As we acknowledge our ‘new normal’ for engaging in business, including working remotely, we want to help make your online meetings meaningful and productive with these tips for video conferencing.
1. Computer positioning. Position your computer back a little to create a shoulder/headshot view vs. face only, so everyone does not feel on top of each other. 2. Prop to eye level. Prop your computer webcam up to eye level. Try using a ream of paper under your laptop to position it up for web calls. 3. Turn on your video camera. Humanize the meeting by turning on your camera so people can see you – and set the standard for others to do the same. We are social creatures and this aids connection. 4. Use a headset. Use an external microphone or headset to eliminate background noise. 5. Hit mute. When you’re not talking, hit mute. 6. Unclutter your background….position it for a less cluttered background. Some services even allow you to blur your background. 7.Momentarily unshare if… you need to walk away, let the team know and unshare your screen for a moment. 8. Add a professional picture to your webinar profile, so if you are unable to share your screen, people can still see your smiling face. 9. Don’t sit with the window behind you. The glare is blinding for others. A little effort on lighting goes a very long way. 10. Look at the camera. When you’re talking, spend some time looking at the camera, not the screen. You’ll appear more earnest and honest this way. 11. When you’re talking, go slow. To ensure understanding while using this new medium for many. 12. Don’t walk if you’re using a phone. And if you’re using a laptop, put it on a desk/table and prop it to be eye level vs. on your lap. 13. Organize yourself and materials before the meeting if you are hosting. Have all your documents open that you will be sharing during the meeting so you can share your screen vs. scrolling through your computer folders while on the call. 14. Assign a partner to aid you as the meeting host. They can help with follow-up or aid people with technical issues or manage the webinar chat box so that it does not derail the rest of the participants. 15. Have an email/cell phone list of participants available if you need to email or provide information while on the call. 16.…and remember to SMILE! It uplifts you and all during this social distancing time in our lives.
For many, working remotely is new and for others, it is not. We all need to practice patience and empathy as we learn this ‘new normal’ together.
People want to connect and have a conversation. They don’t want to be talked to. So remember to slow down, engage and talk with people. Connecting as human beings will add more value than making sure you get through all of your content.
We, at Aha! Leadership, have been working remotely and conducting training in a webinar format for 10 years. If we can help answer any questions or just want to pick our brain, please reach out to us. We would be happy to be there for you!
“The human has been working from home the last couple of days and every so often, they let me participate in the video calls. All the other humans cheer when they see me. I am the only thing holding their company together.” — Dogs everywhere
As an optimist myself, I know first-hand the power of optimism and the benefits it has on all areas of life.
Highly effective, optimistic leaders have a transforming effect on their teams: they have the gift of being able to convince others that they can achieve levels of performance beyond what they thought possible. They move others from being stuck with “how things are done around here” and help them see “how things could be done better.”
Consider, as well, the reverse. Those who have a pessimistic outlook typically approach changes to the status quo with the familiar: “We tried this before”, “It won’t work”, or “It will never fly.” Such individuals often label themselves as “devil’s advocate.” How can someone who has a pessimistic outlook embrace change over the safety of the known?
Countless studies have shown that people with an optimistic outlook have healthier relationships, enjoy better mental and physical health and live longer.
So, where does optimism come from? Is it something we are born with or is it learned? For some lucky individuals, like me, being optimistic comes naturally. The good news is that, for those who don’t have it naturally, optimism is an attitude that can be learned and practiced. Here are some strategies to consider in your journey to becoming more optimistic or in helping someone else who suffers from pessimism:
Avoid negative environments. If this is not realistic, make every effort to seek the company of positive individuals in your organization.
Celebrate your strengths. The key to high achievement and happiness is to play out your strengths, not correct your weaknesses. Focus on what you do well.
Take care of your spiritual and emotional well-being by reading inspirational material on a daily basis.
Manage or ignore what you cannot change. When faced with setbacks, identify what you can change and proactively try to find ways to do something about it.
Learn to reframe. This involved deliberately shifting perspective and looking for the hidden positive in a negative situation: the proverbial silver lining.
Adapt your language and outlook. Consider how a simple shift in the language you use can make a difference in your outlook: do you frequently say: “yes, but….” in response to your constituents’ suggestions? The “but” automatically negates anything you have said in the beginning part of the sentence. A simple shift to “yes, and…” might make a positive difference.
Focus outside yourself, on important people in your life, on pursuits and projects that fire you up.
Nurture a culture of optimism when you are in charge of other people at work. Expect people to succeed. Even when they occasionally fail to achieve what they set out to do, encourage them so that they can tackle the next challenge. A simple: “I know you’ll do better the next time” can have very positive effects.
Cultivate spontaneity. Getting out of your comfort zone by being spontaneous helps to develop your optimistic muscle, as spontaneity essentially involves an expectation of having a positive experience.
You can do it! Make this part of your growth plan for 2020 and see how contagious your optimism can be! Practice seeing the opportunity.
Winston Churchill had a reason for saying: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
For many people, “thanks-giving” is a tradition that happens around the dinner table once a year. But research suggests that leaders should encourage gratitude in the workplace year-round.
The Science of Gratitude: Gratitude can be defined as a positive emotion felt after receiving something valuable. And science has shown that people who are grateful feel happier. They have an improved sense of well-being, higher self-esteem, experience less depression and anxiety, and they also sleep better.
The Gratitude Gap in the Workplace: Despite its compelling benefits, expressing gratitude doesn’t always happen at work. A recent Glassdoor survey found that 80% of employees say they would be willing to work harder for an appreciative boss.
So why is there a gratitude gap in the workplace? Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant believes it’s because people don’t like to admit they need help at work, and many believe thanking someone means admitting you couldn’t do it all on your own.
How to Be More Grateful
Ready to reap gratitude’s many benefits? Luckily, you don’t need any fancy tools or advanced degrees. Here are 3 simple exercises that have been scientifically proven to boost your gratitude levels.
Send a note expressing your gratitude. Writing a letter thanking someone for the positive impact he or she has had in your life is a great way to boost your gratitude. Or, send a text, if you prefer. Take out your phone right now (if it’s not out already), and send a simple text to someone you’re grateful to have in your life and let them know that you are thinking of them.
Keep a gratitude journal – or even just a list. Keeping a journal of people and things for which you’re grateful can increase your feelings of gratitude. If you’re not the journaling type, don’t worry; making a short list works, too. Just jot down 3 things you’re grateful for on a Post-It note. Stick it somewhere you’ll see it often, and refresh it weekly.
Take time for reflection. Simply reflecting on the many aspects of your job — large and small — for which you’re grateful can boost gratitude levels. These might include supportive work relationships, sacrifices or contributions that others have made for you, advantages or opportunities, or gratitude for the opportunity to have your job in general. Going on a short “gratitude walk” is a great way to take time out for this reflection.
How to Increase Gratitude in the Workplace
Offer thank-you cards. During his tenure at Campbell Soup, then-CEO Doug Conant wrote 30,000 handwritten thank-you notes to his employees. This practice, along with others, has been credited with how he created a culture of gratitude and turned around a struggling company. Do 30,000 letters seem daunting? Take a page out of Mark Zuckerberg’s playbook and aim for just one a day. To encourage others to do the same, emulate Starbucks and offer unlimited company thank-you cards for employees to use.
Make a gratitude wall. Create a designated space for employees to share shout-outs and words of thanks. This can be a wall, a whiteboard, a flip chart in a common area…be creative! A public, anonymous display of gratitude is a great way to introduce gratitude into the workplace culture and keep employees feeling appreciated.
Start meetings with gratitude. A simple way to cultivate gratitude at work is to begin meetings by sharing a short statement of appreciation (remember the difference this made in the fundraising center study!). Or, if you want to take this approach to the next level, try having everyone in the meeting share one thing they’re grateful for — it makes a great icebreaker.
When things go wrong, count your blessings. It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well. But gratitude can have an even bigger impact if you’re going through a rough patch. So, next time something goes wrong at work, see if you can find the silver lining. What did you learn from the experience? What opportunity did it offer you? Share these insights with your team. Being able to be truly grateful during times of challenge and change is a great way to stop negative rumination spirals and get people motivated and energized.
Be grateful for people, not performance. Sometimes, gratitude initiatives can feel like old recognition programs warmed over. To avoid this feeling, focus on social worth and think about how people have made a difference. Give thanks for people’s willingness, enthusiasm, commitment, or efforts — not their impact on the bottom line.
Customize your thanks-giving. Practicing gratitude requires thinking about how specific people like to be thanked, and tailoring your gratitude accordingly. Thanking a very shy person at the global quarterly meeting might come across more like punishment than recognition.
Be specific in your gratitude. Saying “thanks for being awesome” doesn’t have the same impact as “thank you for always getting to meetings 5 minutes early to set up the projector; I know that our meetings wouldn’t go as well if we didn’t have you.
Don’t fake it. Authenticity and vulnerability are key parts of gratitude. If you can’t think of anything you’re truly grateful for, don’t try to fake it. Most people can tell when thanks isn’t heartfelt, and fake gratitude is probably worse than none at all.
Lastly, research shows that whether you’re an absolute novice or gratitude guru, everyone can reap the positive benefits of giving and receiving thanks. So, get out there and start encouraging more gratitude in the workplace!
Article Excerpt from the Center of Creative Leadership 2019
Many of us have those very talented friends and colleagues that are always being pursued by other organizations – Some leave; some don’t. Companies are often taken by surprise when the announcement comes that someone they idolized leaves for another opportunity.
In asking those that leave, many of these have rung true….“As you reflect upon the past few years, what missed opportunities did they have to retain you?”
Believe a paycheck is a retention tool. A paycheck, alone, won’t make someone stay.
Act like retention is only HR’s job. People don’t quit their company, they quit their managers and colleagues. Retention is everyone’s job.
Think you know what’s best for your employee’s career. Employees, too, should have a say in how their career develops.
Ignore the importance of culture. If organizational values only exist on a fancy wall poster, culture isn’t being minded.
Not offer professional development. Learning doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. It just needs to happen.
Fail to develop career paths. Career growth doesn’t mean climbing the corporate ladder. It means helping people feel like they’re progressing in their profession.
Don’t tell people they matter. Employees need to feel like they count. Small things add up.
Ignore the little things. Every employer knows your birthday, start date, and other odds and ends about you. If they don’t use this personal information to make you feel valued, they’re missing out on easy opportunities to engage you.
Fail to keep pace with workforce trends. If software is outdated, the dress code doesn’t make sense, and there’s not a lot of focus on the workplace experience, then your business needs to catch up with the rest of the world and develop modern workforce practices.
Treat your top talent like everyone else. If you’ve got superstars, they deserve superstar treatment. (Not diva treatment, they just need special attention so they’re developed for future opportunities.)
We know that work is a relationship between an employer (and leader) and an employee. For any relationship to work, both have to be committed and put their best foot forward.
List first seen in a blog post from Lead Star, September 2019
When it comes to success, we have often been taught the value of IQ through test-taking and traditional education focus.
Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your success than your IQ.
Dweck focuses on two core attitudes: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
Fixed mindset – you believe you are who you are and cannot change. Often leaving you feeling hopeless and overwhelmed when faced with a challenge that is more than you believe you can handle.
Growth mindset – you believe you can improve with effort. With this attitude, most outperform because they embrace challenges and an opportunity to learn.
Many believe having an ability, like being smart, inspires confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy. The deciding factor in life is how you handle setbacks and challenges. People with a growth mindset embrace setbacks as learning opportunities.
According to Dweck, success in life is all about how you deal with failure. She describes the approach to failure of people with the growth mindset this way,
“Failure is information—we label it a failure, but it’s more like, ‘This didn’t work, and I’m a problem solver, so I’ll try something else.'”
Thankfully, your mindset is something you can change and grow. Below are strategies that will help you do just that:
Move beyond helpless. After a failure or being stuck, we can feel helpless. The key is how we react to that feeling. We can either learn from it and move forward or let it drag us down and stay stuck.
Be passionate.What you lack in talent, you can make up for in passion – driving your unrelenting pursuit of excellence.
Take action.This helps eliminate fear and anxiety which can be paralyzing and the best way to overcome them is to take action.
Expect results. This keeps you motivated. If you don’t think you will succeed, you may become discourages or not even try.
Be flexible.Embrace adversity as a means for improvement, as opposed to something that sets you back.
Don’t complain when things don’t go your way.This can become a habit! A growth mindset looks for the opportunity.
What are some ways you encourage others (or yourself) to move from a fixed to a growth mindset?
Meetings. The word can solicit strong feelings about their value and level of effectiveness. Regardless of how you feel about them, meetings are an essential part of most organizations. Many of us practice the standard guidelines for creating a good meeting: creating a clear agenda/meeting objective, keeping time, recapping action items, inviting the right people, etc.
So how can meetings be more engaging and productive? What’s missing?
Knowing your audience’s personality style is often the missing piece.
A personality assessment like EverythingDiSC® can help bridge the gap between employees and optimal workplace communication. For example:
Consider that D-styles prefer meetings with minimal small talk and an agenda that everyone sticks to.
Allow i-styles to flourish by allowing them to express personal opinions and have open discussions with others.
To ensure S-styles feel comfortable, provide them with your meeting’s outline or agenda in advance so they can prepare.
Remember that C-styles don’t do well with making big decisions when they feel rushed or pressured.
These are some of the elements of how knowing your communication style and that of your other meeting participants can make for more effective meetings.
