The COVID-19 pandemic has forced virtually all businesses across the world to go remote (pun intended), and in doing so, rethink how we engage with our teams. But working remotely doesn’t have to be so bad. In fact, during this period of remote work, many aspects of our day-to-day are actually more efficient. For example, meetings are finally starting and ending on time! Not to mention, commuting is no longer an issue.
Think back to the last virtual meeting you had. How did you feel by the end of it?
Like this?
This feeling can be summed up by the term virtual distance, which refers to a psychological and emotional sense of detachment that accumulates little by little the more we interact with each other through screens. Now that we’ve come to rely on screens for all our professional and personal communication, it makes sense that we’re feeling more drained and detached than ever before.
As managers, we have very limited control over our team members’ personal experiences with regards to the first two factors. If Ivan’s Zoom keeps freezing, or if Marion is in a different time zone and can’t make it to a meeting, there’s not much we can do about it. But what we do have a certain level of control over is the emotional experience our team members have.
The 3 main aspects managers should focus on in order to create a positive emotional experience for participants are:
Here’s some advice that’s applicable to all formats:
Here are some tips for each remote meeting format:
Your goal: Create a pleasant experience with varying levels of participation. Allow passive monitoring but seek active participation.
Tips:
Your goal: By the end of the meeting, all participants feel they were heard and are in agreement with final decisions made.
Tips:
Your goal: End the meeting with a formal, high quality deliverable.
Tips:
Managing a remote team, let alone keeping them engaged, is no easy task. The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened the progress towards the future of remote work, and has shown us that we are resilient, malleable, and innovative in the face of unforeseen circumstances. We hope you’ve found these tips and techniques useful, and we’d love to hear how you’ve implemented them, or improved upon them, in your own remote meetings!
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced virtually all businesses across the world to go remote (pun intended), and in doing so, rethink how we engage with our teams. But working remotely doesn’t have to be so bad. In fact, during this period of remote work, many aspects of our day-to-day are actually more efficient. For example, meetings are finally starting and ending on time! Not to mention, commuting is no longer an issue.
Think back to the last virtual meeting you had. How did you feel by the end of it?
Like this?
This feeling can be summed up by the term virtual distance, which refers to a psychological and emotional sense of detachment that accumulates little by little the more we interact with each other through screens. Now that we’ve come to rely on screens for all our professional and personal communication, it makes sense that we’re feeling more drained and detached than ever before.
As managers, we have very limited control over our team members’ personal experiences with regards to the first two factors. If Ivan’s Zoom keeps freezing, or if Marion is in a different time zone and can’t make it to a meeting, there’s not much we can do about it. But what we do have a certain level of control over is the emotional experience our team members have.
The 3 main aspects managers should focus on in order to create a positive emotional experience for participants are:
Here’s some advice that’s applicable to all formats:
Here are some tips for each remote meeting format:
Your goal: Create a pleasant experience with varying levels of participation. Allow passive monitoring but seek active participation.
Tips:
Your goal: By the end of the meeting, all participants feel they were heard and are in agreement with final decisions made.
Tips:
Your goal: End the meeting with a formal, high quality deliverable.
Tips:
Managing a remote team, let alone keeping them engaged, is no easy task. The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened the progress towards the future of remote work, and has shown us that we are resilient, malleable, and innovative in the face of unforeseen circumstances. We hope you’ve found these tips and techniques useful, and we’d love to hear how you’ve implemented them, or improved upon them, in your own remote meetings!