Earlier this year, in July, I completed a new writing project I have entitled “Remote Pathways” I’ve alluded to it in several posts already. It is somewhat modelled after a “choose your own adventure”, exploring the different remote and virtual professional pathways we can find ourselves working within.
From leaders who manage teams which work remote most of the month, to project teams which span the globe, from remotepreneurs leading virtual businesses, remote work is on the rise.
We’ll be following many of these trends and taking a deeper dive into the adventures of the Digital Dozen™, twelve different types of remote professionals. I hope that you’ll join us and will follow along at the new website – link to RemotePathways.com.
With so many professionals jumping into the remote workspace, I am hoping that the years of writing on remote work, and virtual teams here at the Teams365 blog will be of service.
With that in mind, I wanted to highlight an earlier blog post - Teams365 #1729: Plan a Virtual Co-working Session
As we move into fall, it can be very useful for teams to continue to put attention around getting things done WHILE connecting. A favorite activity I continue to facilitate is GET IT DONE afternoons, which really become Virtual Co-Working Sessions. They are a derivative of the virtual retreats I have been offering for teams, business owners and leaders since 2007.
Virtual co-working sessions may range from one-hour sprints, to four-hour blocks, to full day sessions.
Three considerations to making a virtual co-working session work include the following:
1. A platform where you can all meet, see each other and converse for periods of time.
- Streaming is often best; however, others may appreciate the ability to take their work on the road and call in at time.
- What’s bringing you together today?
- What’s the focus – is it to do something collectively or individually?
- What outcomes do you want?
- How do you want to break it down – meeting every hour for check-ins? Meeting more frequently?
- A way to share and keep the momentum going throughout the day. I have found that virtual group and team sessions have been the seeds for some amazing new ideas and cross-pollination. Be sure to build in blocks where people are not only checking in around what they are doing, but also consider the value of building in some time for sharing of learning or insights.
Looking for inspiration on what you might do in a virtual co-working session? Consider these ideas – they are all real programs I have facilitated over the years:
- One-hour virtual sprints for planning on the team or individual level
- 30-minute brainstorming/innovation sessions geared to create new product and or service ideas
- Four-hour GET IT DONE sessions where groups of solopreneurs connect virtually to take focused action once a month on things on their list. Check-ins are once an hour.
- Four to eight-hour Virtual Retreats, where each hour has a dedicated focus and theme to explore and/take action on. For example, an hour dedicated to creating a business plan, an hour to marketing approaches, an hour for project work).
Looking for a facilitator to host your next virtual co-working session? Contact me to learn more about this service I offer.
What could a co-working event look like for you?
Warm regards,
Jennifer
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success focusing on the Remote Space
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.
Launching today - the Remote Pathways™ Podcast