Category: Uncategorized

 

How to organize virtual meetings and training sessions effectively. Having facilitated numerous virtual training sessions, meetings, and presentations, I can attest that “virtual meeting fatigue” is a real condition. “Simply put, we didn’t evolve to spend eight hours a day speaking to people on a screen. Our brain is using an enormous amount of energy to stay focused online.”/Three Cures For Virtual Meeting Fatigue, According to New Microsoft ResearchForbes

If you organize virtual meetings or training sessions, I have several tips for you:

✔️Keep your sessions short. Based on my experience, 30-45 minute sessions work the best.

✔️Keep your attendees engaged. If it is a meeting, make sure everyone attending it has an opportunity to provide their input. If it is a training session, incorporate engaging activities: ice-breakers, chat, breakout groups, polls, etc.

✔️Turn on your camera while facilitating a meeting. Make sure you have good lighting. Your light source should come from a window. To avoid being backlit, make sure you are facing the window or you are parallel to it.

✔️Check your audio. Poor audio quality is usually the # 1 complaint during virtual events. A headset with a mic is usually the best option for the best sound quality.

What strategies do you employ to keep your participants engaged?

Follow my blog posts for more tips on remote work optimization, leadership development, virtual training, and more. 

 

“With increased stress and anxiety in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic it is easy to burnout, therefore it is more important than ever to make sure you take time to recharge and take care of yourself.” (How To Recharge Over The Course Of A Weekend)

I have recently worked with a client who said that she feels extremely overwhelmed by the amount of activities, tasks, projects she has to do. She shared that no matter how much she accomplishes during the week, there is always more to do.

Does this sound familiar?

So many people feel this way at the moment.

The article “How To Recharge Over The Course Of A Weekend ”  Forbes  offers some useful tips that you may find helpful:

Catch up on sleep.
Reduce screen time.
Do some exercises.

BONUS: I also wanted to share my own strategy that works very well for me. I like to plan out all my tasks and projects for the next week on Fridays.

Why?

✔️ First of all, it helps me stay organized during the week.

✔️ I feel like I am accomplishing my goals and milestones.

✔️ And most importantly, I don’t spend my weekend thinking about what I will need to do this coming week. I know that everything is planned out. On Monday, I just open my calendar and use it as a guide.

What strategies do you use to reduce stress and stay organized? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

If you are an executive, a manager, or a team leader, the chance is that you have to attend many meetings daily. Unfortunately, having multiple meetings a day may prevent you from concentrating on your other responsibilities. But you can still be productive even if you are constantly in meetings. Watch this video to learn how.

 

Are you experiencing exhaustion from staring at your screen all day?

Are you feeling burned out by the excessive use of technology?

You are not alone! You may be suffering from “Zoom Fatigue”. “

While technology has helped us continue to stay in touch and get our work done, it can all be very overwhelming.

I’ve recently read the article “10 Ways to Recover from Zoom Fatigue”  that covers helpful strategies on how to recover from exhaustion associated with the excessive use of technology.

I especially appreciate these three tips:

🎯 “Build some rituals around work hours.”

I try to go for a walk every day, and it helps me feel much more relaxed.

🎯 “Intersperse video calls with physical movement.”

I started following this tip after I read the article. I try to stretch and do a few simple yoga exercises after each meeting. I noticed that it helps me feel much more energized.

🎯 “Start a new project that is not work-related that gives you space to express yourself and will be relevant even post-lockdown.”

In the last couple of months, I have been learning new digital marketing strategies. It is so much fun!

And as always, I would love to hear from you. What strategies do you use to recover from “Zoom Fatigue”?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

 

 

“Working remotely can be challenging for managers and their reports. A powerful part of a group or team’s effectiveness is the togetherness and the challenge that managers face today is how to recreate that camaraderie in a virtual world.” /5 Ways To Be A Better Manager In A Virtual Work Environment

Here are a few tips that you may find helpful:

✔️“Schedule meetings via video on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.”

✔️ “Help your employees secure resources they need to properly carry out their roles.”

✔️” Give your employees opportunities for growth.”

✔️ “Support employees who may be struggling to balance work and their home life during the coronavirus pandemic.” 

The last suggestion really resonates with me. I have recently had a discussion about maintaining a work-life balance with a former colleague of mine who leads a remote team and also has a young child herself. She shared how challenging it is to balance work and her responsibilities as a parent. Her personal strategy is to shift her work schedule a little bit so that she can accommodate both her work and child-care activities.

And as always, I would love to hear from you. If you are a manager of a remote team, how to you support your employees?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

Tips that will help you better prepare for remote work.

I have worked remotely for many years, teaching online classes, leading remote projects and teams, and working as an individual contributor. I have also worked closely with people who either have a flexible work schedule or work remotely full-time. Because of Covid-19, the trend of working remotely has accelerated. More companies will continue offering their employees flexible work opportunities, and more people will be looking for such jobs.

If you are looking for a remote job or are already working remotely, how can you better prepare for this type of work? In this article, I would like to share a few practical suggestions.

Tip 1: Adjust your communication style. Remote work is very different from working in the office because you can’t just stop at your colleague’s desk to ask a question and get answers immediately. Remote work relies heavily on asynchronous style of communication. My suggestion for any employees who work remotely is to be proactive and responsive.

This morning, I had a quick 5 minute spontaneous virtual meeting with my colleague who texted me and asked me a question. I could have waited for an hour to help her but instead I jumped on a video call with her right away.

When working remotely, it is very important for coworkers to know that they can rely on each other. For example, knowing how to get a hold of each other and knowing that your colleague will respond quickly will help create trust which is key to establishing a productive remote work environment on your team.

Tip 2: Be proactive. This tip goes back to your collaboration and communication style.

• Ask yourself – are you reliable? Are you proactive?
• Do you lead your work or wait for others to tell you what to do?
• Do you communicate with your peers clearly and frequently? Do you reach out to them when you need their help?
• Do people you work with know how to get a hold of you and you respond quickly?

These are important attributes that literally make or break a remote work culture. Nobody wants to work with a person who takes days to respond to emails, who doesn’t return calls, who is silent for weeks, and who doesn’t proactively seek input and feedback.

Employees, when you are about to start a remote job, come prepared. Prepare yourselves to be more proactive and adopt a collaborative mindset.

Managers, when you interview candidates, ask them questions to find out more about your candidates’ communication style and soft skills. In a remote office, it will be crucial for your team’s overall well-being and productivity. 

Follow my blog posts  for more tips on creating a thriving remote work culture, employee engagement strategies, new employee on-boarding, virtual training, and more.

 

“ According to CCW Digital research, nearly 75% of companies say remote work will be a permanent option for at least some employees. Thirty-five percent of the customer experience (CX) workforce will work from home (WFH) by 2023, up from 5 percent in 2017.”

I recently came across this research which provides a glimpse into what to expect from a rapidly changing workforce in the near future. I train professionals to transition from providing their services in person to a virtual delivery and what I’ve noticed is that while most employees adapt to working remotely very quickly, some may struggle.

I have recently talked to a manager who is leading a remote team. Although he personally likes working remotely and feels very productive, there are a few employees on his team who are struggling.

He shared that he really wants to do his best to support his team, but he is not sure how to do that effectively.

✔️ How to create a thriving remote work culture?
✔️ How to effectively engage remote teams?

These and other questions come up often in my conversations with managers and employees.

And as always, I would love to hear from you!

What do you like the most about working remotely? What aspects of your remote work do you find challenging?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.