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...]
Little Things that Add Up for Long-Distance Leaders
You might not have a favorite Greek philosopher, but I do. And you might not think someone who wrote at the time of the Roman Emperor Nero would be relevant to leading a remote team, but you’d be wrong. My boy Epictetus is still relevant. Particularly relevant today is this quote: “Practice yourself, for heaven's sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.” Yes, good … [Read more...]
Online Presentations: Be the Prosecutor not the Detective
This is the fourth and final installment of a series designed to make online presenting less intimidating and more effective. As online presenters, we are often distracted by the nagging fear that our audience is tuning out or just not getting what we are trying to share with them. I hate to tell you, but your fears are probably justified. And the reason has nothing to do with … [Read more...]
A Crazy Solution for Your Remote Communication Problems
What is the biggest complaint remote workers have about remote communication their colleagues? If you guessed too many emails, or being barraged by Slack messages, you’re in the top ten. But when we recently asked people “What’s the thing that drives you craziest about working with remote workers?” the answer was a little surprising. “I hate talking on the phone. I prefer … [Read more...]
Hello, Is Anybody in There? 6 Ways to Elicit Feedback in Web Meetings
One of the most frustrating things about leading virtual meetings is not being able to answer a simple question: are they out there and just listening silently, or are they silent because they aren’t really paying attention? The problem is that they can sound the same to your ears. How do you know the difference? Here are just a few simple ideas to help you get the feedback … [Read more...]