Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #1630 – Monday June 18 – Effective Virtual Conversation Tip #49: Parking Lots

6/18/2018

Today’s Effective Virtual Conversation tip is that “Parking Lots provide a virtual space to leave issues for discussion later”. In any given program or meeting, it is likely that there will be additional items which cannot be covered during the conversation. Capturing these in a parking lot is really beneficial to make sure they don’t get lost. What is critical in any conversation is that the parking lot issues go somewhere and are not lost.

What can you do to create a parking lot in your work? What can you do to capture them? What will you do or schedule to make sure they are not lost?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2016)
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

#TEams365 #1595: Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #44: Pitfall #7

5/14/2018

It's Monday and time for another Effective Virtual Conversations Tip. We are at pitfall #7- No one, or less people than registered, shows up. Whether you are expecting five people or fifty for your virtual session it is important to consider what you will do if no one, or less people than expected, arrive on time.

Here's what I wrote in Effective Virtual Conversations:

"No one, or fewer than registered, shows – Rescheduling can become a slippery slope. Whether you have four 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.
Solution: 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."

What do you want to communicate to your group about process issues and starting and ending on time? How do you want to be known as a virtual leader? Our reputation can precede us, as it does in the in-person space. If you are known as someone adding value, and being firm on time, it's likely that that will precede you. A reminder the day of the call is also valuable.

What do you want to do to remind people, and also keep your own energy up?

Enjoy the start to your week,
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

#Teams365 #1490: Effective Virtual Conversations Tip (EVC Tip #29): BE Nimble as a Virtual FacilitatoR

1/29/2018

As a virtual facilitator it’s important to be flexible. It’s likely that the unexpected will happen. Whether it’s the connection is going down or time zone conversions haven’t been made correctly, things inside, and outside of our control as the conversation leader can happen.

In today’s world we talk a lot about agility, a term which is becoming overused. When writing EVC last year I chose to use instead the term nimble. Being nimble as a virtual facilitator could mean:

Having a back up plan just in case the platform you were going to use is switched last minute
Being comfortable with change (as it will inevitably happen)
Being flexible to adjust the game plan depending on the needs of the group
Knowing your materials and having a big picture overview so you know what can be adjusted. If there were 2-3 things for people to take away from the call what would they be?

What are some other things that we can do to be nimble?
One of the most important things I find with my work is to really know my material (or the roadmap of elements), know the platform as much as I can, and be present for what the group wants. The more we can encourage engagement and interactivity the more it becomes the group’s/team’s call, which usually is a good thing.

Make a list of half a dozen things you can do to enhance your “nimble factor”.

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 every two weeks 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. Download the call schedule here.

#Teams365 #1352: Habits to Avoid in Leading Virtual Calls

9/13/2017

Yesterday's Teams365 post explored several habits you will want to cultivate in hosting more effective virtual calls. On the flipside, there are several things that you want to avoid doing. In this post I am going to share some of the common habits we see transferred from the in-person realm, which may have a greater impact on the process and outcomes of virtual calls. Any of these items could lead to lower levels of engagement and impact in a virtual call.

There are also a number of habits we want to break which may be more magnified in the virtual realm. These could include:

Using word fillers - ums and ahs
Not having a plan for the all
Not thinking about the key points (often 3 maximum) for the start, middle and end
Being late for calls
Trying to fit too much in
Not asking for feedback
Assuming everyone is ok - and ok with you
Talking to much
Not listening enough

(Source: Britton, Effective Virtual Conversations, pp 223)

Take a few minutes to consider which of these habits might be your downfall in leading virtual calls - virtual meetings, teleclasses, webinars. At the same time, note what you can do to avoid them. If you haven't taken a look at yesterday's post - Teams365 #1352 - Habits to Cultivate as a Virtual Conversationalist - take a click on over.

Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer

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

You can grab a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon. You can also purchase a copy direct from our site, signed by me!

Looking to schedule some team development this fall? Contact me to discuss whether the Everything DiSC or the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team may be a great starting point.

#Teams365 #1336: Effective Virtual Conversation Tip #10 - Reading the Environment of Virtual Calls

8/28/2017

Welcome back to Effective Virtual Conversations tip #10. Today’s EVC tip is about how masterful virtual facilitators are highly effective in reading the environment of virtual calls.

All calls have their own rhythm and it can be very useful to make sure that you are regularly taking the pulse of a call. In doing this, facilitators will want to notice:
How people are speaking
The energy and tone of the call
Any visual cues if you are streaming

A general rule of thumb for in-person programming is to take the pulse of the group every 8-10 minutes, considering pace changes. A pace change might involve asking a question to the group, getting people to write things down, getting people to move to a breakout or getting people to do something real-time. You may also want to use this metric a touch-point in your own groups.

A related part of mastery is in creating an enabling environment for the call. There are several things you can do to create an enabling environment in the virtual domain including:

Welcome people as they join the call
Get people to indicate on a map where they are calling in from
Make sure there is a personalized welcome email before the call
Noticing energy flows and navigating pace changes accordingly
Connecting people early on in the call to their WIIFM – What’s In It For Me?

What other things can you do to create an engaging and enabling environment for your virtual calls?

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

You can grab a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon. You can also purchase a copy direct from our site, signed by me!

#TeamS365 #1231: 10 Questions for Your Next Virtual Meeting

5/15/2017

Having a variety of questions in our back pocket is key for business success. As I explored last week, questions create a solid base for any virtual conversation. Today’s post includes 10 plus questions you might consider asking at different stages of the virtual conversation.

Questions to open up the conversation:
What’s most important for us to focus on today?
What end results do we want for this meeting?
What are you bringing to the call?
What’s the most important thing for you to get out of the call?
How engaged do you plan to be? (Note you may not ask for a reposnse on this but only pose it to get people thinking about their focus)

Wrap up
What are you committed to doing after this call?
What are you going to take action on?
What’s the one most important thing to recall from our conversation today?
What new ideas around process are you going to take?
What resources are needed to put your action steps into action.
What are you committed to doing in the next 24 hours, no matter what?

What are some of your favorite questions for virtual meetings? What helps to keep the focus and open up the space for conversation.

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

Connect with us to be the first to know more about launch events around my newest book - Effective Virtual Conversations - coming out later this spring/early summer!

#Teams365 #1076: Team Development Activity Review

12/12/2016

A couple of weeks ago I started a new series here at the Teams365 blog around different team develompent activities team leaders, trainers, coaches and facilitators can bring into their work with teams. Team development is an ongoing process and it's likely that many readers are eager to try or find something a little different. That was the impetus behind this current series.

Let's take a look back at the A-Z of Team Development Activities so far:

Teams365 #1074: H is for habits. Watch this video at our Potentials Realized YouTube Channel (6 min)

Teams366 #1072: G is for Goals. Watch this video at our Potentials Realized Channel. (4 min)
Teams365 #1071: F is for Foil Modelling. Read the post here.

Teams365 #1070: E is for Exceptional. Watch this video. (4 min)

Teams365 #1068: D is for Decisions. Watch this video. (5 min)

Teams365 #1065: C is for communication.

Teams365 #1064: B is for Boundaries. Read this post.

Teams365 #1063: A is for Assumptions. Read this post.

Which posts have been your favorite so far?

Have a great Sunday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized - Leadership and Team Development, Coaching, Retreats
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Email us to find out how we can support you and your team in getting your best results through coaching, training or a retreat program
Looking for more cool things to do with your team? Check out our Potentials Realized store for books, emanuals, and the Conversation Sparker Cards.
(416)996-TEAM (8326)

#TEams365 #1060: Virtual Facilitation Tip #30

11/25/2016

Our thirtieth and final Virtual Facilitation tip for this series is simply TRUST. In any facilitation experience trust is key. Trust in yourself and you ability, as well as trust in the group's ability. This is especially critical when you are facilitating virtually. Early on in this series (Virtual Facilitation Tip #3), I wrote about how important creating connection was in building trust with a new group. We need to ensure that people feel confident and comfortable in the learning environment, as well as connected with you and other learners.
It's important to trust in your abilities, given that it's likely that things may not go as planned. The additional technical aspect can also be a constant worry on the part of newer virtual facilitators. Trust that it will work out, and if you do need to switch for any reason - always have a back up!

Consider your upcoming programming and where you need to trust a little more. Take a look at other Teams365 posts which explore the topic of trust.

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #1058: Virtual Facilitation Tip #29: Visuals

11/23/2016

In our 29th Virtual Facilitation Tip I'm getting you to think about how you can integrate more visuals into your virtual programming to boost learning, and engagement.

Several studies have found that visuals are processed at a much faster rate than text and auditory information, some studies finding it up to 60,000 times faster. While this has been deemed an "internet hoax" note for yourself how you take in photos versus text.

In terms of both application and integration of learning in the virtual domain, consider what can you do to boost visuals in your programs by integrating more:
Animations
Video - i.e. Ted Talks (videos are noted to have greater engagement than text)
Using photos (check out Conversation Sparker.com for our photo deck)
or by bringing in a Graphic Recorder to bring to life your training and learning process
Metaphors

This week, take a few minutes to outline what is possible in including more visual materials. What would this take?

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
(416)996-8326

November 22nd, 2016

11/22/2016

In our 28th virtual faciltiation tip we're going to look at maximizing the impact of the virtual learning process by considering how supervisors and mentors can also support the learning transfer. We know that informal learning opportunities in organizations (coaching, mentoring, on the job applications) far surpass the amount of time and resources dedicated to training. How can you make some small changes so supervisors and mentors are better placed to support the training that's occurred.

When you consider how supervisors can support what's being learned in the virtual classroom consider:
1. What is the level of skill the supervisor has in this area? Would they benefit going through a similar course?
2. What do they need to know about the virtual training? Would they benefit from a discussion guide with prompting questions to ask
3. What opportunities can they set up for their staff to apply what they are learning?
4. What additional supports do they see their staff members needing?

Mentors are also likely to be supporting those in your virtual classroom. Mentors typically can provide further detail about how they have approached leadership and work situations. Consider the same four questions as posed above for mentors?
What is most important for you to note about how mentors and supervisors can enhance the transfer of learning from the virtual space to the in person work place?

Have a great Tuesday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
(416)996-8326