I almost didn’t attend the presentation yesterday. It was a noontime talk about "Reflective Leadership," the sort of learning opportunity that tends to fall by the wayside when you're busy. Wednesday was looking like a protein-bar-at-my-desk kind of workday as deadlines converged, meetings loomed, and my inbox swelled over capacity.
At the last moment, I decided to make the time.
As often happens, the message I almost didn’t have time for was exactly what I needed to hear.
Joe Cavanaugh, the speaker, leads a local nonprofit called Youth Frontiers. They work with schools to teach children and teenagers about kindness, compassion, character, and values. They hold retreats that fight bullying by helping young people see and connect with one another as human beings. He had a similar message for the grownups in the room today.
As we were waiting for the presentation to begin, the atmosphere was typical of an event where most attendees don’t know each other: a few conversations were sprinkled about, but mostly people sat in their chairs, looked at their smartphones or flipped quietly through the handouts. I checked my iPhone and chimed in on a Facebook discussion with faraway friends. There were people sitting on either side of me in the conference room, but I didn’t notice them. As the presentation began I put away my phone, a little reluctantly, knowing that if I left it out I’d be unable to resist looking at it.
I love technology. My iPad is a constant companion. When something interesting happens to me, I start composing the status update or blog in my head. Many of my closest friends are people I met online. I’m an unapologetic optimist about social media’s ability to connect people, bridge distances, and build communities.
Joe told us to turn to the person next to us and talk for 30 seconds each about our favorite childhood toys. I had never met the gentleman next to me, but after a moment of awkwardness I felt instantly connected with his story of setting up army men in the backyard and staging elaborate scenarios. I recounted my own menagerie of stuffed animals and their fearless leader, the lion.
It’s amazing what happens when people stop, look at one another, and have a simple conversation about something that is personally meaningful. The room sparkled with positive energy. People laughed. My phone suddenly seemed a lot less interesting.
Joe brought us back to attention by saying “We just wasted one minute.” He told us of a few minutes he “wasted” looking at clouds with his daughter, and how those were the most important minutes of his summer.
I won’t attempt to paraphrase his talk, but I can share the message that resonated most with me:
Slow down. Reflect. Notice the people around you. Listen to them. Remember what is most important and remember who is most important.
Technology and social media can help us build communities and connect with people, but they can also isolate us from people in our physical presence.
I’m inspired to do a few things differently:
• I will make more of an effort to smile and greet the people in my presence: store clerks, coworkers in the hallway, the neighbors whose names I don’t know.
• I will think twice before pulling out the phone or iPad in those little moments when conversation is an option: waiting for a meeting to begin, for example.
• I will carve out time in each workday to be human with my coworkers – stepping away from the blinking instant meessages and clusters of email – and dedicating my full attention to a person on the phone or in my presence.
• As a leader, I’ll be extra cognizant of being present and appreciative with my team. No matter how busy I am, they deserve to hear “Good morning” from me and to know that I care about what’s important to them today.
• When I am online, whether at work or at home, I will remember that those friends and coworkers deserve my attention also. I’ll make time to sit down, read their posts, and thoughtfully respond to and acknowledge what they’re communicating. My online friends deserve more than a distracted “like” from me while I’m walking down the street or waiting for takeout, especially if I’m just using the phone as a crutch to avoid eye contact with strangers.
Attention is a precious gift that we can give to one another. It’s worth a lot more when it’s undivided.
I wasted another lunch hour writing this blog… but if someone else needed this message, it was the most productive hour of my day.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Notes From New York: Internal Social Media
Last week, I had the opportunity to represent U.S. Bank at a meeting of Social Media.org, a council of like-minded professionals from large companies. The topic of our meeting was internal social media, or how we use social tools to connect employees. While I can’t share the details of the people or companies who made these statements, here are some of my favorite nuggets of knowledge that I brought home:
Finding expertise – There are people who need information. There are people who have information. In a big company, they may not be aware of who each other are… until the right tool allows them to connect.
Knowledge is power – This isn’t new, but an internal social network turns old dynamics upside down. Sharing knowledge gives you visibility and influence; hoarding knowledge makes you a non-entity. Anyone, anywhere in the organization, can share knowledge and build credibility based on what they know and how well they communicate it.
Leadership support is critical - While social media is a great democratizer, the voices of leaders (especially executives) resonate loudest. You don’t need every leader to be on board right away, but you do need someone to shine the beacon.
Leaders care what employees are saying – Gather key messages and themes from your internal social network and present it to leaders in a format they can use for their Monday meeting.
Asking questions – Even if the answer is in a FAQ somewhere, there is something important and inherently personal about asking a question of an online community. Give people that opportunity: Let them feel heard, valued, and supported through the act of asking and receiving an answer.
Trust your employees – Give real answers from real experts. If an employee is complaining about a benefit change, have a HR leader post a straight explanation of the rationale for the change. People may not agree with every policy, but they respect honesty. Don’t force a communications rep to be a messenger of vague platitudes.
Participation – When setting your expectations for participation, remember the 90-9-1 rule of online communities: 1% of members contribute original content, 9% comment or respond to content, and 90% are lurkers.
Conversations happen - If you’re concerned about giving employees access to social media, because they might have off-topic conversations or share incorrect info… remember that those conversations happen anyway in office hallways or on Facebook. Putting them on an internal social network gives you transparency, insight, a safe environment, and a chance to be part of the dialogue.
Blog your best news – Using a blog lets you brag and share your team’s accomplishments without blasting a self-promoting email to 200 people.
And, a few "Don'ts" -
Don’t design tools for the people who never use them. Find the people who are hungry to use social tools, and design with them in mind. Don’t waste your energy trying to please the people who don’t get it. They’ll adopt the tools eventually, when they’re left with no choice.
Don’t promote the tool for its own sake. Tell true, detailed stories about how social networking will make work easier, will make employees more effective, will solve real problems that people are facing today.
Don’t send everyone through the same training. Technical training should be optional, self-paced, and delivered at the time of need. Policies should be taught through examples: Offer a “social media challenge of the week” and ask employees how they would respond to a realistic scenario. Don’t make everyone sit through a boring class or click through a web-based course that they’ll instantly forget.
I expect more ideas to form as I continue going through my conference notes and having follow-up conversations with the people I met in New York.
Most striking to me was the similarity of our experiences. Even though we were in different companies, across different industries, using different technology, we all faced the same challenges. The adoption curve is steep, culture change is slow, and enterprise technology isn’t always nimble. But learning from each other, talking through our problems, and sharing our suggestions convinced me how important this work is. People are natural collaborators. We’re never going to achieve our best results working in silos, isolated from one another. It’s true for the tireless champions of internal social media at companies around the world, and it’s true for the employees we’re working to connect.
Finding expertise – There are people who need information. There are people who have information. In a big company, they may not be aware of who each other are… until the right tool allows them to connect.
Knowledge is power – This isn’t new, but an internal social network turns old dynamics upside down. Sharing knowledge gives you visibility and influence; hoarding knowledge makes you a non-entity. Anyone, anywhere in the organization, can share knowledge and build credibility based on what they know and how well they communicate it.
Leadership support is critical - While social media is a great democratizer, the voices of leaders (especially executives) resonate loudest. You don’t need every leader to be on board right away, but you do need someone to shine the beacon.
Leaders care what employees are saying – Gather key messages and themes from your internal social network and present it to leaders in a format they can use for their Monday meeting.
Asking questions – Even if the answer is in a FAQ somewhere, there is something important and inherently personal about asking a question of an online community. Give people that opportunity: Let them feel heard, valued, and supported through the act of asking and receiving an answer.
Trust your employees – Give real answers from real experts. If an employee is complaining about a benefit change, have a HR leader post a straight explanation of the rationale for the change. People may not agree with every policy, but they respect honesty. Don’t force a communications rep to be a messenger of vague platitudes.
Participation – When setting your expectations for participation, remember the 90-9-1 rule of online communities: 1% of members contribute original content, 9% comment or respond to content, and 90% are lurkers.
Conversations happen - If you’re concerned about giving employees access to social media, because they might have off-topic conversations or share incorrect info… remember that those conversations happen anyway in office hallways or on Facebook. Putting them on an internal social network gives you transparency, insight, a safe environment, and a chance to be part of the dialogue.
Blog your best news – Using a blog lets you brag and share your team’s accomplishments without blasting a self-promoting email to 200 people.
And, a few "Don'ts" -
Don’t design tools for the people who never use them. Find the people who are hungry to use social tools, and design with them in mind. Don’t waste your energy trying to please the people who don’t get it. They’ll adopt the tools eventually, when they’re left with no choice.
Don’t promote the tool for its own sake. Tell true, detailed stories about how social networking will make work easier, will make employees more effective, will solve real problems that people are facing today.
Don’t send everyone through the same training. Technical training should be optional, self-paced, and delivered at the time of need. Policies should be taught through examples: Offer a “social media challenge of the week” and ask employees how they would respond to a realistic scenario. Don’t make everyone sit through a boring class or click through a web-based course that they’ll instantly forget.
I expect more ideas to form as I continue going through my conference notes and having follow-up conversations with the people I met in New York.
Most striking to me was the similarity of our experiences. Even though we were in different companies, across different industries, using different technology, we all faced the same challenges. The adoption curve is steep, culture change is slow, and enterprise technology isn’t always nimble. But learning from each other, talking through our problems, and sharing our suggestions convinced me how important this work is. People are natural collaborators. We’re never going to achieve our best results working in silos, isolated from one another. It’s true for the tireless champions of internal social media at companies around the world, and it’s true for the employees we’re working to connect.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
5 New(ish) Communication Skills Leaders Need
“I’ll never use Facebook. Forget Linked In; that’s why I have a Rolodex. The symbol # is called pound, and it’s a button on my phone – which is plugged into my wall.”
If this sounds like you, I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is, social media isn’t a trend you’ll be able to wait out. In 10 years, Facebook may look as dated as a pair of acid wash jeans, but the concept of being in simultaneous conversation with just about everyone you know – that idea is significantly, permanently changing the way human beings relate to the world and one another. Leading employees in this world requires us to strengthen and practice a new set of communication skills.
The good news is, you can develop these skills without sending a single tweet.
1. Do dialogue well.
Meetings make us worse at dialogue. In a crowded meeting room, time is limited, and the ideas that prevail are the ones that get spoken aloud before moving to the next agenda topic. Traditional business meetings condition us to await our turn to speak, rather than to listen with an open mind.
Dialogue is fluid, collaborative, and open-ended. With online dialogue, there are no limits to how long your conversation can last and how many voices can be heard. You can comment on a blog written four years ago. In discussion forums, "off-topic" threads tend to be the most lively. Respect this openness and resist the urge to control every conversation or spin it back to a pre-formulated agenda. Creative ideas and surprising connections often come from unstructured conversations.
2. Make feedback a daily habit.
We live in a world where people are accustomed to giving and hearing immediate feedback on matters large and small. On Twitter, people constantly and instantly share their opinions about everything from Congressional decisions to new flavors of potato chips. On Facebook, we post a photo or status update and wait for the comments and “Likes” to roll in.
It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect our employees to only give and receive feedback about their jobs once a year. While annual reviews and surveys are useful tools, conversations about job performance and work environment need to be ongoing. Facebook asks its users “What’s on your mind?” every day. Your employees deserve the same courtesy from you.
3. Be succinct.
Twitter’s magic is brevity. Whether or not you tweet, practice distilling important messages into 140 characters for impact and clarity.
4. Respect communication styles and preferences.
Quick: Identify the introverts and extraverts on your team. Can you do it?
Introverts tend to develop their best ideas through quiet reflection, while extraverts draw energy from social interactions and prefer to “think aloud.” Some people straddle the middle ground, but most of us have a dominant style. If you're unfamiliar with introversion, listen to this TED talk for an insightful explanation.
Engage your team in a variety of ways to let the different styles shine. Use brainstorming meetings to engage extraverts, but send out the materials ahead of time or keep a discussion forum going afterward so that introverts have time to process and analyze the data before responding.
5. Know which tool to use for maximum impact.
Not every message is best expressed via email. I recently blogged about how to choose among the tools in our toolbox. As online communication evolves, we’re likely to see new tools added and refined.
Also, find out the preferred communication tool for each of your employees. Some people appreciate the speed and simplicity of instant messenger, while others find it intrusive. Some people love to talk on the phone, while others order their pizzas online. With more tools than ever, there are more ways to perfectly reach the people with whom you communicate.
Even if your phone is still plugged into a wall.
If this sounds like you, I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is, social media isn’t a trend you’ll be able to wait out. In 10 years, Facebook may look as dated as a pair of acid wash jeans, but the concept of being in simultaneous conversation with just about everyone you know – that idea is significantly, permanently changing the way human beings relate to the world and one another. Leading employees in this world requires us to strengthen and practice a new set of communication skills.
The good news is, you can develop these skills without sending a single tweet.
1. Do dialogue well.
Meetings make us worse at dialogue. In a crowded meeting room, time is limited, and the ideas that prevail are the ones that get spoken aloud before moving to the next agenda topic. Traditional business meetings condition us to await our turn to speak, rather than to listen with an open mind.
Dialogue is fluid, collaborative, and open-ended. With online dialogue, there are no limits to how long your conversation can last and how many voices can be heard. You can comment on a blog written four years ago. In discussion forums, "off-topic" threads tend to be the most lively. Respect this openness and resist the urge to control every conversation or spin it back to a pre-formulated agenda. Creative ideas and surprising connections often come from unstructured conversations.
2. Make feedback a daily habit.
We live in a world where people are accustomed to giving and hearing immediate feedback on matters large and small. On Twitter, people constantly and instantly share their opinions about everything from Congressional decisions to new flavors of potato chips. On Facebook, we post a photo or status update and wait for the comments and “Likes” to roll in.
It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect our employees to only give and receive feedback about their jobs once a year. While annual reviews and surveys are useful tools, conversations about job performance and work environment need to be ongoing. Facebook asks its users “What’s on your mind?” every day. Your employees deserve the same courtesy from you.
3. Be succinct.
Twitter’s magic is brevity. Whether or not you tweet, practice distilling important messages into 140 characters for impact and clarity.
4. Respect communication styles and preferences.
Quick: Identify the introverts and extraverts on your team. Can you do it?
Introverts tend to develop their best ideas through quiet reflection, while extraverts draw energy from social interactions and prefer to “think aloud.” Some people straddle the middle ground, but most of us have a dominant style. If you're unfamiliar with introversion, listen to this TED talk for an insightful explanation.
Engage your team in a variety of ways to let the different styles shine. Use brainstorming meetings to engage extraverts, but send out the materials ahead of time or keep a discussion forum going afterward so that introverts have time to process and analyze the data before responding.
5. Know which tool to use for maximum impact.
Not every message is best expressed via email. I recently blogged about how to choose among the tools in our toolbox. As online communication evolves, we’re likely to see new tools added and refined.
Also, find out the preferred communication tool for each of your employees. Some people appreciate the speed and simplicity of instant messenger, while others find it intrusive. Some people love to talk on the phone, while others order their pizzas online. With more tools than ever, there are more ways to perfectly reach the people with whom you communicate.
Even if your phone is still plugged into a wall.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
E-Mail is a #2 Pencil: Choosing the Right Communication Tool
Most of us learn to draw with crayons and learn to write with a pencil. In elementary school, we’re handed markers, watercolor paints, glue sticks and elbow macaroni. Later, we get access to the dangerous tools like pastels, Xacto knives, and Adobe Creative Suite. If you’re brave and artistic, these tools are liberating. For the rest of us, it’s tempting to keep reaching for those trusty yellow pencils; they feel good in our hands, we remember how to hold them, and we always know which end is the eraser.
The tools we have to communicate with one another are like the supplies in an artist’s tool box. Knowing when to pick up the right one can mean the difference between a masterpiece and the grayest sunset ever.
I’m not claiming to be Rembrandt, but here’s my attempt at organizing the toolbox most of us bring to work each day:
E-Mail
Best features: It’s familiar, comfortable, and everyone uses it. It’s the #2 pencil of communications tools.
Drawbacks: Everyone uses it. Inbox overload is a common problem. Reply-All volleyball matches and unwieldy file attachments are excruciating.
What it’s best for: The two paragraph conversation. Direct requests for action or information. Urgent announcements.
When it doesn’t work: Discussions with large groups, very short messages (consider using instant messenger instead), sensitive topics or contentious debates (just pick up the phone, already!)
Tips for using it well: Be brief, but not curt. Start with a short greeting, and make your request or call to action clear. Close with a word of thanks. The key to using email well is to know when not to use it: If your message is more than three paragraphs long or takes more than 20 minutes to write, set up a meeting instead. If your topic is sensitive and you’re at all concerned about how the other person will react, pick up the phone or talk in person. If your file attachment is bigger than 1 MB, post the document on a file-sharing site and email your audience the link instead. If you’re hoping for a lively back-and-forth conversation with a group, use an online discussion forum.
Instant Messenger
Best features: You can get someone’s attention immediately. The conversation doesn’t linger afterward and clog your inbox. It’s easy to use and you can tell whether someone is available, busy, or offline. You can send file attachments or screenshots.
Drawbacks: Flashing messages can trigger anxiety if you’re busy or get too many at once.
What it’s best for: The two-sentence conversation: Little nuggets of info, quick questions with easy answers.
When it doesn’t work: Long, complex conversations. Requests that require research, follow-up, or a record of the conversation. Discussions with more than 3-4 people.
Tips for using it well: Start conversations with a friendly greeting. If you’re making a request of someone, ask if they have a moment to chat. Set your own status to “In a Meeting” or “Do Not Disturb” or sign out altogether if you are unavailable.
Meetings
Best features: Face to face (or voice to voice) contact strengthens communication with body language, vocal inflection, and full attention (or so we hope).
Drawbacks: Costly, in terms of time - a 1-hour meeting with 20 people costs the bank 20 hours of productivity. In large meetings, more vocal/extraverted participants tend to dominate the conversation.
What it’s best for: Brainstorming with small groups (fewer than 10), making big/high-level announcements to larger groups, team building and camaraderie
When it doesn’t work: Decision making and brainstorming with large groups, presenting detailed information to large groups
Tips for using it well: Keep your meeting small and ask yourself if it’s the best use of everyone’s time. If you’re including more than 10 attendees, consider using a blog (to give news updates) or a discussion forum (to brainstorm or make a decision) instead of or in addition to your meeting. Check out some of my tips for making the most of offsite meetings and conference calls.
Online Discussion Forum
Best features: Enables many:many conversation, where multiple participants can post messages, read, and reply to one another. More effective than meetings at giving everyone a voice, especially introverts.
Drawbacks: Newer technology, has a learning curve. People often need to be reminded to participate (email helps). Depending on your company's available technology, creating a forum or community with all of your participants may require extra effort.
What it’s best for: Brainstorming and problem-solving with groups of 5 or more. Socializing and team building with a geographically diverse group. Crowdsourcing – posing a question to a large group without knowing exactly who will have the answer.
When it doesn’t work: Quick decisions or strong declarations – If you open yourself up to everyone’s input, be prepared to receive and listen to it.
Tips for using it well: Follow the same rules of politeness that you would in a meeting. Don't try to rein in the conversation if it veers slightly off-topic; the magic of this medium is its openness.
Blog
Best features: Easy online publishing, supports sharing of photos and videos, allows user comments, reach an interested audience without imposing on people’s time or inbox space.
Drawbacks: Learning curve. Depending on where you post it, your blog may attract readers outside of your intended audience.
What it’s best for: Project updates, leadership messaging, knowledge sharing, an elegant alternative to meetings and emails
When it doesn’t work: Urgent messages – Since blogging is a “pull” communication method, your readers may not find you right away unless you email them.
Tips for using it well: The next time you're getting ready to send a mass email to your team, copy/paste the message into a blog instead, and email your team the link. See how they respond.
The tools we have to communicate with one another are like the supplies in an artist’s tool box. Knowing when to pick up the right one can mean the difference between a masterpiece and the grayest sunset ever.
I’m not claiming to be Rembrandt, but here’s my attempt at organizing the toolbox most of us bring to work each day:
Best features: It’s familiar, comfortable, and everyone uses it. It’s the #2 pencil of communications tools.
Drawbacks: Everyone uses it. Inbox overload is a common problem. Reply-All volleyball matches and unwieldy file attachments are excruciating.
What it’s best for: The two paragraph conversation. Direct requests for action or information. Urgent announcements.
When it doesn’t work: Discussions with large groups, very short messages (consider using instant messenger instead), sensitive topics or contentious debates (just pick up the phone, already!)
Tips for using it well: Be brief, but not curt. Start with a short greeting, and make your request or call to action clear. Close with a word of thanks. The key to using email well is to know when not to use it: If your message is more than three paragraphs long or takes more than 20 minutes to write, set up a meeting instead. If your topic is sensitive and you’re at all concerned about how the other person will react, pick up the phone or talk in person. If your file attachment is bigger than 1 MB, post the document on a file-sharing site and email your audience the link instead. If you’re hoping for a lively back-and-forth conversation with a group, use an online discussion forum.
Instant Messenger
Best features: You can get someone’s attention immediately. The conversation doesn’t linger afterward and clog your inbox. It’s easy to use and you can tell whether someone is available, busy, or offline. You can send file attachments or screenshots.
Drawbacks: Flashing messages can trigger anxiety if you’re busy or get too many at once.
What it’s best for: The two-sentence conversation: Little nuggets of info, quick questions with easy answers.
When it doesn’t work: Long, complex conversations. Requests that require research, follow-up, or a record of the conversation. Discussions with more than 3-4 people.
Tips for using it well: Start conversations with a friendly greeting. If you’re making a request of someone, ask if they have a moment to chat. Set your own status to “In a Meeting” or “Do Not Disturb” or sign out altogether if you are unavailable.
Meetings
Best features: Face to face (or voice to voice) contact strengthens communication with body language, vocal inflection, and full attention (or so we hope).
Drawbacks: Costly, in terms of time - a 1-hour meeting with 20 people costs the bank 20 hours of productivity. In large meetings, more vocal/extraverted participants tend to dominate the conversation.
What it’s best for: Brainstorming with small groups (fewer than 10), making big/high-level announcements to larger groups, team building and camaraderie
When it doesn’t work: Decision making and brainstorming with large groups, presenting detailed information to large groups
Tips for using it well: Keep your meeting small and ask yourself if it’s the best use of everyone’s time. If you’re including more than 10 attendees, consider using a blog (to give news updates) or a discussion forum (to brainstorm or make a decision) instead of or in addition to your meeting. Check out some of my tips for making the most of offsite meetings and conference calls.
Online Discussion Forum
Best features: Enables many:many conversation, where multiple participants can post messages, read, and reply to one another. More effective than meetings at giving everyone a voice, especially introverts.
Drawbacks: Newer technology, has a learning curve. People often need to be reminded to participate (email helps). Depending on your company's available technology, creating a forum or community with all of your participants may require extra effort.
What it’s best for: Brainstorming and problem-solving with groups of 5 or more. Socializing and team building with a geographically diverse group. Crowdsourcing – posing a question to a large group without knowing exactly who will have the answer.
When it doesn’t work: Quick decisions or strong declarations – If you open yourself up to everyone’s input, be prepared to receive and listen to it.
Tips for using it well: Follow the same rules of politeness that you would in a meeting. Don't try to rein in the conversation if it veers slightly off-topic; the magic of this medium is its openness.
Blog
Best features: Easy online publishing, supports sharing of photos and videos, allows user comments, reach an interested audience without imposing on people’s time or inbox space.
Drawbacks: Learning curve. Depending on where you post it, your blog may attract readers outside of your intended audience.
What it’s best for: Project updates, leadership messaging, knowledge sharing, an elegant alternative to meetings and emails
When it doesn’t work: Urgent messages – Since blogging is a “pull” communication method, your readers may not find you right away unless you email them.
Tips for using it well: The next time you're getting ready to send a mass email to your team, copy/paste the message into a blog instead, and email your team the link. See how they respond.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Bacon and Blackberries: 6 Tips for Offsite Meetings
"Offsite meeting."
For most business people, these words evoke the sensation of dozing off in a stuffy conference room far from home.
Last week, I attended a really good offsite. My leader brought our 70-member department together for 2 1/2 days, and it was energizing, thought-provoking, and fun. On the way home, I pondered how she pulled off this feat.
1. Location, location, location.
The worst place for an offsite: A conference room in your own building. Sure, it’s easy and inexpensive, but it’s also not off-site. Familiar surroundings promote everyday thinking. Offsites are designed to elevate the level of thinking, to accomplish things that are important and distinct from the day-to-day work.
Last week's offsite was held at Friendship Park in Cincinnati; we were in a beautiful, well-ventilated building with a glass wall that provided a view of the park. The occasional distractions of joggers and Segway tours were offset by the pretty scenery and the sense that we were in a space without boundaries.
The perfect location might be right under your nose. At a prior job, my manager held an offsite at her house. It was a lovely home, and it gave us a chance to connect with her and each other on a more personal level.
2. Don’t do anything for longer than an hour.
With the exception of Hollywood blockbusters, there aren’t many things people will enjoy sitting and watching for more than one hour. If you have four hours worth of content to share, chunk it up. Have one speaker present for an hour, then give the group a break, then do an interactive and fun activity before bringing out the next speaker.
3. Be present, literally and mentally.
The Blackberry stays on the table.
My department is made up of busy people, and each of us had left our cell phone number on our voicemail message in case of a work emergency. The ground rules were laid out early: If your phone rings, you may step outside and take the call, but everything else can wait.
It makes a noticeable difference when you’re in a room full of people who are not multi-tasking. When the devices are set down, the emails are ignored, and we’re all focused on the conversation happening in the room right now, the time together is more productive and powerful.
4. Food matters.
I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m still waiting for a scientific study that shows the effects of conference food on attendees’ learning and participation. But here’s my hypothesis:
Two or three hours after eating, blood sugar drops and a person’s energy level plummets. The cliff is steeper if that last meal was heavy on the simple carbs. If you stuff people full of doughy sandwiches and cookies at noon, then take away all food until dinner, prepare for a pretty exhausted audience by about 3 p.m.
My ideal offsite would have a continuous supply of snacks, including protein-rich snacks like cheese, nuts, and yogurt. We had a 2 p.m. delivery of energy bars and trail mix. The only thing that might have been better: Bacon.
5. Structure the social.
One side benefit of an offsite is that teams who don’t regularly work together have a chance to build rapport. To maximize this, plan a group dinner or activities during the offsite that encourage socializing. Mix up the seating and group assignments to shake up comfortable cliques and make new connections easier to forge.
At my recent offsite, we had plenty of chances to connect: A scavenger hunt and small group brainstorming sessions with randomly assigned teams, and a group dinner where everybody had freedom to mingle.
6. Let things sink in.
On the third day of our offsite, after a morning full of presentations and lively discussion, everyone was exhausted. When we wrapped up, my coworkers and I headed to the airport – where we all agreed it was OK to not talk to one another for awhile.
Introverts need time alone to recharge. Everyone benefits from some quiet space to process the new ideas that have been stirred up, to pick up loose threads of thought and follow them to interesting places.
The best way to conclude an offsite is with a little quiet space. End early. Send people home for the afternoon, or encourage them to take some hours off on the following day. Jumping right back into workday stress (compounded by a few days out of the office, yikes) is a sure way to wipe out the fresh ideas that you invested so much time and effort in cultivating.
What do you think of offsite meetings? What are some of the best and worst things that you’ve experienced?
For most business people, these words evoke the sensation of dozing off in a stuffy conference room far from home.
Last week, I attended a really good offsite. My leader brought our 70-member department together for 2 1/2 days, and it was energizing, thought-provoking, and fun. On the way home, I pondered how she pulled off this feat.
1. Location, location, location.
The worst place for an offsite: A conference room in your own building. Sure, it’s easy and inexpensive, but it’s also not off-site. Familiar surroundings promote everyday thinking. Offsites are designed to elevate the level of thinking, to accomplish things that are important and distinct from the day-to-day work.
Last week's offsite was held at Friendship Park in Cincinnati; we were in a beautiful, well-ventilated building with a glass wall that provided a view of the park. The occasional distractions of joggers and Segway tours were offset by the pretty scenery and the sense that we were in a space without boundaries.
The perfect location might be right under your nose. At a prior job, my manager held an offsite at her house. It was a lovely home, and it gave us a chance to connect with her and each other on a more personal level.
2. Don’t do anything for longer than an hour.
With the exception of Hollywood blockbusters, there aren’t many things people will enjoy sitting and watching for more than one hour. If you have four hours worth of content to share, chunk it up. Have one speaker present for an hour, then give the group a break, then do an interactive and fun activity before bringing out the next speaker.
3. Be present, literally and mentally.
The Blackberry stays on the table.
My department is made up of busy people, and each of us had left our cell phone number on our voicemail message in case of a work emergency. The ground rules were laid out early: If your phone rings, you may step outside and take the call, but everything else can wait.
It makes a noticeable difference when you’re in a room full of people who are not multi-tasking. When the devices are set down, the emails are ignored, and we’re all focused on the conversation happening in the room right now, the time together is more productive and powerful.
4. Food matters.
I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m still waiting for a scientific study that shows the effects of conference food on attendees’ learning and participation. But here’s my hypothesis:
Two or three hours after eating, blood sugar drops and a person’s energy level plummets. The cliff is steeper if that last meal was heavy on the simple carbs. If you stuff people full of doughy sandwiches and cookies at noon, then take away all food until dinner, prepare for a pretty exhausted audience by about 3 p.m.
My ideal offsite would have a continuous supply of snacks, including protein-rich snacks like cheese, nuts, and yogurt. We had a 2 p.m. delivery of energy bars and trail mix. The only thing that might have been better: Bacon.
5. Structure the social.
One side benefit of an offsite is that teams who don’t regularly work together have a chance to build rapport. To maximize this, plan a group dinner or activities during the offsite that encourage socializing. Mix up the seating and group assignments to shake up comfortable cliques and make new connections easier to forge.
At my recent offsite, we had plenty of chances to connect: A scavenger hunt and small group brainstorming sessions with randomly assigned teams, and a group dinner where everybody had freedom to mingle.
6. Let things sink in.
On the third day of our offsite, after a morning full of presentations and lively discussion, everyone was exhausted. When we wrapped up, my coworkers and I headed to the airport – where we all agreed it was OK to not talk to one another for awhile.
Introverts need time alone to recharge. Everyone benefits from some quiet space to process the new ideas that have been stirred up, to pick up loose threads of thought and follow them to interesting places.
The best way to conclude an offsite is with a little quiet space. End early. Send people home for the afternoon, or encourage them to take some hours off on the following day. Jumping right back into workday stress (compounded by a few days out of the office, yikes) is a sure way to wipe out the fresh ideas that you invested so much time and effort in cultivating.
What do you think of offsite meetings? What are some of the best and worst things that you’ve experienced?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
8 Ways to Rock a Conference Call
I spend a lot of time on the phone. Talking to people is a big part of my job, and most of the people I need to talk to aren't in the same building or even the same city. I've been on awesome conference calls, I've been on unfortunate conference calls, and I've facilitated my share of both.
I've compiled these tips based on some of the best calls I've observed, the ones where I hang up the phone and think "Wow, we got a lot done!" or "I can't wait to get working on this project!"
Here are 5 tips for facilitators, and 3 for attendees. I'd also love to hear your tips.
1. Send a detailed meeting invitation. In the meeting description, let your invitees know what the meeting is about, why you invited them, and what action you expect from them both before and during the meeting. Include your conference call number, link to the Sametime meeting (if applicable), and attachments or links to any documents you'd like your participants to review. If you need to add details later, open the invite on your calendar and save the updates directly into the meeting invitation. Nobody enjoys starting a meeting by scrambling through a cluttered Inbox trying to find all the details.
2. Get to know your conference line. I recently learned that, on my company's conferencing system, you can press *5 to mute all lines except your own. This is perfect if you're experiencing background noise, or if one of your attendees is eating a crunchy sandwich or puts you on hold. Just be sure to tell your participants to press *6 to un-mute if they'd like to ask a question or make a comment.
Our system has a default setting in which a robotic voice instructs callers: "Please state your name, then press the pound key." One day, I called into my own conference line and didn't press 1 to begin my meeting. I stayed on the phone with the friendly robot to listen to what other options she had for me. It turned out, this feature could be turned off. I like to think that anyone who dials into one of my conference calls is getting precious seconds of his or her life back.
3. Boost interactivity with online meetings. I recently attended a meeting where the presenter used the Sametime Whiteboard to brainstorm ideas with 30 people. It was great: Everyone got a chance to be heard, nobody talked over one another, and lots of great ideas were captured. Other fun tools include screen sharing, live polls, and group chat. Group chat and hand-raising are handy ways for large audiences to ask questions without interrupting the speaker.
4. Mind the time. If your meeting's agenda is packed with multiple topics or speakers, allocate a time for each, and clearly communicate it to all presenters well in advance. Build in some buffer time and schedule Q&A at the end of your call, so that none of your speakers feel rushed.
Do you or your presenters tend to ramble? (I do!) Have a designated timekeeper on your call watch the clock and send speakers an instant message with 5-minute and 2-minute warnings when it's time to wrap up. If there's just NO way you can fairly cover a topic in 15 minutes, give it the time it deserves and set up a dedicated call.
Ending on time is a basic courtesy, but to rock your call, end 5 minutes early, The best gift that you can give to a coworker who's been on back-to-back conference calls all day is a sweet little 5-minute respite to stretch, get something to drink, or use the restroom before the next meeting.
5. Don't read your slides. Think of your PowerPoint deck as a complement to your presentation, not as the presentation itself. If you're using your slides to anchor key points of your presentation, be brief (7-10 words per key point, up to 3 key points per slide). If you're including the slides as reference material, you can be more verbose, but resist the urge to read the slides aloud to your audience. Your spoken commentary should include examples, stories, and context for the points in your presentation.
6. Do your pre-work. Set aside some time at the beginning of the week and at the beginning of each day to look through your upcoming meetings. Is there any pre-work or reading required? Do you have a good understanding of what's expected of you and what each meeting will be about?
7. Know the difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak. I'm one of those extraverted people who's very excited to share my own ideas, so I've had to make a conscious effort to listen more closely. I take copious notes. Taking notes on others' comments helps me listen and absorb their ideas more effectively. Jotting down my own ideas helps me remember them and clear them out of my mind so I can give others my full attention.
8. Resist the multi-tasking urge. I can't tell you to stop multi-tasking altogether, but know that you can't rock a conference call unless you're truly present. Switch your instant message status so it automatically shows that you're in a meeting. If that doesn't work, change to "Do Not Disturb" or sign out altogether. I have found that signing out of email, while scary at first, is a good way to minimize distraction.
If I'm feeling incredibly restless, sometimes I'll pick up a physical task such as cleaning. My hands are occupied, but my ears and brain are on the conference call. I've been known to remove and clean under every key on my keyboard, just so I could keep my attention focused on a really important call (and because, frankly, it was kind of gross under there).
You're not going to rock every call. There will always be calls that are just plain old status updates, short and utilitarian run-downs of straightforward facts. But when it really counts, when you're making decisions or charting new courses or looking to WOW an audience, try some of these tricks and perhaps your call will be the one everyone remembers.
I've compiled these tips based on some of the best calls I've observed, the ones where I hang up the phone and think "Wow, we got a lot done!" or "I can't wait to get working on this project!"
Here are 5 tips for facilitators, and 3 for attendees. I'd also love to hear your tips.
If you're leading the call...
1. Send a detailed meeting invitation. In the meeting description, let your invitees know what the meeting is about, why you invited them, and what action you expect from them both before and during the meeting. Include your conference call number, link to the Sametime meeting (if applicable), and attachments or links to any documents you'd like your participants to review. If you need to add details later, open the invite on your calendar and save the updates directly into the meeting invitation. Nobody enjoys starting a meeting by scrambling through a cluttered Inbox trying to find all the details.
2. Get to know your conference line. I recently learned that, on my company's conferencing system, you can press *5 to mute all lines except your own. This is perfect if you're experiencing background noise, or if one of your attendees is eating a crunchy sandwich or puts you on hold. Just be sure to tell your participants to press *6 to un-mute if they'd like to ask a question or make a comment.
Our system has a default setting in which a robotic voice instructs callers: "Please state your name, then press the pound key." One day, I called into my own conference line and didn't press 1 to begin my meeting. I stayed on the phone with the friendly robot to listen to what other options she had for me. It turned out, this feature could be turned off. I like to think that anyone who dials into one of my conference calls is getting precious seconds of his or her life back.
3. Boost interactivity with online meetings. I recently attended a meeting where the presenter used the Sametime Whiteboard to brainstorm ideas with 30 people. It was great: Everyone got a chance to be heard, nobody talked over one another, and lots of great ideas were captured. Other fun tools include screen sharing, live polls, and group chat. Group chat and hand-raising are handy ways for large audiences to ask questions without interrupting the speaker.
4. Mind the time. If your meeting's agenda is packed with multiple topics or speakers, allocate a time for each, and clearly communicate it to all presenters well in advance. Build in some buffer time and schedule Q&A at the end of your call, so that none of your speakers feel rushed.
Do you or your presenters tend to ramble? (I do!) Have a designated timekeeper on your call watch the clock and send speakers an instant message with 5-minute and 2-minute warnings when it's time to wrap up. If there's just NO way you can fairly cover a topic in 15 minutes, give it the time it deserves and set up a dedicated call.
Ending on time is a basic courtesy, but to rock your call, end 5 minutes early, The best gift that you can give to a coworker who's been on back-to-back conference calls all day is a sweet little 5-minute respite to stretch, get something to drink, or use the restroom before the next meeting.
5. Don't read your slides. Think of your PowerPoint deck as a complement to your presentation, not as the presentation itself. If you're using your slides to anchor key points of your presentation, be brief (7-10 words per key point, up to 3 key points per slide). If you're including the slides as reference material, you can be more verbose, but resist the urge to read the slides aloud to your audience. Your spoken commentary should include examples, stories, and context for the points in your presentation.
If you're a participant...
6. Do your pre-work. Set aside some time at the beginning of the week and at the beginning of each day to look through your upcoming meetings. Is there any pre-work or reading required? Do you have a good understanding of what's expected of you and what each meeting will be about?
7. Know the difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak. I'm one of those extraverted people who's very excited to share my own ideas, so I've had to make a conscious effort to listen more closely. I take copious notes. Taking notes on others' comments helps me listen and absorb their ideas more effectively. Jotting down my own ideas helps me remember them and clear them out of my mind so I can give others my full attention.
8. Resist the multi-tasking urge. I can't tell you to stop multi-tasking altogether, but know that you can't rock a conference call unless you're truly present. Switch your instant message status so it automatically shows that you're in a meeting. If that doesn't work, change to "Do Not Disturb" or sign out altogether. I have found that signing out of email, while scary at first, is a good way to minimize distraction.
If I'm feeling incredibly restless, sometimes I'll pick up a physical task such as cleaning. My hands are occupied, but my ears and brain are on the conference call. I've been known to remove and clean under every key on my keyboard, just so I could keep my attention focused on a really important call (and because, frankly, it was kind of gross under there).
You're not going to rock every call. There will always be calls that are just plain old status updates, short and utilitarian run-downs of straightforward facts. But when it really counts, when you're making decisions or charting new courses or looking to WOW an audience, try some of these tricks and perhaps your call will be the one everyone remembers.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Never Microwave Fish in the Break Room (and other career advice)
1. If the question begins with "Can you?" the answer is almost always "Yes."
At a few pivotal points in my career, my managers asked me questions beginning with "Can you..." and ending with something that I'd never done before. "Can you write a business case?" "Can you lead a WebEx meeting?" "Can you prepare a SWOT analysis?" I said Yes each time, knowing that between the company's resources, Google, and Amazon.com, I could find the information I needed to learn those skills and complete the task at hand.
Through this approach, I've discovered my own talents and interests, as when my spontaneous offer to teach a class about payroll taxes led me toward a rewarding 3-year stint as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. In other cases, I've bumped against my limits - A painful sojourn with Microsoft Access taught me to cross "data analyst" off my list of prospective career paths.
I'm not saying you should be dishonest or oversell your experience, but most of us undersell our capabilities because we're waiting for someone to give us training or permission to acquire a new skill. Have courage in your own resourcefulness and take a request to do something new as an invitation to learn.
2. Sometimes you have to butter your toast with a screwdriver.
Have you ever been asked to do something using entirely the wrong tool? It's hard and it's awkward and tempting to just bail on the whole project or wait for the technology to be perfect before moving forward. That was how it felt 3 years ago, when employee social networking was new at the bank. We had a clunky old tool in which discussion forums required multiple clicks into folders and nobody had a profile photo. Because the outcome (connecting employees to each other online) was worthwhile, the core team of believers channeled our inner McGyvers and made it work, moving the project forward.
You won't always have the right tool to easily accomplish your goals, but if your goals are worth fighting for, you can still make progress through creativity and persistence. Butter your toast with a screwdriver. When you have the option, ask politely for a butter knife.
3. Never microwave fish in the break room.
Remember that you don't work alone. No matter where you sit, no matter what you do, the actions that you take have an impact on other people.
Also, fish smells gross.
4. I'm rubber, you're glue.
Remember the old playground taunt, "Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you?" There's a grain of truth here that can serve you well in your career.
The things you say about other people reflect on your own brand. If you describe every coworker as stubborn, or difficult to work with, or other less tactful terms, those words are actually shaping people's perception of you. This is why you so often see authors giving glowing testimonials on one another's book jackets: If I describe someone else's work as innovative or captivating, then people will associate those words with me.
There's a mistaken perception that you have to cut down others to get ahead or promote your own brand - This approach can only take you so far, before everyone around you catches on that the common theme in all of your toxic work relationships is you.
5. Whether you choose to find fault or you choose to find possibility, you'll have no trouble finding it.
The simplest but most important lesson that I've learned in my career is that my attitude is my choice. I choose to believe in my strengths and those of the people with whom I'm privileged to work. I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt and take an optimistic approach to my life and work.
It's very easy to find faults in any complex system: A company, a family, a society. Focusing on the faults reveals more faults, and it quickly becomes a reinforcing loop. Taking an appreciative approach, and focusing on the strengths and gifts and possibilities in the workplace, is a much more rewarding and enjoyable way to spend one's career.
Also, salads make great lunches.
At a few pivotal points in my career, my managers asked me questions beginning with "Can you..." and ending with something that I'd never done before. "Can you write a business case?" "Can you lead a WebEx meeting?" "Can you prepare a SWOT analysis?" I said Yes each time, knowing that between the company's resources, Google, and Amazon.com, I could find the information I needed to learn those skills and complete the task at hand.
Through this approach, I've discovered my own talents and interests, as when my spontaneous offer to teach a class about payroll taxes led me toward a rewarding 3-year stint as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. In other cases, I've bumped against my limits - A painful sojourn with Microsoft Access taught me to cross "data analyst" off my list of prospective career paths.
I'm not saying you should be dishonest or oversell your experience, but most of us undersell our capabilities because we're waiting for someone to give us training or permission to acquire a new skill. Have courage in your own resourcefulness and take a request to do something new as an invitation to learn.
2. Sometimes you have to butter your toast with a screwdriver.
Have you ever been asked to do something using entirely the wrong tool? It's hard and it's awkward and tempting to just bail on the whole project or wait for the technology to be perfect before moving forward. That was how it felt 3 years ago, when employee social networking was new at the bank. We had a clunky old tool in which discussion forums required multiple clicks into folders and nobody had a profile photo. Because the outcome (connecting employees to each other online) was worthwhile, the core team of believers channeled our inner McGyvers and made it work, moving the project forward.
You won't always have the right tool to easily accomplish your goals, but if your goals are worth fighting for, you can still make progress through creativity and persistence. Butter your toast with a screwdriver. When you have the option, ask politely for a butter knife.
3. Never microwave fish in the break room.
Remember that you don't work alone. No matter where you sit, no matter what you do, the actions that you take have an impact on other people.
Also, fish smells gross.
4. I'm rubber, you're glue.
Remember the old playground taunt, "Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you?" There's a grain of truth here that can serve you well in your career.
The things you say about other people reflect on your own brand. If you describe every coworker as stubborn, or difficult to work with, or other less tactful terms, those words are actually shaping people's perception of you. This is why you so often see authors giving glowing testimonials on one another's book jackets: If I describe someone else's work as innovative or captivating, then people will associate those words with me.
There's a mistaken perception that you have to cut down others to get ahead or promote your own brand - This approach can only take you so far, before everyone around you catches on that the common theme in all of your toxic work relationships is you.
5. Whether you choose to find fault or you choose to find possibility, you'll have no trouble finding it.
The simplest but most important lesson that I've learned in my career is that my attitude is my choice. I choose to believe in my strengths and those of the people with whom I'm privileged to work. I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt and take an optimistic approach to my life and work.
It's very easy to find faults in any complex system: A company, a family, a society. Focusing on the faults reveals more faults, and it quickly becomes a reinforcing loop. Taking an appreciative approach, and focusing on the strengths and gifts and possibilities in the workplace, is a much more rewarding and enjoyable way to spend one's career.
Also, salads make great lunches.
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