This time of year is always characterised by “let’s get back to routine”! While this year may be a little different (or a lot different depending on where you are), this week’s post gets you thinking about core activities which may have been put off that you’ll want to schedule before, or during, the fall.

#1 – One-on-one time. Individual conversations become even more important in the remote space. What’s your rhythm of 1-1 calls with team members? Getting into, or back to, the routine of regular 1-1 calls to check in, troubleshoot and see what team members need are key parts of team success. They helps with connection, results and motivation. Take a look at this Teams365 blog post for Questions You Might Incorporate Into Your 1-1 Conversations.

#2 – A regular rhythm of team meetings. Think about the team meetings you have been involved with. What is the rhythm? How frequently do you meet? What type of meetings are you holding? Are they always the most effective or efficient?
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Consider using the 8 Essential Virtual Meeting Questions before you meet every time. You’ll find them here.

#3 – Quarterly planning. While the business context may look different than it did six months ago or even three months ago, quarterly planning is key. In the remote space it’s even more important for people to be on the same page. When are you planning to get together to look at your plans? When will you be focusing on coming together as a team to reflect on your successes and learning from the past few months?

#4 – Peer connections. Peer connections are key to learning, and feedback. What are you doing as a team to foster time between peers? Have you considered a co-working session?

#5 – Team and personal development. Ongoing learning has never been more important. What are you doing to support new learning at both the team and individual levels?

Learning can take many forms: from on-demand video-based programs to live, interactive webinars. What are you doing to foster team and personal development?

Enjoy your focus and conversations as you get back to (a new) routine!

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

​Last week’s posts explored four general meeting tips. Once you realize that meetings are the best way to go, here are 8 Essential questions to be asking at every meeting:

1. What’s the purpose?
2. What takeaways do we want?
3. Who needs to be on the call?
4. What preparation is needed for us to be most effective in the meeting?
5. What pace to do we want in order to keep it engaging?
6. What will help keep the focus?
7. What’s absolutely essential? (versus what will be nice to cover or where can people go for more information around topics?)
8. What follow up might be required?

(Excerpt: Effective Virtual Conversations, Britton, 2017)

​You can also take a look at these questions in this short video (link to 8 Essential Meeting Questions)

For those that want to read more on this, check out:
Chapter 9 – Effective Virtual Conversations
OR
Check out this LinkedIn post – 8 Questions to Ask Before Any Virtual Meeting.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

​As I went to write Effective Virtual Conversations back in 2016-2017, I was curious about how much time people were spending in meetings. If anything, the pace of meetings has not decreased in recent years but increased. From face to face meetings, to ones where some are in a room and others are virtual, meetings can take up the majority of people’s time if we let them. What are you doing to ensure you are maximizing your meeting time?

Next week I’ll be bringing in 8 Essential Meeting Questions you want to be asking at any meeting (so stay tuned). In this weeks’ post I thought it would be useful to curate a list of ideas for you to consider as you go to strengthen your meeting processes:

#1 – Is a meeting what’s really necessary? – We often think we need to meet for meetings sake. Is a meeting really necessary or can it be covered off in another way?

# 2 – What is the purpose of the meeting? - Is it to provide information? Invite discussion? Make a decision? Brainstorm? Coordinate across the team? Support learning?
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These are all very different reasons to hold meetings. Consider what is the purpose of the meeting, and then WHAT the best platform is, and WHO should be at the table? Does it even need to be a face to face meeting or can it be completed some other way? (i.e. a learning event may be offsite or on WebEx/Zoom or other)

#3 – What is the outcome we are looking for? Without a clear direction, meetings can derail quickly. Has the outcome been circulated before hand so people can prepare with whatever is needed? As well, are they able to build in time based on the outcome?

#4 -What involvement are we asking for? Helping frame expectations is another key part of the process. What is the involvement we are asking for?

Enjoy!
Jennifer