Thanks to those who have joined me for the complimentary Virtual Community Calls. Missed them? Click here to catch up.

Welcome to the February 2019 EVC newsletter!
Welcome back to the February 2019 Effective Virtual Conversations newsletter.

It seems like more and more teams are jumping into the virtual and remote workspace, whether out of necessity as we saw recently where the deep freeze and winter conditions meant that people had to work remote, or whether out of choice.

The interest in this topic is apparent to me in that last month's EVC call on 5 Virtual Team Builders has received a higher than usual amount of traffic.

With this in mind, I wanted to spotlight one area I covered - two exercises for building connection across virtual teams.

If you are on my Group and Team Coaching Mailing list you may have already seen the Building Virtual Team Culture article I wrote - sign up here or read the article here.

Due to interest, I'm moving the start date of the next Effective Virtual Conversations virtual training up by a few weeks. The next session will start on Friday March 1st with calls being held Fridays from 11:45 - 1 pm ET on March 1, 8, 22, 29 and April 6, 2019. Reserve your spot here.

I hope that you will continue to find my monthly newsletter a useful resource to refer to. Drop me an email and let me know what your biggest question is around the virtual space, and I'll look to include the response in a future newsletter! Hit send now and let me know what your question is.

In addition to the monthly EVC community calls on Mondays (usually the 2nd week of the month from 11 - 11:30 am ET) I am also hosting a monthly call for the new PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner for Virtual and Remote Professionals I launched just before Christmas. Part annual planner, part workbook, this resource is geared for virtual and remote professionals. You can pick up a signed copy here in the newsletter (scroll down) or pick up a copy on Amazon.

If you are on Instagram be sure to follow along the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series I am hosting at the CoachingBizBuilder on Instgram. Each day I release a new prompt, geared to get you reflecting on, and taking action, on your work or business.

In this month's newsletter you'll find:
  • This month's article on two activities to build connection across your virtual team
  • Links to the EVC community calls and recordings including 5 Virtual Team Builders and this month's Collaborating Virtually
  • Link to a new video highlighting what we cover in the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program - View it here.
 
Resources To Support You In Your Work
 
Join me at the Conversation Sparker Zone - a online community space where you can explore topics related to virtual conversations, team development, coaching and business development. Sign up and join us here.
 
   
My January article for the Coaching Tools Company focused on 5 Ways to Work around Vision with Teams and Groups  - read it here .
 
A new on-demand program covering 19 Productivity Tips. Whether we are a business owner or team member, getting things done efficiently is key to success. I've pulled together a short video-based program which takes you through 19 core areas to explore, and take action around, to boost your productivity. This program is also supported by bi-weekly live Q and A calls which I'll be hosting until June of this year (Fridays 2:30 - 2:55 pm ET 1st and 3rd Fridays). Check it out here.
 
Every Monday at the Teams365 blog I post an Effective Virtual Conversations tip. This week we're at Tip #80. Check out my weekly EVC tips at the Teams365 blog.  
 

The Effective Virtual Conversations Playlist of some of the past calls including the 5 Virtual Team Builders - View it here on YouTube.  
 
Don't forget to download the templates that accompany the book - If you have your own copy of Effective Virtual Conversations you'll find the code on page x (yes that's x) of the book!

Save the Dates! 
March's EVC call is going to be held on Monday March 25 from 11 - 11:30 am ET on Making It Stick - Retention in Virtual Sessions - Webinars, Group and Team Coaching and Virtual Meetings  This call will be held in my zoom room ( https://zoom.us/j/2703020415) . This is a complimentary call. 
 
Community Calls for my new publications - Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner - for coaches wanting to grow their business and focus on planning. The March 2019 call will be held on Monday March 4 2019 from 11 - 11:30 am ET.
  
 Download a one page flyer about the new PlanDoTrack publication for virtual and remote profesionals. Be sure to share with interested colleagues. You can order a signed copy directly from me at the end of this month's newsletter.
 

 

Article:  Two activities to build connection across your virtual group or team

Teams excel when they trust each other and  when they know each other. One of the more common questions I receive is how do you build connection across a virtual and remote team?

This month's article explores two different activities you might incorporate into your work:

Exercise #1 - COINS
This exercise involves team members selecting some change/coins that they have available at their desk (or maybe in their pocket or their briefcase or purse).

First they need to select a coins and then to notice what is the year on that coin.

The invitation is to share one thing about your work, your life, or what you were doing in the world during that year.

So perhaps I picked 2004. That was the year Potentials Realized, my company was started. Maybe I pick a coin that was 2009, which was the first year one of my books was published - Effective Group Coaching, or maybe I picked 2017 and I decided to talk a little bit about releasing Effective Virtual Conversations.

So coins is a lower risk exercise. Hopefully people have materials on hand.
This exercise can be a real conversation starter especially if you are working with a global team. It is interesting for people to show their national coinage. It also gives people a chance to talk a little bit more about how coins operate or how currency operates in their own context.

Exercise #2 - ICONS

Another exercise I use regularly in helping teams get to know each other, and stat to build trust  is sharing a slide which has a variety of icons on it. You will see an example below. While I show this on the screen I have select an icon which represents what they are bringing to the group/team that day or what they are thinking about around the topic we are exploring.

This exercise has the advantage of providing a springboard for some interesting themes to emerge in the conversation.

Here's an example of a recent icons slide I shared. I purchased the original graphic over at Adobe Stock.

What are some of the quick ways you are inviting team members to share more about themselves at team meetings?

Want to get more done?
Looking for a structured exploration of 19 different ways to boost your productivity in your work or business?

Join me for the 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program.Take part in this 20 part video-based program at your own pace, and join me bi-weekly for short Q and A calls on Fridays from 2:30 - 2:55 pm ET (1st and 3rd weeks of the month) from now to July 2019.

Cost: $129 US


Upcoming programs to support you with your own virtual programming:
 
Reserve your spot in these upcoming programs:

Group Coaching Essentials - Looking to add group coaching to your mix? The Group Coaching Essentials program provides you with an overview of the best practices around deigning, marketing and implementing group coaching (for corporate and public groups, in person and virtual). Calls will be held on Fridays from 10:15 - 11:30 am ET on March 22, 29, April 5, 12, 26. 8.75 CCEs with the ICF. $450 US: 1 spot still open:
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Virtual Facilitation Essentials - Take your virtual calls to the next level by getting the foundations of best practices around design and marketing of virtual sessions of all kinds  (virtual sessions, webinars, online and video-based programs) . 8.5 CCEs with the ICF. The spring session will be held on Fridays from 11:45 - 1 pm Eastern/Toronto with calls on March 1, 8, 15, 29 and April 5. Cost: $450 US. More info here or use this link to register.
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Virtual Facilitation Practicum - For those looking for practice and feedback on their virtual skills join us for part two of the VFE series. This program picks up with what you learned in the Essentials and translates it into practice. Six calls of 75 minutes of practice and feedback - exploring the hands-on HOW tos of topics such as session facilitation, video creation, and breakouts. This will begin in late April/early May, following the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program. Reserve your spot: $495 US
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  Learning Lab and Design Studio. Looking for a space to focus in your own programming work? Looking for continued learning about working with groups and teams and a space to take action? The Learning Lab and Design Studio meets twice a month on
Fridays from 8:45 - 9:30 am ET join us for a monthly focus - one lecture call and one hands on facilitation lab.
Our February Focus was on Video Based Learning
 Video-based learning  takes many forms from on-demand courses, to content to include in webinars, to creating short marketing videos.

Group members have access to a robust library of monthly articles and templates (more than 3 years worth!) and quarterly have access to Design Hacks and Virtual Retreats. The next quarterly retreat is this Thursday between 1 -5 pm ET.

Join to the end of May 2019 at the quarterly price of $425 US.
Learn more here.
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Questions? Please email me or call me at (416)996-8326

If you know of others who might also benefit from this newsletter, please forward using the link below. Thank you!
 
Don't have your own copy of the Effective Virtual Conversations book yet? Order one directly from me and I will sign it for you.
 
You can also pick up a copy of the Coaching Business Builder  which I will sign for you ($30 plus $10 shipping - US and CDN orders)
Order a copy for US Delivery  - $40 US:
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Order a Copy for CDN Delivery - $45.56 CDN Total $30 CDN plus 10 Shipping plus HST (in CDN$):
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Best wishes,
Jennifer


Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | GroupCoachingEssentials.com | EffectiveVirtualConversations.com
Author of Effective Group Coaching, From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching and Effective Virtual Conversations 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
Facebook: EffectiveGroupCoaching  
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Potentials Realized * Contact us at 416.996.8326
Supporting Coaches, Virtual Facilitators and Team Leaders, One Conversation At a Time