How often are you taking the pulse in your virtual calls? Whether it’s a webinar or a group coaching process, taking the pulse regularly is key for both you as a facilitator/host and the group. Regular engagement moves us from a “Death by Conference Call” to something more interactive.

In today’s post I wanted to share several ideas of how you can take the pulse during calls – it’s platform agnostic and different platforms will have different options available. In no particular order here are some options:

• Ask people to share in chat their biggest learning so far
• Ask people in chat to give a thumbs up if they have received one thing that they can put into practice from the call
• Have people rate their call experience so far on a 1-5 or 1-10 (yes, a little risky, and it’s going to help you in the long run!)
• Using annotation have people indicate the most important topic you’ve covered
• Using annotation, have people write out any questions they want covered in the last part
• Using a poll (built in or in a platform like Mentimeter) have people indicate the most important point covered so far
• Using emojis or reactions have people signal their learning

What do you want to incorporate into your work?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

This week’s Back to the Basics takes us to one of the 7 Cs (The Remote Enablers) – link to 7 Cs blog post – communication, and more specifically, the energy of the calls you are leading and attending.

How well are you listening in conversations these days? With Zoom fatigue becoming a term that gets thrown around a lot, I’m curious to ask, what do you notice when you are on streaming calls with your communication, and listening in particular?

In the remote space our visual cues are limited to the small 2x3 window we can see people in. Literally their shoulders up.

Having led calls on Zoom for the last five years, and since 2004 (and earlier) on other virtual platforms, it’s likely that we are listening in for a couple of things:
The tone. The pace. The pitch.

AND …the....

Energy of the call – The next call you are on, notice the energy of the call. This is not just with the speaker, but also with everyone else on the call. What do you see and hear?

Energy is transmitted not only through what’s being said but also the pace of conversation. As I like to share in the virtual train-the-trainers I lead, energy is shaped through the levels of engagement of the group. Are we encouraging people to connect with the content in different ways?

Verbally through the use of breakouts?

On the screen through the use of annotation?

Via polls?

By answering questions?

What are you noticing with the energy of the calls you are hosting?

Several of the foundational principles we want to practice when designing and leading calls are:

• Less is more – It’s hard to leave time to engage people if there is too much content you want to, or need to, cover. If you can’t add time, consider asking yourself these questions which I originally heard from Master Trainer Bob Pike years ago - “What’s a nice to have versus what’s a need to have with the conversation” A third question of “Where to do”, can further help to identify where content (extra or supplementary) can go.
• Vary approaches – We all create learning in different ways. From auditory to visual to kinesthetic approaches. While learning styles have been argued about in many research circles over the years, I’d ask you to consider what you have noticed with this topic in the virtual domain.

​What is important to explore around this topic of the energy of calls you are participating in, or leading? Check out your assumptions around how you are “reading the room” by asking each group member to share “one word which describes the energy they are leaving the call with”. It’s an interesting litmus test.
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Enjoy your conversations!
Jennifer

This week’s Team Building Question is number 255 in the series. What do you want to say NO to?

Turning away work, or saying no to a project, may provide the space you need in order to focus on your priorities.

A challenge of the remote work space which many have is boundaries. Boundaries around our time, boundaries around availability.

Another challenge of the remote space is that it can be more challenging to identify what’s important. When our team members are scattered and we don’t get to meet them at the water cooler, how do we know what’s important NOW?
As a team, if you haven’t had a conversation recently around what your priorities are collectively and individually, I hope you will use this as a nudge.

As you look at all the things you have on the go, what do you want to say NO to?

Enjoy your conversation,
Jennifer

This week’s back to the basics post takes us to an area you might not have considered “foundational” a few months ago, but may now. 2020 has been the year of this in a tremendous tsunami of professionals, businesses and organizations moving to the virtual and digital space. It’s been amazing to see different people and organizations pivot, joining us in innovation.

As many readers may know I’ve spent the bulk of my career since the early 1990s leading virtual teams and businesses. When I opened the doors of Potentials Realized (metaphorically, of course, as I’ve never had a brick and mortar location), I’ve always been fascinated to think about how I could adjust and evolve in-person events to the virtual space.

My driving force was not just a fatigue with travel, having spent most of the 1990s and early 2000s either flying around the world, or having the privilege for many years of adventure travel as part of my everyday body of work, but it also was in response to some vision loss I encountered in 2003 from an eye infection which quickly got out of control.  While my vision was impacted, it’s been an ongoing driving force for my creativity and advocacy that virtual events can be just as interactive and impactful IF we incorporate great design. I’d invite you to take a look at the many, many posts here at the Teams365 blog which link into virtual conversations, or pick up a copy of two of my more recent books – The PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner for Virtual and Remote Professionals OR Effective Virtual Conversations.

Today we have the opportunity to continue to virtualize and digitize a lot of our work. Here are some of my favorite types of virtual events:
 
Core Elements when we think about virtualization include some of the many ideas I shared in my post yesterday – Stand Out Virtually. From clarity, to visuals, to leaving a pause, these are core elements.

Another foundational element of standing out and creating value is making sure that you engage. Engagement means involvement. It doesn’t mean just talking at people. Be sure to leave space for people to interact with others, or even interact with their own thoughts. If it’s a big call, what can people do to take a pause and note things down for themselves? Or share with another person in a breakout?

Some of the favorite virtual events I like to run are virtual business planning retreats, annual groups like the Learning Lab and Design Studio I host throughout the year and also Get it Done afternoons where we get our work done!

In times of physical distancing many are yearning for connection and collaboration. What can you do to create more connection in your next digital offering? In your next virtual conversation?

Please share with us what’s important for you to note!

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

The digital space can get very crowded, with one zoom call looking like another. Today’s post gets you thinking about different ways you can stand out virtually. If you are a leader, coach or business owner, what can do you do make sure that your call stands out virtually?

#1 – Be clear – From the start, let people know what they can expect. How long is the call? What’s being covered? What is the process going to be?

#2 – Create expectations – From the start, let people know what they can expect. What is the process you are going to follow? A lack of clarity creates a lack of certainty.

#3 – Consider the visuals which will create a WOW – Our brains process visuals faster than text. What are the visual elements you want to use to help anchor your work? What is the environment you would like to create?

#4 – Create a pause – One of the common characteristics of a lot of virtual calls these days is that there is no space to breathe. Literally. There’s no pauses or chance to catch your breath. Part of creating memorability is doing something different or novel.

#5 – Create Connection – In my remote working whitepaper I shared the 7 Cs – Remote Enablers. Connection (along with clarity) is one of them. We want to make sure that we are creating CONNECTION on multiple levels, in multiple ways. What is the connection to the topic? What is the connection to a person’s world? What is the connection to others on the call? What are you doing to create connection?

#6 - What’s your call to action? What is the call to action you are making? What will people do after the call? Are you building in time for people to note their next steps? Articulate or share their next steps?

Try incorporating these steps into your next virtual conversation. I provide more tips about these in my book, Effective Virtual Conversations, or you can join me for an upcoming edition of the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program. The next one starts next week – Wednesday July 29th. Hope to have you join us – more info and registration here.

What’s your favorite tip? Share with us in the comments below.

A big thanks to those who joined me today at the Training Industry Roundtable Discussion! I hope that you enjoyed it.

Best,
​Jennifer

The skill set of “working across differences” has always been an important skill set for those of us working across distance. From time zone differences, to cultural differences, to technical differences, and language differences, there are so many things which make us all unique as part of a remote team. 

In order to work across differences, we will want to:

• Help people identify and articulate their own strengths and uniqueness
• Support the team to see where common ground resides
• Support the team to note where gaps exist
• Support the team in understanding people’s preferences
• Support the team in establishing shared agreements of how they want to work together. These behavioral norms shape our team culture – who we are and how we do things. It’s an important part of understanding what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable on the team.

With this knowledge in mind, and the tasks at hand, note what elements we each need to magnify and what we may also minimize.

As I wrote in June 2016:

There are a variety of differences which show up in teams every day -
from styles to technical skills.

Different approaches can be a source of strength if people are confident and knowledgeable in working across differences.

Some of these are signals that different styles may be at play:

• A look of confusion when one team member is speaking
• Conflict
• Multiple misunderstandings regarding what is being said or what needs to get done

Tips for working across differences:
* Spend time working on the relationship.  Know what you uniquely bring, your
strengths, talents and preferences.
* How does this mesh with the collective? How might it not?
* What do others value?
* What adaptations are needed to your approaches?

Best,
​Jennifer

For today’s post I am reaching back to a call I did as part of the PlanDoTrack series on Five Key Skills for Productivity. While I wrote these almost eighteen months ago, they are as relevant, and maybe even more so, today, than when I shared them originally. Consider how you are leveraging these in your work and routines.

So today we're going to be looking at some of the key priorities for virtual remote workers today. I think what we're hearing is really the importance of prioritization, strategic planning against the backdrop of VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. On remote teams, prioritization is also key. We can have team members all over as we work more in isolation or across teams in a matrix structure, being able to prioritize our tasks, understanding the weighting of how a request from Shanghai and a request from Tel Aviv and /or Toronto mix, how do they come together as we sit in whatever location? What do I give priority to? How do we as a team prioritize? A lot of this goes back to being clear on our vision and purpose, and also knowing what our core goals are for the quarter, the month, and even the week.
​
What are the top 3-5 priorities you have this week?

Also key to productivity is  communication . In the virtual space it’s about communicating across the Matrix, communicating with different people in different languages, different cultures, different preferences in terms of styles - some wanting email, others wanting instant messaging, wanting a phone call and a conversation.

What are you noticing about communication in your work right now? What needs attention? What is working well? What do your partners need from you?
Another area to consider is delegation and hand off. I say delegation and/or hand off because for many of us, even if we are part of a virtual or remote team, we are very much working in not, I wouldn't say an isolation but autonomously.

So, we're going to look at the context. We'll also look at the tools that can help support that. You and them if you are managing a team, a team of one or a team of many.

A key area I wanted to zoom into today is prioritization. It rests on communication, on delegation, on all of these. So as much as I'm breaking these down today, being able to prioritize and bucket our work has dramatic impact and connection with these other areas.

So for virtual remote team members and leaders, we want to be thinking constantly about how do we share things, how do we help people understand the big picture, the time frames, the why, where and how do we incorporate others, what are the things that I need to be communicating to other, what are the things I need to be making requests from each other?
​
Many times, when we are virtual, especially only a team member and not a team leader, we really need to use the skill of influence in our teams.

What’s important for you to note?

Best,
​Jennifer

Welcome back to another Monday Effective Virtual Conversations tip. This week’s tip takes us back to a reminder of six elements I write about in part 3 of EVC which help remote teams thrive. I call these the Six Factors of High Performing Teams in my work. It’s a framework I have used for several years, especially when teams are looking to pinpoint some of the ‘levers’ they can use to make their teamwork better.

Together these six areas create a dynamic set of levers which can be focused on and adjusted. In my experience of working with teams, especially remote teams, it’s likely that some areas are doing well, and one or more need attention.

I’ve shared quite a bit about the Six Factors during  the seven years of the post several times, including this post back in 2014 – # 8 in this daily blog series.

As you read through these, consider what are the elements or levers your team could benefit from some attention around:

1. Shared purpose or mission - Your WHY? Why do you exist? How might this have changed? What are you doing to reconnect everyone into this on a regular basis?

2. Shared performance goals - What are the goals you are working on for Q2? How do they connect in with others?

3. Shared behavioral norms - What are the ways you do things? What makes your team unique in terms of how you do things? What’s acceptable and what’s not? Our norms define our culture and help to differentiate us.

4. Shared team practices - What are the things you are doing to keep things moving as a team? How have your meetings evolved? What are you doing to focus on both relationship development and results?

5. Shared commitment - What are you committed to, NO MATTER WHAT? How do you have each other’s backs?

6. Clear roles - What are the different roles required on the team to do your best work? Who is best suited to play what role?

How do you rate as a team on each of these six factors? You may want to rate them on a scale of 1-10 with one being low and 10 being high. Which areas do you need to work on or create together?

What are the levers which need attention? Where would you like to focus as a team, going forward?

Best,
Jennifer

It’s the start of another week and this week’s Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #152 is all about PAUSE. Where could you benefit from taking a bit more of a pause – figuratively and literally?

One of the challenges professionals have faced this year has been the lack of pause in their work. For many, shifting to the virtual and remote space involved a tsunami of flurry. For those of us who already worked in the remote space it also meant a flurry of people using the same technologies and often access points we do.

Many have complained about Zoom fatigue and how exhausting virtual calls can be. One reason may be that leaders of calls don’t always leave in a pause during their calls. Consider how you might incorporate one of these pauses in an upcoming call –

• Giving people 2 minutes to capture and schedule their next steps after a call
• Providing group members with the opportunity to pause and have a 5-10-minute conversation with others
• Providing people with a quick opener or energizer at the start of the call, geared to get them thinking about what their own connection is to the issue. Note, this will likely lead to a better call quality overall!
• Having a short co-working session with colleagues to boost focus and attention

What else might you be able to do to boost your time in having a pause?

Best wishes, 
​Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders 
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out our Digital Resources to support you in your work and conversations 
​

Team culture is all about HOW WE DO things here. Remote Team culture and fostering a sense of connection and identity is critical in a space where we may be members of multiple matrix teams. Take a look at yesterday’s Teams365 post - #2366 on roles in the remote space.

Our team culture consists of many different components – consider how you are building these out:

• Our beliefs – What are the things we hold true? What do we believe in?
• Our sayings – Consider the impact of a mantra of “better done than perfect” versus “review until all the t’s are crossed, and i’s dotted”.
• What we value – How do our values show up in WHAT we do? What do our values look like in action? For example, is it speed or perfection?
• Sense of identity – Who we are. What are the adjectives which describe us as a team?
• Our practices and commitments – What will we ensure we always do, no matter what? Examples might include ALWAYS having a Friday afternoon status update no matter what OR ensuring that someone is available to serve customers (virtually or physically) within working hours (even if we have a meeting).

What areas of your culture could benefit from being intentional around?

Take a look at this past post #1526 here.

Check out the audio I did as part of one of the Team Leader Breakfast Café Series back in 2014 here. 

What do you want to be more intentional about communicating? A strong team culture is important as it fosters a sense of identity and also signals to our team members and others, HOW we do things and what we value.

Enjoy your conversations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders 
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out our Digital Resources to support you in your work and conversations 
​