Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2578 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #171 – Latency and Recency Effect

10/12/2020

This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip is one I cover in Chapter 6 of the book – the Latency and Recency Effect. This neuroscience principle asserts that we remember the start and end of things. The things that fall in the middle are forgotten (unless reinforced).

So, what are the implications of this for virtual calls? Consider what are the elements you want to reinforce or specify at the start and end of calls, given that these are the things which will be best remembered by those participating.
To make a start of a virtual call memorable:

Let people know:
- What the purpose is.
- What level of engagement is expected. It’s different to attend a call when you are spoken to, versus a call where you are actively shaping the agenda and focus, feeding into discussions and dialogue.
Provide an opportunity for people to “Get Grounded” and connected to the topic of the meeting. We move from one video call to another these days and it’s important to provide an opportunity for people to be able to focus on where you are going. What’s the question which will get people connected into the topic of the conversation?

Capture people’s attention. What is going to e unique or memorable?

In terms of the end of the call, provide an opportunity to focus in on:

What were key messages or topics covered?
What are the next steps?
Who is responsible for what and what are the different accountabilities?

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

TEAMS365 #2473 –The Different Bells and Whistles of Engagement for Zoom Calls

10/7/2020

It is not uncommon to hear at the end of my training sessions – “WOW, the time really flew!” “That was amazing.”

These comments are a contrast to the negative press we hear about zoom fatigue and yet another “talking head” experience. Just last week a group member indicated that my virtual session with their organization was the first one that they had not fallen asleep in since March.

So, what can we do to keep virtual calls as they are intended – a deeper way to connect people to the content and each other?

Watch your pace change! Keeping things moving. A pace change every 7-10 minutes provides enough time for content and information, and then shift it up. A shift might involve:

Asking a question and having people respond
Doing a poll to take the pulse of the group
Moving people to breakout rooms for discussion
Using annotation to have people engage on the screen
Incorporating an energizer
Getting people to turn to chat and share their ideas

Provide time for people to do things real-time. Is there a process you can take people through, working on step by step? Is there something people can draw out and work on?

Being clear with the end result. What is important? What are the questions that will help you get there?

Plan it. We can’t “wing things” in the virtual space like we could in-person. Take time to plan and prepare for the conversation.

Want more tips? Listen into the 60-day series of Effective Virtual Conversations Daily Author Readings I hosted this spring over at the Effective Virtual Conversations website.

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

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2472 - Another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge

10/6/2020

This week I am hosting another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge, this one focusing on supporting organizational or corporate initiatives.

With many organizations realizing that their training, and team development, is going to need to be extended into the virtual realm for the distant future, being able to serve large groups, teams and even entire organizations in engaging virtual conversations focused on boosting relationships and enhancing results.
There are many options for virtual conversations in the corporate space including:

Virtual Retreats (Yes, organizations and teams moving their retreat process online.)
Team Meetings
Team Building Sessions – From escape room experiences to team development, team building is of great need. Prior to the pandemic about 1 in 4 remote teams had virtual team development. Given that teams are often the engines of business, what’s possible in your organization? Contact us to learn more about our team days.
Strategic Planning Sessions – One of my favorites, strategic planning sessions are a must as we move into Q4. Be sure to leave enough time for discussion and working on the plan.
Micro-learning – Short video-based learning modules which people can fit in
Virtual Round-tables – Time dedicated to bringing people together for discussion and dialogue.

What are the different virtual formats you want to explore? What’s going to help teams and groups work more effectively in the virtual space?

Be sure to return back to read tomorrow’s blog post on “The Different Bells and Whistles of Engagement for Zoom Calls”

Best,
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

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2571 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 170 – Mirror Neurons

10/5/2020

Welcome back to another Monday Effective Virtual Conversation. This week’s tip is all about Mirror Neurons, neurons which have been found to “mirror” those we are in conversation with. This is also related to the concept of synchrony, which has found to create stronger bonds and cooperative behavior. Take a look at this article from Scientific American on the concept of Synchrony here.

Or for more about mirror neurons, check out Psychology Today's blog here.

As one researcher indicated, quoted by Joshua Freeman, “Mirror neurons seem to be a bridge between our thinking, feeling and actions – and between people.”

In times of social distancing, cultivating connection is critical for conversation.

As a facilitator or leader, what is it that your behaviors and conversations are activating? If we do start to “mimic” those we are in conversation with, is this an important lever we can be leaning into to support change?

This week, consider what’s going to support you as a team? What’s the environment you want to create? What are the behaviors you want mirrored? What are you surrounding yourself with?

Enjoy the conversation,
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

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2465 – Virtual Co-Working

9/29/2020

2020 – the year of the bubble. Physical isolation has led to many to feeling more isolated than ever. Just last week we released episode 21 of the Remote Pathways podcast, where we touch on the topic of Virtual Co-Working. You can check it out on your favorite podcast player OR here.

One thing I really love as a podcaster is hosting our twice a month breakfast calls. It’s open to all and I hope you will drop in for one before the end of the year!

In the most recent Remote Pathways community call on September 17th, Michelle and I talked about the many different forms virtual co-working can take.

Here’s a quick overview of the different types we talked about. What’s interesting is that between us both of us support programming virtually all these different types of co-working. Which ones might work best for you?

Zoom Call - Working real time for short blocks of time on Zoom
Virtual Retreat - While Michelle focuses on virtual retreats for personal development in her Anchor Your Heart Retreats, I focus more on virtual business planning sessions.
Lunch and Learn - Professional development opportunities abound for many professionals and breakfasts, lunches and dinners are very common. As I share in the call, it’s not uncommon for me to speak to a group of 20 or even 200 virtually over lunch. Contact me if you are looking for a speaker for your lunch and learn.
Social Time - Quarantinis became a popular 5 pm activity in the early days of the pandemic. Today that’s morphed into many different formats. What are you doing to create more social time with colleagues and friends and family, virtually?
Design (Studio Time) - For many of the clients I work with, design or studio time is important. Getting together with others can create more focused work and impact. What are you wanting to design and how might some virtual studio time support you? Again, contact me for upcoming virtual studio days AND sprints.
Conversations - What are the conversations you want to have this month? Who have you not reached out to recently?
Get it Done! - Getting things done are critical for success. One of the favorite activities with the annual lab programs I run is the Get It Done Days. What could 4 hours of focused work get off your list?
Games/challenges - Challenges are one of my new favorite activities. I kicked off the Stand Out Virtually Challenge in August and more than a hundred joined me. I’ll be hosting my next challenge in October so stay tuned and join us at the Virtual and Remote Visionaries Hub to keep posted.
Team Time – Finally, what is the time you have earmarked for your team for team development?

What are the types of co-working experiences you want to engage with?

Be sure to check out the September 17th Breakfast Community Call for more on Virtual Co-Working – You can view the 30 minute call here.

Best,
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

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2458 – 5 Tips to Better Video Meetings

9/22/2020

#1 – Start with the end in mind. As Stephen Covey wrote years ago “start with the end in mind”. Being clear on what you want people to LEAVE the meeting with, is core to identifying topics which need to be covered, what those topics will focus on, as well as what’s critical for success.

#2 – Have shared agreements about being on-camera and using (or not using) mute. There are several different types of meetings we may host and being clear on what the level of interaction is, is key. Because one Zoom room (or Teams room) looks like another, clarify what people can expect.

#3 – Consider activating video backgrounds. If people’s systems are fast enough, consider the video backgrounds which will work to block out extraneous backgrounds. While green screens can ensure that the background doesn’t make you lose your fingers, or that the glasses on the top of your head don’t fade out, you can also get small portable green screens which fit on the back of your chair.

#4 – Use all the tools available. If you have to determine the focus of your conversation, consider how a poll or annotation might support you. If you have a large group, use breakouts to move into smaller discussion pods.

#5 – Track agreements as you go. Whether one person acts as a rapporteur (note taker) OR you capture things on the screen, capture agreements as you go. Note also that there are now several apps which integrate into the virtual space for transcription – such as the Otter.ai integration with Zoom and other elements.

Finally, as a bonus, consider your lighting. Being able to be seen automatically builds trust. Make sure that your lighting source is in front of you – windows work well.

What is going to help your next video meeting stand out?

Enjoy!
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

TEAMS365 #2452 – 8 Layers of Remote Work – Part 2

9/16/2020

Earlier this month in the September 2020 Remote Pathways podcast community call, I shared the 8 Layers of Remote Work. These are nuanced areas which can be important to learn more about as it relates to your colleagues, stakeholders and work.

In yesterday’s Teams365 blog post, I covered the first four of eight layers of remote work – Digital, Decisions, Delegation and Distractions.

Today’s post is going to explore the final four layers – Design, Dialogue, Do and Depth.

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

Design – Design skills are increasingly needed by remote professionals of all kinds, given that the way we present our information and ideas may be even more visual and graphical. Likewise, in the remote space it may be likely that you are designing more meetings and programming and presentations. We will be looking at the elements of exceptional virtual design tomorrow, September 17, at the one-day Stand Out Virtually Studio Day Masterclass. Learn more and join us here.

Dialogue – Talking at people is not communication. With collaboration being an essential, and overlooked, skillset in the remote space, dialogue is critical for success and partnering. The word Dialogue comes from the ancient Greek world of dialogus – which means two way. Dialogue is a two-way conversation. With many remote professionals feeling like they are constantly being communicated to, but not being talked with, fostering a culture of dialogue is critical. This may mean earmarking certain calls for discussion as well as focusing more on using breakouts and other key strategic areas.

Do – The 7th layer of remote work is simple. DO. Get things done. There’s not a lot of time or space for procrastination in the remote space. If you create and lead programs, what can you do to build in more time for people to get things DONE during your time together? Will they pay you to do things for them?

Depth – The final layer is Depth. As broad as the remote working space is, it is important to have depth in terms of your relationships, levels of trust, connection and clarity around your goals and results. Spending time going deep around agreements, processes, and how you are going to operate is also important.

Be sure to check out the September 1st Remote Pathways Podcast Community Call – you can find it here.

Enjoy the conversation!
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

TEAMS365 #2450 - Effective Virtual Conversations 167: Stories

9/14/2020

This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations Tip is STORIES. Stories create an important part of any virtual conversation. It’s often through our stories that we bring examples and learning to life.

As a writer myself, I come from a long line of storytellers. My grandmother’s obituary referred to her as an oral historian, and earlier this year my cousins and I were taken back in time when we heard her voice sharing history as part of a library event. She lived a full life and passed away in 1998, at the age of 98. We always remarked how cool it would be to be a century baby.

While I’ve published 5 non-fiction business books, it’s only been in recent years that I’ve dabbled in non-fiction writing. In fact, the Digital Dozen™ of the Remote Pathways series is part of a whole new series of adventures I explore in the virtual, remote and digital space. Stay tuned for more updates on these bodies of work….I hope to have one or more new books under this banner out in 2021. For now, you can listen into the Remote Pathways podcast here.

As I thought about what would be useful to share in terms of stories as it relates to the virtual realm, I thought it would be useful to go back to the basics. What are the core elements of stories?

Your dictionary.com indicates that stories are comprised of these essential elements:

Plot
Character
Setting
Theme
Point of View
Tone

Check out their article here.

While you might not be writing an entire book, it can be useful to think about these elements in terms of:

Plot – What are the main points and milestones you want to cover and reinforce?
Character – Who are the players? Are there some concepts you can bring to life with real-time stories?
Setting – What is the environment? What is the context? What’s important to note or focus on?
Theme – What is the overarching theme of the presentation or conversation? There may be several happening at any time and pointing to these can help to “tie things together”.
Point of View – What are the different perspectives at play?
Tone – What is the tone? This is often communicated through the colors we use, the font and images. Recently in the Stand Out Virtually Challenge I hosted, a lot of coaches, leaders and presenters were intrigued by learning more about the use of color and thought about how more intentional they could be with images.

What is important for you to note in your upcoming presentations? You might consider working through each of these questions as you pull together your next virtual conversation. It’s even more important given that each one of our locations, and related context, is different.

Let us know what you are focusing on and what you are doing to connect in with these essential elements - plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, and tone.

This is a topic we’ll be exploring later this week at the Stand Out Virtually one day Masterclass. Join us to deepen your skills and widen your toolbox around virtual conversations. Grab one of the remaining spots – we’ll be kicking off at 9:30 am ET on Thursday September 17th, wrapping up at 3:30 pm ET. My goal is for you to leave with a presentation or a module drafted out.

Enjoy the conversation!
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

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2443 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 166: Mix It Up

9/7/2020

Engagement is key for virtual conversations. Unfortunately, a lot of poor presentation skills have translated over to the remote space. Even if you are not a great presenter, you can create a memorable call, by mixing it up. What does that mean? It means:

Varying the pace every 7-10 minutes with a pace change or adjustment
Using a variety of approaches – presentation, dialogue in a bigger group, discussion in smaller groups
Using a variety of media – video, text, photos
Remembering that we don’t learn when we are “talked at” by a presenter. We learn when we can put things into practice, and also discuss the topic with others

Many of the platforms which are available (Teams, Zoom etc) have a variety of tools available which aren’t always used. Consider what you can do to activate:

BREAKOUTS
ANNOTATION
POLLS

We’ll be exploring this and a variety of other topics at my upcoming one-day Stand Out Virtually Masterclass on September 17th. Learn more about the day and reserve your spot to join us!

Enjoy the conversation!
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

Join us September 17th virtually for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! Studio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out! ENVISION. DESIGN. CONNECT.

TEAMS365 #2438 –6 Tips for Better Video Meetings – And 8 Questions To Ask Every Time

9/2/2020

Inefficient meetings have simply transposed themselves over to the virtual space in recent months. Before you step into what is often the busiest part of the year (post-Labor Day!), consider these 10 tips for better video meetings.

#1 – Consider your audio – How clear is it? Are you using a good microphone? Is there any background noise?

#2 – Consider your lighting – When lighting is behind you your face may be shaded. It’s important to get lighting right so that you can be seen. Visual cues are key in the virtual space. Being able to read someone’s face is essential for building (and maintaining) trust. The best lighting is often created when a window is just in front of you, with muted light (I use a sunshade in my office to keep the light a little more diffuse).

#3 – Consider what visual cues will be useful – What are the elements you want to include in your meeting? What could be provided in a visual way?

#4 – What is your call to action – i.e. what do you want people to do afterwards? Make it as clear and focused as possible.

#5 – Always include a dial in number in case people have challenges accessing the call via their computer or app.

#6 – Keep to time – Don’t wait or everyone to show up because you don’t know if they will. Likewise, make sure you wrap up on time as well!

In addition to these 6 tips, always be asking the 8 Essential Virtual Meeting Questions I share in my book, Effective Virtual Conversations. The questions are:

What’s the purpose?
What takeaways do we want?
Who needs to be on the call?
What preparation is needed for us to be most effective in the meeting?
What pace do we want in order to keep it engaging?
What will help keep the focus?
What’s absolutely essential? (versus what will be nice to cover or where can people go for more information around topics?)
What follow up might be required?

Let us know what your favorite meeting tips are by sharing them over at the Virtual and Remote Visionaries Hub. You can find it here.

Best,
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