Photo by Alessandro Bianchi on Unsplash
Virtual Meetings & Team building
Opening scene: in the backdrop current events are juxtaposition to the sounds and haptics of your inbox. Swipe up another banner notification and lookout for updates — streaming live now. Can you hear the rings and pings of buzz worthy trends jumping from synced devices? Now the birds are chirping in the backyard. Or is that the neighbor’s dog barking? Welcome to WFH.
Flash forward and you are looking for new and creative ways to build your team. How do you capture the hearts and minds of your people? Did you recently inherent a new team? Could your more experienced professionals be in need of a change of pace or a quick boost?
If you agree with the above questions, admittedly the variables are boundless, and in the face of change there is one constant that remains in our daily routine: Work From Home.
WFH pushes the boundaries that define what our work life balance looks like in the new norm. In a shifting paradigm where do you channel the energy forward toward success? Is Working From Home an opportunity or an adversary? What is the impact of working from home and how has that affected your team’s performance?
As it relates to driving results with remote team members, maximizing productivity, and scaling sales growth, how do you use virtual meetings to achieve success? My suggestion, take a minute, get creative, and have fun with it.
Here are a few helpful ways to host virtual meetings and connect with your team:
Virtual Happy Hour
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! Just kidding-not really. Break up the routine and relax for a minute. Ramp up the buy-in with your team and show your appreciation. Zoom Meeting is a popular fit, weighing in with great connectivity and boasting up to 100 participants per meeting. Play around with the virtual backgrounds and have fun. Did I mention what a great opportunity this can be to support local business and boost moral?
Focus Group
Step back for a minute and give your team room to grow. Each week assign a different player on your team to drill down on a topic they feel passionate about. Watch the magic of collaboration elevate your meetings; your team will be on fire!
Time Limits
Set a timer or alarm to keep the conversation on topic. The goal here is to be efficient and maintain a rhythm or flow. To combat short attention spans and email/mobile alerts, hone your message in and your team will be pumped with valuable takeaways. Managing meeting time closely is the key.
Keep it simple
*Twitter anyone? 140 Characters or less — seriously. Short & succinct expectations. Clear directions to achieve goals. Follow up and be done.
10 Minute Check-In
Attempt to get your point across in less than 10 minutes. Scheduling 1 On 1’s or Team Huddles? This technique serves as a quick session aimed at boosting levels of motivation to realign expectations and is set to re-focus on the task ahead. Leave the last 2 minutes for questions; my favorite question to ask: “do you have anything for me?” An open ended question will relay the message that you are a partner in the process of team building and assumes the other person is actively participating in your process. Remember this is a temperature check; leave your audience feeling energized, alert and inspired to do more.
*280 characters, new Twitter format
**Keep It Simple section is 140 Characters 🙂
Be well, be safe and have great success.