This week’s blog posts have explored:

• Saturday’s Weekly Journaling Prompt – What’s another way of looking at this?
• Friday’s Flashback to Teams365 #1577 – Rapid Change
• Thursday’s Team Building Question around What’s Getting in the Way?
• Wednesday’s part 2 post around the 8 Layers of Remote Work
• Tuesday’s part 1 post around the 8 Layers of Remote Work
• Monday’s Effective Virtual Conversations Post

Have a great weekend!
Jennifer

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:

1. Digital
2. Decisions
3. Delegation
4. Distractions
5. Design
6. Dialogue
7. Do
8. 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 call (link to 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.

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 - #1480 on Minimizing Distractions here. 

Tomorrow’s 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

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:

1. What’s the purpose?
2. What takeaways do we want?
3. Who needs to be on the call?
4. What preparation is needed for us to be most effective in the meeting?
5. What pace do we want in order to keep it engaging?
6. What will help keep the focus?
7. What’s absolutely essential? (versus what will be nice to cover or where can people go for more information around topics?)
8. 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

This week’s Flashback Friday zeroes into an area many professionals are struggling with at the moment – Listening in the remote space. I thought that it would be a good place to explore as we start gearing up for fall. Here’s what I wrote in June 2019 – in Teams365 1981
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Welcome back to another Monday Effective Virtual Conversations tip. This week’s tip focuses into the skill of listening.

As both leaders and team members listening is a critical skill, particularly in the virtual space. It is important for all of us - leaders, entrepreneurs, individual contributors and team members.

Keys to listening in the virtual and remote space are to ensure that we are:

• Focusing – Focusing 100% of our attention on the person who is speaking – not using other devices or focusing on other things.
• Listening to the tone as well as the words. If you are streaming, what do you notice about the body language?
• Listening for the pause points – What does their speed and rate of pitch say? How quickly or slowly are they speaking.

Finally, do you fall into one of the biggest pitfalls of listening today? We want to make sure that we are listening for what is really being said, rather than listening to respond. One of the greatest challenges for most professionals today is that they are so focused on figuring out what they plan to say, that they really are not listening to what is being said. What are you listening for?

I recently came across a great article by Ben Gross on the importance of listening. Here's a link to this article on listening.

It is often said that employees leave managers, not companies. What can you do to boost your listening skills? What did you notice about your last conversation?
End of Teams365 #1981 blog post

While I wrote this more than a year ago, it’s as relevant today as it was then.

Here are some more additional questions to be exploring:

• What’s important to note about your listening?
• What’s getting you distracted?
• What’s helping you focus?
• What assumptions are you making and maybe need to check out?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

Delegation is a critical part of leadership and team success. It has always been a tricky area, even before many workers moved to working virtually. What is your state of confidence and comfort with delegating, especially if you are working in the remote and virtual space?

Given that many things get MAGNIFIED in the remote space – the good, the bad and the not so great, what is important for you to focus on?

As with many items, let’s go back to the basics around delegation. Starting with the 5 Ws, consider the:

• WHAT
• WHY
• WHEN
• WHERE
• WHO and
• Of course, add the HOW

All of these elements are critical to discuss in the digital delegation space. Of particular note be sure to share as much as possible around the:

• WHAT - What’s really needed with this task? Be clear on what the end result is and what “success will look like”. Moving back to a management by objectives framework, how many of us led pre-internet, can be useful in terms of getting granular about what’s expected?
• WHY - The why around delegation often gets missed. What is important about this task? How does it fit into the bigger picture? Have you shared enough about the context? Remember, in the virtual space we often doing look “beyond the screen”. What’s important to share around this piece?
• WHEN - Be sure to build in enough checkpoints for this. What are the milestones and when will you check in?

There’s a tendency to not delegate because it’s unclear what other’s may have on their plate. This is where regular communication and one-on-ones become critical for discussion.

What are the elements which are important to note around delegation in the digital space? Be sure to check out other Teams365 posts on Delegation here.
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Enjoy your week,
Jennifer

Many professionals are now 6 months into the global Work From Home “real time experiment” since countries stated locking down months ago. In my work as a coach, consultant and author around remote work, productivity and high performance, I have had a LOT of conversations in the last six months about what’s working and what’s not. When it comes to remote work, there are several core areas and pitfalls professionals can find themselves in. Are you experiencing, or creating, any of these remote working mistakes?

Not creating firm enough boundaries - Working from home, and remote work in general, can be very fluid at times. Without some of the social and practical cues of office work, it can be easy to flow from one task to another, without firm boundaries. While this may work for some, it can lead to overwork, and work-life friction, particularly for those of us who are not only workers and bosses but also parents.

For many, the routine of life and work may be changing again as some schools reopen – What are the boundaries you want to create around work and life this fall (or spring)?

Not communicating enough or in the way people need - Whether we are communicating with our team members, or our customers, it’s likely that you may not be communicating enough, or in the best way. Just because an email is sent, doesn’t mean that is it read, or interpreted as it was intended, let alone actioned!

Consider the key messages you want to communicate this week. What ways do they need to be sent, on what channels, and what follow up is needed?

Not renewing by working around the clock – Related to boundaries is a major pitfall of not renewing. While our traditional ways of relaxation and winding down may not be possible, renewal is key.

Before you get back into the regular routine of fall, what’s important to build time in for? As you step back to the office, what are the habits and routines which are important to foster?

Not planning – With many feeling that the disruption we’ve experienced due to a pandemic is uncontrollable, it doesn’t mean not planning. Having a clear vision of where you want to be at the 30,000-foot view is still important. Operational plans are likely to have shifted, and contingency planning may have become a way of life. Instead of having one plan you may have a cubed plan – A3.

What are your contingency plans for the next week?

As you consider the way you are working right now - What’s important to note about your planning? Your productivity?
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All the best,
Jennifer

It’s Monday which means that it’s another Effective Virtual Conversations Tip day. This week the invitation is for you to build your toolkit. If you joined me last week for the Stand Out Virtually 5 day Challenge, it’s likely that you spent time building your toolkit.

We covered visuals (and you got to built up some of your visual library). We also talked about backgrounds, along with engagement toolkits.

A quick note that I’ll be hosting the next one-day Virtual Facilitation Essentials program tomorrow, Tuesday August 25th from 9-4:30pm ET. The day is geared to get you building out your toolkit.

What do you notice about your toolkit for exceptional virtual conversations?

Whether you are an individual leading calls or an organization, it’s important that we build out our tools and practices. Consider building tools in these areas:

• Planning
• Opening a Program
• Decision Making
• Problem Solving
• Consensus Generation

I’ve been spending even more time this year than usual working with organizations to build out their repertoire of virtual tools and practices. If you, or your organization, could benefit from some support and focus in this area, give me a call.

Be sure to take a look at the 163 Effective Virtual Conversations Tips I’ve written here at the blog. 

With best wishes,
Jennifer

A big thanks to those who joined me this week for the Stand Out Virtually challenge. Who had fun? Who is walking away with some practical tips you can put into practice RIGHT NOW?

It’s never been more important to be able to deliver engaging and impactful virtual conversations. It’s key for both business and results.

This week we’ve covered a range of essential virtual tips – from the 4 PERC ingredients needed in every call, to working with visuals, to boosting engagement.

What are the elements which you are going to put into practice?

I’ll be hosting another Stand Out Virtually challenge later this fall, this time focusing more on design. Be sure that you are on the mailing list! You can sign up here for this and other updates.

Interested in Virtual Calls in general? Join the LetsTalkVirtual Mailing list here.

All the best,
Jennifer

Yesterday at the Stand Out Virtually Challenge I talked about the importance of visuals in virtual conversations.

Visuals are processed by the brain faster than other images.

What can you be doing to redesign your work to incorporate more visuals?

Think – images, icons….

As a remote presenter, you will want to build up your stock imagery. Think about locations such as:

• Pixabay and Unsplash
• Adobestock or Istockphotos

What are the visual elements you want to incorporate into your work? What will help tell the story you want?

Today, take some time to consider the visual elements.

Catch up on the recording from day 2 (it’s available until early afternoon today – Eastern/New York/Toronto). Can’t make the calls but want to benefit from the content? Purchase the recordings for the week for $47 US. You can sign up here.

Best,
​Jennifer

As part of Day 1 of the Stand Out Virtually Challenge I am hosting this week, I covered 4 essential ingredients for any virtual call. Whether you are leading a webinar, group coaching session, virtual team meeting or presentation, we all can benefit from incorporating these four elements into our virtual and remote presentations:

P – Process - Process is key in the remote space. What’s the end result? What’s the sequence from one area to another? What is the call to action?

E – Engagement - What are the elements of engagement you want to incorporate?

R – Results - What are the results you are aiming for? What are the 2-3 bullet points you want people to leave with?

C – Connection - What are you doing to connect people to the material? To the context? To each other? To yourself?
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Catch up on the recording from day 1 (it’s available until early afternoon today – Eastern/New York/Toronto). Can’t make the calls but want to benefit from the content? Purchase the recordings for the week for $47 US. You can sign up at here.

Wishing you all the best,
Jennifer