To stave off boredom and stimulate learning that lasts longer than a class period, my kids’ teachers are experimenting with “flipped classrooms.” Rather than lecturing at kids with a bunch of PowerPoints during the precious classroom time, the teachers assign the content in advance, usually by having the kids view content online, whether in the […]
Flip Your (Virtual) Meetings – Learning from Our Best Teachers Read More »
“I followed every best practice about running great virtual meetings, and bam! The whole thing still blew up in my face, and I have no idea why!” My client Jim, a senior leader for a F500 oil company, left this panic-stricken voicemail right after his kick-off meeting to launch a major new global project. I
Using Technology to Transcend Cultural Barriers Read More »
There’s something about the blank slate of a brand new year that makes it a perfect time to get your group together and lay down plans for the next 12 months. Sounds like a good idea in theory, but it can be near impossible to persuade people to hunker down in a meeting room for
How to Create a 12-Month Plan in Just Two Hours Read More »
I really hate it when one of my projects doesn’t exactly go as planned. Happily, this rarely happens, so when it does, I tend to obsess over it, replaying the events ad infinitum. When a recent project seemed to fall short of expectations, I devoted countless hours (okay, maybe a few days) to understanding what
7 Tips for Avoiding Another Epic (Project) Fail Read More »
No question: We waste a lot of time in meetings when we could be getting more important work done. But sometimes there’s just no substitute for real-time conversations. Emails, instant messages and shared portals can only take you so far, especially when you’re pressured to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. How we
10 Tips for Uber-Efficient Meetings – Making Every Minute Count Read More »
If you’d rather walk through fire than facilitate a virtual meeting, you’re not alone! (Come to think of it, leading virtual meetings can actually feel a bit like walking through fire!) Whether you’re a project leader, group manager, subject manager expert, or individual contributor, sooner or later, you’ll lead a meeting where some or all participants are
10 Tips for Overcoming Facilitation Fears Read More »
Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who can’t concentrate when people around me tap away on their tablets as though no one else at the meeting notices. Do these people even realize how distracting and disrespectful their behavior can be? Or do they just not notice or care? Or maybe I just don’t
The Real Costs of Persistent Multitasking: 9 Tips to Minimize Damage Read More »
Your team is under pressure to make a decision that will make or break your big project. You are shocked when all of your colleagues agree to what you believe will be a disastrous decision. When you regain your powers of speech, everyone is waiting for you to weigh in. (Thankfully, no one can read
8 Steps for Facilitating Constructive Conflict, Virtually Read More »
With so many ways to connect virtually, you’d think we’d all be experts by now. In fact, the opposite may be true: Because we have so many choices, finding the best combination of virtual collaboration tools has actually become tougher. And even when we are convinced we’ve chosen wisely, participants inevitably show up unprepared or unable to make
10 Tips for Picking the Best Tech Tools for Your Next Virtual Meeting Read More »
Have you ever been part of a team where you’re inspired and energized by your work, really enjoy the people, feel like you’re making some great contributions, and have meaningful opportunities to learn and grow? If you’re lucky, maybe it’s been once or twice. If you work virtually, attaining this kind of “team nirvana” is
From Jaded to Jazzed: Quick Tips for Sustaining Happy, Healthy Virtual Teams Read More »
Wondering whether you can have a successful meeting by meeting remotely versus speaking eye to eye? Here’s a checklist to help you assess the likelihood of success. If you agree with most of the statements in the first table, chances are, a face to face meeting will help you achieve your objectives better than a
Evaluating options: Remote or face to face? Read More »
Purpose: To engage participants in highly productive conversations, whether face-to-face and remote, by applying the right facilitation technology and tools at the right time Intended Results: Meetings are shorter and far more productive Make the best use of time, talent and money Good ideas flow faster and more easily Engage only the people you need
Blended Facilitation Read More »
Ground rules are a lot easier to enforce when you can make eye contact or use body language to keep people in line. But when you can’t see people and can’t hear what people are doing on the other end of the line, it’s much harder to keep people focused and on track. This
Eight essential ground rules for great remote meetings Read More »
Your organization is lucky to have retained some extraordinary talent despite the best efforts of your top competitors to lure them away. Among these key employees are a few dozen freshly minted MBAs and several mid-level managers who have been hand- picked to take on senior positions once the current crop of baby boomer executives
Mentoring From Afar – Go the Distance To Grow Top Talent Read More »
“Most meetings are poorly-planned, badly-managed and attendance is often mandatory. If you’re forced to sit though a meeting that’s running way too long and the agenda is nothing of concern to you, then using a mobile device will allow you to salvage at least a little of your productive capacity. But the real answer is
Cutting to the Chase: 8 Essential Steps for Faster, More Engaging Meetings Read More »
Maybe you’ve inherited new team members from another group within your company as a result of recent reorganization. Or perhaps your company has merged with another, giving you a whole new group to manage. Whatever the reason, you need to pull a new team together, including people who have been working together all along and
Coalescing a New Team – Creating Ties That Bind Read More »
Face it: Even the healthiest companies must make dramatic reductions in staff and overall spending to remain viable in what may be the worst economy most of us will see in our lifetimes. As staff is cut, more is asked of those who remain. Most times, these additional responsibilities call for new skills. Yet with
Improve Performance in Troubled Times through Distance Learning Read More »
I’m always gratified when readers write to say that the latest Communiqué really hit the mark. One reader, a colleague and former client of mine, has sent me so many such mails over the last 10 years that I arranged to meet with him – virtually – to learn which tips he found the most
Proven in Practice – Top Tips Essential to Virtual Project Team Performance Read More »
Thanks to advances in technology, project team members scattered around multiple time zones work together as a matter of routine. However, without a keen understanding of important cultural differences that are most likely to affect collaboration, many virtual global project teams struggle to achieve their goals, or sometimes simply fall apart. In this edition of
Guidelines for Great Global Team Meetings Read More »
As more organizations work virtually, managers of traditional work teams are tapped to lead geographically dispersed teams. When thrust into this unfamiliar territory, many managers flounder, especially those who rely on command-and-control tactics to get work done across locations, functions, cultures and time zones. Joining me in writing this month’s Communiqué is my friend and
Leading vs. Managing Remote Teams Read More »
As our workforce becomes more scattered, organizations are being forced to rethink how they deliver training. While the array of solutions may vary, one trait these organizations have in common: They are scaling back or altogether eliminating classroom training in favor of distance learning. Most don’t have the experience or tools to make this move
Moving to the Virtual Classroom: 8 Steps to Keep Learners Engaged Read More »
It can be really awkward to candidly discuss cultural differences when your colleagues work across the hall. But when colleagues work across the continent or on the other side of the world, these conversations becomes exponentially harder. Yet, by missing the opportunity to openly explore how cultural differences affect its ability to collaborate, a team
Navigating Through Invisible Cultural Tripwires Read More »
We’ve all suffered when the bad behavior of just one person can derail a whole meeting. Maybe it’s been the know-it-all who steamrolls over anyone who tries to speak. Or the person who folds her arms and rolls her eyes without a word. It could be the guy who has nothing good to say about
Dealing with Disruptive Participants, Virtually Read More »
We try to pay more attention during virtual meetings. We really do! But then something diverts our attention (it doesn’t take much!) and we find ourselves tuning out, despite our best intentions. It could be that a teammate just IM’d us with an urgent SOS for help. Or that our workload is too crushing to
Designing a Distraction-Proof Virtual Meeting Read More »
You’re poised to launch a Big Change that will rock the world of everyone across your organization, around the world. You’ve spent weeks with C-level execs, Marketing, HR and Legal to hammer out a set of crisp, consistent messages. After weeks of haggling, everyone has finally signed off. At last, you have sent the key
For High Impact Global Communications, One Size Never Fits All Read More »
Normally, I ascribe to the 80/20 rule when it comes to planning meetings or designing training. That is, I know I can’t possibly predict every single situation that might arise, so I do my best to anticipate what I think will happen 80% of the time for 80% of the participants. As far as the
Virtual Meetings: Design for Worst-Case Scenarios for Best Outcomes Read More »
I’m in the midst of rolling out a new virtual leadership series for a client. We start every series by exploring the three building blocks of successful virtual team leadership (literally, the ABC’s): Accelerating Trust, Building Social Capital and Creating a Level Playing Field. One major challenge comes up in every conversation: How to keep
10 Easy Ways to Disengage Your Virtual Team Read More »
Sign Up Today to Get Free Tips for Creating a Level Playing Field Across Your Virtual, Hybrid Team
