentations
Small tasks which add up

Over the course of a day, we can pull off tangent many, many times. That may be the reason that several schools of thought in time management assert to get the most important, and often the most difficult thing done first.

I see this happen in my work on a regular basis, especially when I work around proposals, and presentations. I need a certain amount of creative and deep thinking when doing these two things, and if I can, I’ll find very early times of the day to at least get started, and sometimes finish, these tasks. Usually, I am thankful given that inevitably urgent pressing matters pop up, requiring, my time, focus and brain power.

If you were to invest in starting 30 minutes a day earlier, or getting a head start on thinking on a train ride, what would you want to work ahead around?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.