Category: Peer Learning

#TEAMS365 #1878 – Boosting Your Virtual Team – Strengthening Relationships = 5 Ideas

2/20/2019

This month’s focus is on building relationships. One type of team which often does not get attention is virtual teams. Today’s post goes into 5 ideas you might incorporate around boosting your virtual team. This could include some of the following activities:

Creating a set of peer partners who you are paired with for the course of a year. Peer partners may be invited to connect on a regular basis – i.e. quarterly to share information and resources and generally share best practices.
Hosting co-working sessions.
Providing the opportunity for part of a quarterly or regular team meeting to focus in on having each person share what they are working on and/or what their portfolio is all about.
Hosting a weekly or bi-weekly team huddle to update each other on what you are focusing on. Huddles are generally short and quick in nature (15-30 minutes). Done regularly they benefit from bringing the team together on a regular basis to share their focus, build connection and notice interplay.
Another option is to have people share a photo or resource with each other every month via the team’s communication channel – this could include a series of threads in Slack or part of your Leaning Management System or a Community Portal like Mighty Networks.

What are the activities and events which will benefit your team right now?

You might also be interested in checking out the January 2019 Effective Virtual Conversations call I hosted where I cover 5 Virtual Team Builders.

Wishing you the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join our online community - the Conversation Sparker Zone - where explore topics related to teamwork, leadership, coaching, virtual conversations and business development

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#TEAMS365 #1869 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #81

2/11/2019

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o There are many, many different types of conversations we can be having in the virtual space today – from virtual team meetings, to mentoring conversations, to coaching conversations.

In Effective Virtual Conversations I introduce 9 different parts of the virtual eco-system. These include:

Educational Events - Instructor/Facilitator led synchronous or asynchronous training through webinars, e-learning, webcasts
Peer to Peer Learning – Masterminds, Breakouts
Goal Setting
Informal Learning: Coaching/Training/Facilitating/Mentoring
Micro-Learning
Virtual Team Development
Video-Based Learning

Check out chapter 4 of Effective Virtual Conversations for more information about each of these different modalities.

What are the different types of conversations you are having? What makes them different from each other. As I write in EVC there can be a variety of individual versus peer-led conversations, formal approaches versus informal approaches.

It’s important to consider the right type of conversation which will be most impactful for the situation. For example, if someone wants to learn how to do something – i.e. replace a fan belt, a short video-based learning series might be most effective in demonstrating the replacement in action. This may be even more effective than pairing them with a mentor.

In contrast, if a team is looking to boost their connection and strengthen their goals, consider a live virtual facilitated team development session where they are meeting face to face, rather than putting them through a series of micro-learning modules delivered via your Learning Management System.

What are the best vehicles for upcoming conversations you have planned?
Also check out the Community Call I hosted on the different platforms for Effective Virtual Conversations. View it here.

Next week’s EVC tip will explore the related question of What’s the Best Platform for my conversation? Stay Tuned!

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at our Conversation Sparker Zone - a community where you can connect and explore topics related to virtual conversations, virtual team issues, coaching and more!

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#TEAMS365 #1783 – Weekly Journaling Prompt

11/17/2018

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This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt shifts your attention to the workplace and business context. Even if we are solopreneurs, where we work alone, we do need to rely on others to help us in getting things done. Maybe we go to an accountant or reach out to an assistant to help you in peak periods.
This week’s journaling prompt is “Other teams we can learn from are….”
Many of today’s business requirements take us into new terrain regularly. What models do you have which you can learn from? Which teams may have already chartered the course?
This week I hope you will spend a few minutes looking at others you can learn from as you seek to maximize your current opportunities, or leap above your current challenges.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

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#Teams365 #1625: Using Peers to Support Enhanced Performance

6/13/2018

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While leaders play a key role in facilitating performance feedback with their team, in today’s context, peers may be spending more time with their own co-workers. Peers are often an under-utilized resource in supporting the performance conversation. While feedback and performance conversations may sound a little different peer-to-peer than supervisor to direct report, feedback may be better received from their peers.

There are a number of ways that peers can support enhance performance including:

1.       By investing in cross-training opportunities across the team, so different team members can take on other tema member’s roles. In this cross-training process, as more members become confident and proficient with different team roles and responsibilities, the opportunity for dialogue about what’s working, and what’s not is key
2.       By creating peer learning circles where the intent is to focus on team performance, with either a results or relationship realm.
3.       By pairing team members on a quarterly basis as peer partners. While the focus of this can be varied, part of the intention and focus may be on helping them gain their technique and having hem work through a series of performance conversations.
4.       By building in time during your staff meetings to talk about performance
5.       To provide systems or tools so that people can capture their learning. Many organizations create coaching logs, and performance logs, so that staff members can track and capture their own learning. This should go hand in hand with a one-page plan which could be done over a quarter or longer.

What are the things you would like to do to create more of a culture around feedback?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Looking to spark more conversation with your team? Consider the Conversation Sparker(TM) Cards
Set up a conversation about how we can support you and your team best
(416)996-8326

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#Teams365 #1476: Effective Virtual Conversation Tip #27: Peer LEarning

1/15/2018

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Peer learning can be even more powerful than learning from a leader or formal instructor. In 1995, Griffiths, Housten and Lazenbatt from the University of Ulster identified 10 different models of peer learning. These included: peer learning cells, to mentor-mentee relationships, collaborative work, buddy systems and others. Check out Boud's article here which makes reference to them.

A 2017 study from Michigan State University[1] found that those undertaking an online course, learned better when hearing from their peers, than the instructor’s rationale. They scored 92 on an online test compared to 86. (Michigan State University. "Peers, more than teachers, inspire us to learn." Science Daily. ScienceDaily, 21 March 2017. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170321110341.htm)

As the study states, “"We found that receiving the instructor rationale led to lower final grades than both the peer rationale and no rationale conditions," Roseth said. "This gives support to the idea that, motivationally, the fact that instructors control grades, tell the students what do to, and so on, may be working against their efforts to increase their students' appreciation of why the class is important."

In the virtual space, building in both formal and informal peer touchpoints can be invaluable for learning and engagement. Every time I put people into breakout they come back energized.
Peer touchpoints could include:

Breakouts - see this recent Teams365 post on using breakouts
Peer partners who meet in between the formal peer touch points
Mastermind groups where you learn from each other
Reading groups
Social Media Communities (Facebook Groups etc)

What enhanced peer connections can you create in your virtual programming?

[1] Tae S. Shin, John Ranellucci, Cary J. Roseth. Effects of peer and instructor rationales on online students’ motivation and achievement. International Journal of Educational Research, 2017; 82: 184 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2017.02.001

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations - Conference calls? Webinars? Virtual coaching work? Pick up a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon.

New in 2018 - The Teams365 Leadership Lab - an annual group for leaders which meets twice a month throughout 2018. We'll be exploring topics like Emotional Intelligence, Team Management, Coaching Skills. We'll be kicking off on January 26th at 845 am ET online.

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Teams365 Blog

#TEAMS365 #1878 – Boosting Your Virtual Team – Strengthening Relationships = 5 Ideas

#TEAMS365 #1869 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #81

#TEAMS365 #1783 – Weekly Journaling Prompt

#Teams365 #1625: Using Peers to Support Enhanced Performance

#Teams365 #1476: Effective Virtual Conversation Tip #27: Peer LEarning

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