Working differently
As we face the hyper-volatile and uncertain World, global uncertainty, pandemics, climate crisis, means we need to find our own focus and confidence to lead our teams through this. Not many business continuity plans were adequate in the face of a global pandemic but what have we learned? What changes are permanent? How can we continue to collaborate, engage, prioritise wellbeing, innovate and succeed in this new normal?
One major component of the solution is working better virtually. We offer a dynamic solution using available technologies and a simple process to help you and your team map and agree your new priorities.
The approach ensures high-quality engagement across your teams and enables them to remain connected, high-quality decisions quickly.
This is not the time to experiment but the time to innovate, adapt and refocus:
We’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years and know what works; we offer our expertise to support you and your business to think carefully and calmly about how to navigate through these unprecedented times.
Virtual working is now the default, so here’s a simple five-point plan:
1.Planning
Start by auditing your current meetings.
Confirm the purpose, objectives and deliverables for each meeting; who and what needs to be included; agenda, participants, shared materials, preparation, technology, follow-up?
Do you need to have this meeting at all?
2. Preparation
Be clear on what must be done on-line & same-time and what can be done better on-line & over-time.
Focus during the same-time interventions on what can only be done when actively connected. E.g. making high quality decisions, ensuring all perspectives are raised/discussed.
Do the other stuff over-time
Be explicit about what needs/can be prepared and captured in advance; and what might be done more efficiently after the ‘meeting’.
Plan, prepare and rehearse your meeting, build your competence and your confidence will grow and will run great meetings.
3. Protocols
What should you and your participants expect? How will we behave in our ‘online’ meetings? How will we ensure focus, presence, participation, inclusion?
Build these expectations as a group so they become a shared set of meeting guidelines.
4. Technology
What tools do you need and how will you use them?
Consider how you will connect (audio & voice) and how you will capture, sort and report the content of the meeting (no flip charts and post-its in virtual meeting spaces!).
How familiar are you with the technology, will you need support? Are you expecting to be facilitator and run the technology? Or do you need a colleague to work with you?
5. Participation
How will you ensure interaction, participation and an accurate record of the outcomes?
There is no time to record entire virtual meetings, no-one listens back to meetings they missed! So focus on how you will ensure active participation. Ensure you have access through collaborative techniques that ensure everyone is included.
We have used many technologies in the last 25 years and recommend Zoom (or your organisations Audio/Video platform) and MeetingSphere as the optimum solution to great online meetings.