Toptipsforvirtualteams

Doyouworkonaglobalvirtualteam?Doyouleadaglobalvirtualteam?Doyouworkremotely?

Ifyouansweredyestoanyofthesequestions,thenyoucanbenefitfromthesetoptipsforvirtualteams

DanielJones

DanworksinZurich,Switzerlandwhereheisnotonlyatraditionalandvirtualclassroomtrainer,webinarhost,andinstructionaldesigner,butalso alearningcommunitymanager whokeepslearningaliveoutsideoftheclassroomthroughtheuseofcollaborationtools,socialmedia,andmicro-learning.

YoucanreachDanat:

Email: daniel.w.jones@me.com

LinkedIn: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/dwjones

Twitter: @mcochon

©DanielW.Jones.Youmayreuseanyinformationfoundinthisfile,butyoumaynotreuseanyimagesduetolicensingrestrictions.ImageshavebeenlicensedthroughAdobeStock(stock.adobe.com).

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Tipsforteamleaders

Areyouaneffectiveglobalvirtual teamleader?Onascaleof1to10,wheretoyourank?

InApril2016,RW³CultureWizard publisheditsfourth biennialGlobalVirtualTeamsSurveyReport:

“58%ofrespondentsindicatedthatglobalteamleadersarenotadequatelypreparedtoleadmulticulturalteams.Whileatthesametime,96%ofrespondentswhoself-identifiedasteamleadersconsiderthemselvestobe“eithereffectiveorhighlyeffective”whenitcomestoleadingmulticulturalteams.”Wow,that’sa38%disconnectbetweenteamleadersandthegroupstheylead!”

Whatcanyoudotobeamoreeffectiveglobalvirtualteamleader?Let’sreviewsometipsandbestpractices.

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Createateamcharter

Doesyourvirtualteam“playbytherules?”Doyouhaveateamcharter?

Oneofthefirstthingsanyvirtualteamshoulddoisestablishbehavioralrulesandguidelinesthatdescribe thewayteammembersshouldinteract.Youcandothisbycreatingateamcharter.

Cultureimpactsteambehavior,soit’simportanttodiscussandestablishyourteam’soperatingrules.Forexample:

• Decidehowmeetingtimesarescheduled.

• Outlineyourdecision-makingprocess.

• Setexpectationsaboutparticipationanddebate, andestablishmethodsforexpressingdisagreements.

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Statehowyou’llcommunicate

Includecommunication guidelinesinyourcharter.

Willyouuseemail, instantmessaging,textmessagesoranothermedium?

Whataretheteam’sexpectationsonformality?Willyouusegreetingsandsalutationsinyoumessages?Willyouusetheformalorinformal“you”(forlanguageslikeGermanandFrenchthatusethem).

Whatistheappropriateamountoftimetorespondtoan emailorvoicemailmessage?

Whenisitappropriatetocallanotherteammember?Whathoursare“offlimits”fortelephonecalls?

Wherewillyousavefiles?Mayyousendfilesviaemail,orlinktotheminacommonrepository?

Doeseveryonehaveaccessto—andtrainingonhowtousethetools?

Outlinetheseguidelinesinyourteam’scharter.Reviewelementsofitateveryteammeetings.Publishitinacommonrepositoryofteamfiles.

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Don’tshare information

Thattipshouldgetyourattention!

Don’tholdvirtualmeetingstosimplyshareinformation. Useyoumeetingtimetodiscusstheinformation,answerquestions,andmakedecisions.

Don’thold ameetingwhenyoucouldaccomplishthesamegoalbysimplysharinginformation.Noonewantstogetupinthemiddleofthenighttositthroughaboringpresentationthattheycouldreadduringtheday.

Sendoutinformativematerialsinadvance—withyouragenda—toreviewbeforeyourconferencecallorvideoconference.

Thenon-nativespeakersofyourlanguagewillappreciatethewrittenmaterials,whichmanywillfindeasierto“digest”thanoralpresentations.

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Knowtheirschedules

Doyouknowthenormalworkinghoursofyourteammembers?

Doyouhavealistofpublicholidaysandfestivalsthatthey celebrate?

Trytoschedulevirtualmeetingsduringnormalworkinghours,andavoidschedulingmeetingsonpublicholidays.

Avoidplanningprojectdeadlinesandmeetingsduringtraditionalschoolholidays(forexample,JulyandAugustinEurope),localfestivalperiods(forexample,duringChineseNewYearinChina),ortraditionalbusytimes(forexample,duringthemid-yearoryear-endcontractrenewalseasonforinsuranceprofessionals).

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Shift yourmeetingschedule

Howoftendoyouhavetogetupinthemiddleofthenighttoattendavirtualmeeting?

Nooneshoulddohavetodoitallthetime.

Varythetimeofyourvirtualmeetingstoaccommodatetheschedulesofparticipantsindifferentpartsofthe world.Thisway,teammemberssharethedifficultyandinconvenienceofattending.

Seetimeanddate.com foraworld clock,meetingplanner,andothertools.

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Sendanagendainadvance

Howoften doyouacceptameetinginvitationwithoutanagenda?

Before eachvirtualteammeeting,shareanagendaatleasttwodaysinadvance.Thisnotonlytellsinviteeswhatthemeetingisabout,butalsohelpsthemdetermineiftheyshouldreallyattend.

Thisalsogivesattendeestimetoreadandreviewdocuments,preparematerials,andformulatetheirthoughtsandquestions.

Assigntimestoeachagendaitem,andsticktotheagendaduringyouractualmeeting.Avoidaddingadhocagendaitemsthatparticipantshavenotimetopreparefor.

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Develop relationships

Doyouincludesmall-talkinyourvirtualmeetings?

Buildtimeintoyourvirtualmeetingstoallowparticipantstotalkabouthobbies,trips,familyevents,andotherpersonalinterests.Wedothisatface-to-facemeetings,sodon’tforgetitinyourvirtualmeetings.

Smalltalkenablesteammatestofindcommonsharedinterestsandbuildtrustingrelationshipswithoneanother.

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Encourageparticipation

Insomecultures, peopledon’tspeakup.Butyouneedtheirinput.

Howcanyouencourageyourteammemberstoparticipate?

Setparticipationguidelinesinyourteamchartersoeveryoneknowsyourexpectations.

Useyourwebconferencingapplication’spolling, hand-raisingtools,andchattoolstoaskquestionsandseekfeedback.

Encourageteammemberstoparticipatebycallingonthembyname.Insomecultures,youmadeneedtopicksomeonetospeakfortheirgroup.

Askopen-endedquestionstounderstandbothifandhowsomethingisgoingtohappen.Thisisespeciallyhelpfulifyouareworkingwithculturesthatdonotliketosay“no.”

Forthosewhoarereluctanttocontribute,considerusingpre-meetingsandtakingspecificsubjectsoffline,asappropriate.

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Celebrate

Don’tforgettocelebratebirthdays,observeworkanniversaries,andmarkprojectmilestonesjustlikeyoumightwithalocalteam.Howcanyoucelebratewithavirtualteam?Whileyoucan’tgooutfordrinksafterworkwithavirtualteam,youcanstillcelebrate:• Sharepicturesandvideosoflocalcelebrations.• Keepavirtualscrapbookofprojectteamactivities.Forexample,

setupatumblr.com blogfortheteam.• Arrangetohaveatreat(forexample,pizza)deliveredlocallyto

eachteammember.Eatitonlineduringavirtualmeeting.Or,arrange“timeappropriate”foodsdelivered:BreakfastinNewYorkandafternoonteainLondonsharedatthesametime.

• Sendgiftcardstoteammembersandhavethemsharehowtheyusedthem.

• Share recipesandphotosoftypicalorholidayfoods.Speakaboutlocalcustomsandtraditions.

• Playanonline,multi-playergametogether,orconductavirtualscavengerhunt(seegoosechase.com).

• Takeacommondayofftoseegloballyreleasedmovieorperformcharitywork,thenreportbacktotheteamwhatyoudid.

Ifyourprovidegifts,askteammemberswhattheyprefer.Makesuretheyareculturallyappropriateandmeetcorporateandlocalethicsstandards.

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Distributeyourminutes

How oftendoyouactuallyreceiveminutesafterameeting?

Disciplinedteamssharetheirmeetingminutes.Theyincludeashortsummaryofthemeeting,thedecisionsmade,andtheactionsplanned– andwhowillcompletethem.

Thisiscriticalforvirtualteams,soaftereachmeeting,everyoneunderstandwhatoccurred—andwhowilldowhat.

Useameetingminutestemplateandrotatetheresponsibilityfortakingandsharingtheminutesamongtheteammembers.

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Share teampictures

Keeppicturesofyouteammembersatyoudesk, onyourlocalteamwall, andinyouteamcollaborationsite.

Whenyoudon’tusevideo,sharepicturesofpresentersorteammembersinyourwebconferencepresentationsoparticipantscanassociateafacewithavoice.

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Manageeach member

Meetregularlywithteammembersone-to-one–justasyouwouldlocally.Dealwithchallengingissuesornegativefeedbackindividuallyinseparate,privatediscussions.Trytomeetwithteammembersinpersonatleastonceayear.Traveltowitnesstheirworkenvironmentinperson,whenpossible,orbringtheteamtogetherforprojectkickoffsandkeymilestonestobuildtrustingrelationshipsinperson.Whenface-to-facemeetingsarenotpossible,encouragetheuseofvideoconferencing.Seeingoneanother’sbodylanguagepromotesclearerconversations.

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Tips forvirtualteammembers

Howcanyoubeamoreeffectivevirtualteammember?

Nowwe’veseenwhatglobalvirtualteamleaderscandotoimproveteameffectiveness.Butnow,whatyoucanpersonallydotomakeyourselfabettervirtualteammember?

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Buildtrust

Trustiscriticaltothesuccessofanyteam.Itcanbedifficulttoestablish, challengingtomaintain,anddamagedbyculturalmisunderstandings.

Howcanyoubuildtrustwithyourteammates?

• Learnaboutyourcolleagues.Expressaninterestinthem.

• Communicate withyourteammatesoutsideofteammeetings.

• Shareyourbackground,skills,andevenabitofpersonalinformation.

• Communicateyour expectationsclearlyanddeliveronyourcommitments.

• Followyourteam’scharteranditsbehaviorguidelines.

• Remain flexibleandopen-minded.

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Arrive early

Joinyourvirtualmeetingsearly—particularlyifyouarethemeetinghost—toensurethatyourtechnologyisworkingcorrectly.

Uploadyourmeetingmaterialsandsetuppollquestionsinadvance,beforeothersarrive.

Greettheparticipantsastheyjoinandengageinsmalltalktobuildrelationships—justasyouwouldinaface-to-facemeeting.

Here’saspecialtip:Sendyourmeetinginvitationsforthetopofthehour,butinyouragenda,scheduleittostartfiveminutesafterthehour.Thatgivesallparticipantstimetologin.

Ifyou’reaparticipant,loginearlyaswellandparticipateintherelationshipbuildingsmall-talk.

Reviewmaterialsinadvance,andparticipateinpollsandchats.

Forwebandaudioconferencecalls,joinyourwebconferencefirst,thenhaveyourconferencingservicecallyou.Thatwayyourwebandaudiopresenceonlinewillbesynchronized,andyouwon’tshowupasabothparticipantandanaudioguest.

Ifyoudodialinseparately,besuretosynchronizeyourwebandaudioonlinepresence.

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Overcomelanguageissues

Howcanyouasateammemberovercomelanguageissues?

Duringaconferencecallorvideoconference,youcanhelpotherunderstandyou:

• Speakslowly

• Usesimplerwordsandsentences(forexample,avoidthepassivevoicewhichismorecomplex)

• Enunciate

• Avoidjargon

• Avoidreferencestolocalpopculture(forexample,referringtolocaltelevisioncharacters)

• Avoidreferencestosportsthatothersmaynotbefamiliarwith(forexample,“Weneedtohitthisoneoutoftheballpark.”)

• Defineinitialismsandacronyms.Don’tassumeeveryoneknowsthattheymean.

• Provideinformationinwriting

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Dealwithaccents

Where accentsareanissue,howcanyouensureclearcommunication?

• Acknowledgeeveryone’saccentandissuestheteammightfaceupfront.

• Establishanenvironmentwhereitissafetoaskforclarificationwhenyoudonotunderstandwhatsomeonehassaid.

• Trytoreduceyourstrongaccentifyouhaveone,andtuneyoueartoother’saccents.

• Providedetailedinformationinwriting.

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Makeyourselfheard

Makeyourselfheardwhenyouattendaconferencecall:

• Muteyourphoneormicrophonewhenyouarenotspeaking.

• Attendfromaquietroom.Thosesetupforconferencecallsaresoundproofandreduceecho.

• Useaheadset.

• Avoidspeakerphones (theysometimesecho,pickupeverynoise,ordon’tpickupvoicesclearly)

• Avoidmobilephonesthatmayexperience“drops”inyourconversation.

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Usetechnologywisely

Doyouknowhowtomuteeveryoneonyourcall?Doyouknowhowtoturnoffthoseannoying“beeps”asparticipantsjoinorleaveacall?

Learnhowtouseyouraudio,web,andvideoconferencingtools.Attendtrainingorreadtheuser’sguide.Teachothershowtousethetools, andshareyourbestpracticetips.

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Watch, listen,andlearn

Learnaboutyourcolleague’sculturesandactivelywatchandlistenfortheirculturalcues.

Adaptyourapproach whennecessary.

Allowtimeforsilence—some culturesusesilencetoreflect,othersmustfillthesilence.

Verifyunderstanding,bothverballyandinwriting,attheendofthemeetingsandconversations.

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Carveoutaworkspace

Doyouhaveadedicatedworkspace athome?

Whetheryouhaveanactualofficeorjustacornerinyourbedroom,dedicateaspaceto"work.”

Treatitlikeyourofficeatwork.Whenyou'redonewithworktoday,leaveitandcheckbackintomorrow.

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Minimizeinterruptions

Isyourworkspacefreefrominterruptions?

Set”visitation”ruleswiththoseyoulivewith.Forexample:Whenthedoorisclosed,I’mworking.Pleasedon’tinterruptme.

Thatgoesforpetstoo!Noonelikesadogyappinginthebackgroundduringaconferencecall.

Considerpostingan“Ontheair”signonyourdoorduringconferencecalls.Fewrespecta“Donotdisturb”sign—butiftheymightbeheardorappearoncamera,they’llstayaway.

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Keepyour background clutterfree

Whatdoyourcolleaguesseeinthebackgroundwhentheyholdavideoconferencewithyou?

No onewantstoseeyourclutteredbookshelf,unmadebed,ordirtylaundryinthebackground.

For videoconferences,chooseawell-lightedlocationwithasimplebackground.Considerusingaportablevideoconferencingscreen(see,https://thewebaround.com/)

Avoidbrightwindowsorlightsinthebackground.Theycancauseyourfacetobetoodark.

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Lookatthecamera

Dootherseeyoulookingofftothesideduringavideoconference?

Establishrapportwithyourcolleaguesbysittingupstraight andlookingdirectlyinthecamera duringavideoconference.Addasmileystickernexttoitasareminder.

Positionyourcomputerscreenandcameraateyelevel,andplaceyoucolleague'svideowindow(ormeetingnotes)directlyunderthecamera.Thatway,youmaintaineyecontactthroughouttheconference.

Whenusinganotebookcomputerortablet,becarefulnottopointitupwardatyourface.Wedon’twanttolookupyournose,orseeyourdistractingceilingfan.

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Whatwillyoudodifferently?

So, whatwillyoudodifferentlytobeabetterglobalvirtualteamleaderandmember?

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