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Toptipsforvirtualteams
Doyouworkonaglobalvirtualteam?Doyouleadaglobalvirtualteam?Doyouworkremotely?
Ifyouansweredyestoanyofthesequestions,thenyoucanbenefitfromthesetoptipsforvirtualteams
DanielJones
DanworksinZurich,Switzerlandwhereheisnotonlyatraditionalandvirtualclassroomtrainer,webinarhost,andinstructionaldesigner,butalso alearningcommunitymanager whokeepslearningaliveoutsideoftheclassroomthroughtheuseofcollaborationtools,socialmedia,andmicro-learning.
YoucanreachDanat:
Email: [email protected]
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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