Has communicating over distance, especially since so many of us work remotely now, really changed over the past few years? Last week’s post about the use of emojis at work raised some hackles among readers. Some fell into the camp of “They’re cute and help create an informal, friendly relationship, stop being such a fuddy-duddy.” The other group (and I’m paraphrasing) believes … [Read more...]
Should Grown-ups Use Emojis at Work?
Email, text, Instant Messaging and other text-based communication has changed the way we work. It’s allowed us to work remotely in ways never imagined only a generation ago. It also has changed the tone, style, and professionalism of that communication. So before you answer the question in our title, here are a couple of other questions for you. What is your reaction when you … [Read more...]
When to Invest in New Virtual Team Tools
If your virtual team is resistant to using new technology, or you’re suffering update fatigue, (I’m looking at you, Microsoft Lync/Skype/Teams/Whatever’s next) I want you to think about this quote from the head of the Roman Empire in England in the year 80: “I lay aside all hopes of any new works or engines of war, the invention of which has reached its limit and in which I … [Read more...]
5 Simple Improvements for Your Webinar Presentations
I have been teaching online presentation skills for a very long time. Since I led my very first WebEx Introduction class almost 12 years ago, a lot has changed. Technology is better—I can’t remember the last time someone joined a webinar on a dial-up modem, and it’s actually harder to find a computer that doesn’t have a webcam than one that does. Here’s what hasn’t changed: … [Read more...]
Listening to Your Email
Here’s a strange question for you: How does your email sound? On one hand, it’s kind of a silly question—there is no sound, email is just words on a screen. If you’re honest though, you know that you can often “hear” the other party in their email, almost as if they were speaking to you. In creative writing, we often speak about “voice.” Voice is the author's style, the … [Read more...]