Effective Virtual Team Meeting

• On 28 January 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch. Seven astronauts died and America’s space technology reputation took years to recover.
• On 27 January a virtual team meeting was held. It broke all the rules of effective virtual meetings. It was a major factor in the decision being taken to launch.The details of the virtual meeting was described in detail in the 50 page document of the analysis of the disaster.
• There were loads of lessons learned for all future virtual meeting.

  Virtual Team Tip

• Realistic agenda
• Before-call preparations
• Start-of-call review
• Roll call on key points
• End-of-call protocol
• Workable number of participants
• Seating template
• Reasonable length of time
• Stretch breaks

Email Tip

• Subject title
• Spelling and grammar
• Personalized format–font, color, arrangement of text, and signature
• Length
• To forward or not to forward?
• Only put in the email what you are willing to see in the newspaper
• Direct reply

Net Meeting Demonstration

• Chat
• Sharing programs/documents
• File transfer
• Whiteboarding
• Audio
• Video

What is the benefit of using audio?

• Audio allows ideas to be shared, questions asked, answers given in real time and avoids the problem of “cross-talk” that can occur in the chat mode.
• Keeping the technology simple is important in the beginning

  How do I (we) get started with virtual teams?

• Personal individual level
• Organizational level

 Team Responsibility in Virtual work environment

• Be accountable for your action items
• Follow the team communication plan
• Respond proactively
• Keep you team members in loop
• Forecast problem and initiate situations
• Make technology your friend
• Keep respect and boding

  Virtual team meeting rules

• Share the agenda in advance
• Share the expected
• Engage team members in scheduling meeting, take notes, releasing MOM
• notes of the discussions and actions.
• Use mute button and unmute only when needed to speak.
• Start meeting on a lighter note
• Us team icebreakers in the beginning
• Involve members who re not very communicative
• Taking additional time to prepare for a meeting so that for example all team members have the
• documents they need several days in advance.
• Being adept at using conferencing and social media applications to help the team achieve objectives

This will help you reduce unproductive call times…….

 Reasons for Conflict….

     Miscommunications

• Mismatch expectation
• Lack of clarity in roles
• Unclear process or practice or
• Use of old practice/process in challenging situation
• Lack of clear boundaries among team members

       Misunderstandings

• Disrespectful behaviour
• Blame game
• Power class
• Lack of bonding
• Feeling of devalue

    Be with team

1. Support your people, especially through problem periods
2. Promote your people to the managers that matter within their own countries
3. Explain your decisions with reason in details and
4. If needed multiple times
5. Take time out to discuss process, not just content
6. Close working relationships with the team members
7. Celebrate success openly

    Rules of the team

• Use technology wisely
• Develop ‘process’ rules – how I /we do things, so people know what to expect, and how they should behave
• Check clarity on roles and objectives often – and using understanding
• Discuss the team’s diversity, and how you can use it as a strength

 Essential of Virtual work environment

• Motivating people is a specialized task. Take help of right profiles do it or learn your self
• SOP: for process and behaviour is a must to work remotely/ virtually
• Preparing workforce on the Skill set – process skill and on Mind set – emotional level is essential
• Continues and transparent communication is indispensible for trust building Lack of it creates conflict
• Use all kinds of communication tool @Virtual workplace
• Check your preparedness on handling issues like: mindset change, culture change, handling emotions, process realignment, your limiting behavior & belief system
• Make learning investment…. Need of the hour 

   Engagement plan

• Individual growth plan
• Well being activities : provide emotional support.
• Organise with Group coaching timely to handle their emotion positively.

 Employee Engagement activities

Connecting through Zoom and skype is good however in this case the team members need to be engaged:

1. Continues connection with team members : conversation on their future roles, responsibilities,
2. Brainstorming : new processes and practice
3. Training programs,
4. virtual team bonding session: Coffee break/lunch / hobbies session
5. Virtual Team building session

  Takeaway practice

• Coordination: Examine how you can better allocate your resources and improve team processes. For example, you could consider daily ‘huddles’ to review tasks just completed, current agenda and issues and opportunities to improve team working.
• Communication: virtual shared coffee/ lunch breaks to catch up on non-work issues may help keep the social bonds within the team alive.
• Good communication is instrumental to team cohesion and relationship building, which in turn may improve the way the team coordinates its activities.
• Plan your communication – ‘diarise’, communicate more frequently
• Ensure equal amounts of communication to all team members
• Be sensitive to their local context – ask and understand
• Coordination of tasks has a pivotal role in virtual team performance.
• Effective virtual teams are good at maintaining social bonds while getting the job done   

Summarise

• Define Virtual Team: 90% people + 10% technology
• Top 5 things you can do immediately
• Change mindset
• Create remote culture
• Positive Communication
• Use Technology to build relationship
• Effective Virtual meeting

• Reduce unproductive call time:
• Setting expectation
• Planned virtual meeting

A conflict resolutions tip

Increase Positive and Reduce negative

• Reduce ambiguity in communication : written and verbal
• Keep transparent communication
• Use correct technique: state, attract, understand, request
• Give equal importance to team members

Are we ready to handle your issues ?

• change you mindset ,
• change your culture,
• handle your fear, worry, anger, indecisiveness,
• your limiting behavior & belief system

Make learning investment to come out of these internal challenges to take help of right profiles do it or learn yourself