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...]
How Long-Distance Leaders Can Simplify Learning
A good teacher must be able to put himself in the place of those who find learning hard. -Eliphas Levi, French educator 1810-1875 One of a leader's most important jobs is to help develop the skills of their team members. For many of us, this is why we became managers or leaders in the first place: we love helping others learn and succeed. But remote working … [Read more...]
Good Leaders Adapt as Technology Changes
If you lead a remote team, here’s a quote about technology you should ponder. But maybe not for the reason you think: “Technology gives us the facilities that lessen the barriers of time and distance - the telegraph and cable, the telephone, radio, and the rest.” Emily Green Balch, Nobel Prize Winning economist and sociologist. There are two reasons that this quote (I … [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...]