Hybrid blog articles

Email MADNESS!! Misusing and abusing email –and what you can do to stop this

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Knowing how to use email is simply assumed

Did you know that the majority of email traffic comes from the business world, with business users sending and receiving an average of 121 emails a day in 2014? Email is the most pervasive form of communication in the business world, and therefore effective email writing means effective business communication. But surprisingly (or perhaps not) email doesn’t always mean effective communication, does it?

One of the more interesting aspects of being a trainer is the opportunity to meet, talk with and learn from other professionals in a wide range of jobs and industries. The following is a true story. I’ve changed names to protect the innocent – and the guilty. Sadly though, I’m guessing that as you read this you’ll have your own stories of email madness spring to mind.

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The use, misuse and abuse of email communication (yes, this is a true story)

I met Sven in an open seminar. Sven was the manager of the facilities management department at a large manufacturing company. His administrative location had just moved premises, and as you can imagine this was an incredibly busy time for Sven and his team. However even though (or perhaps because) Sven was busy he was determined to attend the time management seminar his HR department had organized with us. Sven set his out of office reply up the night before, and I met him on a cloudy morning the next day.  The training went very well as the group shared, discussed and developed practical solutions to the problems they faced. Then at lunch time the following emerged …

Somebody (let’s call him Michael) had sent Sven a mail and received Sven’s out of office reply. Sven had not changed his automatic signature block and Michael knew that Sven had moved offices, so why did his signature block still have the old address? Michael concluded that this could well be an IT problem, but as he wasn’t sure he sent a mail to his 12 teammates asking if they had experienced something similar. Of these 12 teammates, one sent a mail to the IT help desk, one of them sent a mail to his line manager (let’s call her Marie) … and one of them sent a mail to Sven’s colleague, who then sent a mail to Sven.

Marie sent a mail titled “URGENT – critical email problem” to the CFO. The CFO, who was in a meeting, saw the title and sent a mail to the Head of IT asking what the problem was and how quickly it could be resolved. The Head of IT sent a mail to the IT help desk asking what the problem was and how long it would take to be resolved. … and I think you can imagine the rest yourself. At some point during lunch time somebody from the IT help desk phoned Sven to ask whether he knew his signature block was old. At this point Sven explained it was his oversight – and that he’d update it when he got back into the office the next day.

Key learning points that all email users should keep in mind

Now obviously the above is not strictly speaking about just an email problem. But the elements of the story do highlight some all-too-frequent behaviours. Here are 4 key learning points which, if they’d been followed would have prevented the situation above:

Just because you can send an email it doesn’t mean you have to!

It is possible to over communicate sometimes. How many emails do you receive each day? One of the biggest sources of stress at work is the sheer volume of emails that people receive. So, before you even begin writing an email, always take a few seconds and ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Then ask yourself the same question again before you hit “send”.

Know when to use cc , and when not

Discuss this with your colleagues and agree on a “code of conduct”. Keep in mind that people can interpret what “cc” means in different ways. They can also read meaning into who was and was not copied in.

Think carefully about the subject lines in email

In particular think about how often you want to use words such as URGENT, NEED HELP, PRIORITY etc. If you use them too often in your subject lines, you should be prepared that when you really need to draw attention to your email, your reader won’t be interested.

Know when to pick up the phone

Email is not always the most effective form of communication. Sometimes, picking up the phone is faster. Email is great for giving information, sharing updates or making simple requests. However use the phone if something could be a sensitive or emotional topic, or if you need to deal with questions that are likely to need some back-and-forth discussion.

Your email madness

As I was preparing this post, everyone I spoke to about it had their own email madness story to share. You can use the comments function below to share your example of email madness with our readers.

Book Review: 5 great books to boost your virtual teams’ performance

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As we’ve heard from many of our participants in our virtual team seminars , the challenges of virtual teams are similar to the challenges of face-to-face teams but magnified. Additionally, new challenges arise, such as the impact of a lack of contact on the social glue that holds teams together, and matching the right technology to the right task. The sources we’ve looked at below continue to help us to focus on practical solutions to the real-world problems and opportunities virtual teams present. We hope they will help you to succeed in a virtual environment as well.

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Virtual Team Success

By Darleen Derosa & Richard Lepsinger

This research-based book is a compilation of practical approaches to virtual teaming. The book contains a number of helpful checklists and best practices that can serve as a guide for virtual team leaders and participants. The behavioral focus of Virtual Team Success will help you to get out ahead of any problems before they happen with no-nonsense advice based on real-world success. If you need to justify the investment of time, energy and resources needed to improve your virtual teams, this book will help you do so. The processes for solving common problems in virtual teams is a highlight.

Mastering Virtual Teams: Strategies Tools and Techniques that Succeed

By Deborah Duarte & Nancy Snyder

The authors of Mastering Virtual Teams have applied best practices, tools and techniques from team theory and information and knowledge management to the challenges of virtual teams. They’ve organized the information in three, easy to follow areas: Understanding, Creating and Mastering Virtual Teams. Their vast practical experience as professors, consultants and business leaders inform the “how to” approach of the book. The book provides a toolkit for participants, leaders and managers of virtual teams. Practical tools, exercises, insights and real-life examples help you to master the dynamics of virtual team participation with guidelines, strategies and best practices for cross cultural and cross functional work. For example, instead of simply stating “build trust”, the authors give us three general guidelines for building trust in a virtual environment. Not surprisingly, these factors work in collocated teams as well. They’ve included a CD Rom with the third edition as an easy way to print the checklists and helpful documents from the book.

Where in the World is My Team: Making a Success of Your Virtual Global Workplace

By Terrence Brake

Where in the World is My Team: Making a Success of Your Virtual Global Workplace follows the exploits of Will Williams as he makes his way in a virtually enabled workplace and the life of a young professional in London. As a narrative that weaves the best practices of virtual organizations and teams, Where in the World is my Team succeeds in helping the reader to want to go from cover to cover and not use the book merely as a resource document. The book is far more than just an entertaining look at a digital life. The book’s very detailed appendix provides researched support for the virtual structures and tools highlighted in the story. Brake’s 6 C’s of global collaboration provide a logical framework for the needs of effective virtual teams.

Leading Virtual Teams

Harvard Business School Publishing

Leading Virtual Teams  is a quick and easy guide for those who don’t need to be convinced to do what it takes to improve their virtual teams, needing only tips on how to do it. The book covers the basics for those beginning their experiences with leading virtual teams. There are references to related Harvard Business publications, a mention of the Harvard extension course on Managing Virtual Teams, taught virtually, and a brief test as a check-on-learning.

The Big Book of Virtual Team Building Games

By Mary Scannell & Michael Abrams

The Big Book of Virtual Team Building Games fills a present developmental need for many virtual teams with games that encourage building rapport, solving problems and team skills. The games are designed to be played using various virtual team platforms and are cleverly arranged according to Tuckman’s stages of team development–forming, storming, norming, performing—with the additional stage, transforming. Each game is described in detail with the approximate time for completion. Keep in mind that teams with member using a non-native language may take a little longer than predicted.

 

What I learned about being a trainer when I was a participant

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I recently took part in a management training workshop. Aside from what I learned in the two days, it was very interesting to be a participant for once and not a trainer! As a participant, I was able to experience the training from a different perspective. Sometimes I felt a little bit nervous, especially during role plays. I hadn’t expected that. It certainly got me thinking about how I could transfer my experiences of being a participant into my training.

Encourage questions and check understanding

From time to time I didn’t understand the task that was set and I was always relieved when someone else asked the trainer to clarify what we had to do. It took a while for me to get comfortable enough to ask questions when I was confused. As a trainer, I can keep this in mind and make sure to check that everyone understands their task, or give people an extra minute to ask questions.

Power to the participants

One person in my group insisted on keeping his mobile phone turned on throughout the workshop and was constantly using it. The trainer asked a few times for him to stop using his phone but it wasn’t until I got annoyed and asked him, a fellow participant, did he understand that his behaviour was impacting other people. He then put his phone away. This was interesting for me as I would have normally thought the trainer carried the most authority in the room.

Encourage learning after the session

I was encouraged to read through my notes a few days after the workshop had finished. It only took a few minutes but it really helped me to remember what I had learned. That would be my top tip for learning. It sounds simple but actually finding the time to do it is another thing. In future I think I will make an Outlook appointment with myself, even if it is just for 15 minutes. I will encourage my participants to do the same.

Short breaks

It was tiring being a participant. What really worked for my concentration was to have multiple short breaks. Even a break of just a minute helped me gather my thoughts.

jonnyroundSend me your tips and ideas

What can the participants do to make the training a success? What does your trainer do to make the training interesting and useful for you? How important is training for you? And, do you also get nervous during role plays?

 

 

 

 

 

Using the 3 dimensions of customer service in business communication

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In a previous post, I talked about the 3 dimensions of customer service and how balancing the needs of your customer in each of the dimensions is a large step towards customer satisfaction. This post focuses on how you can use the 3 dimensions of customer service in your day-to-day business communication.

A quick reminder of the 3 dimensions

  • The business dimension – the reason for contacting you
  • The human dimension – the personal need of your customer (assurance, empathy, understanding)
  • The hidden dimension – everything that is going on behind the scenes

Read the full post

Focus on the person, not on the problem

Regardless of how the customer query ends up on your to-do list, and regardless of the type of query, the person most likely contacted you with a business problem. More often than not, you can tell how the customer is feeling by the tone of their voice, or the tone of their email. If you spot something in the tone of the conversation, you need to address it. You can’t ignore it.

Even if there’s nothing in the call or email that explicitly displays emotion, you should be able to address how you think the person is affected by the problem. Of course you need to solve the problem as soon as you can, but it shouldn’t be your first focus.

Here’s an example.

 

Customer query

Dear John,

When can we expect delivery of the replacement parts? Note that the order was placed almost 7 weeks ago.

Regards,

Bruno

 

John’s reply to the customer

Dear Bruno,

I understand that the delayed delivery will start causing problems for your end-client if the parts aren’t delivered soon (1). As you know, these parts are normally dispatched within 4 weeks of ordering (2).  I tracked your order. The problem lays in the manufacturing department. I have just spoken with a colleague there, and she said that the parts should be dispatched within 7 days. (3)

Leave it with me (4). I will follow up with my colleague on Monday and contact you to let you know if everything’s on schedule and when you can expect delivery of the parts (5).

My sincere apologies for the delay (6).

With regards,

John

What John did

  1. John starts the mail by saying that he understands the impact this has. (Human/business dimension)
  2. John reminds the customer how it “normally” works. (Business dimension)
  3. John tells the customer what he has done to find out about the order. (Hidden dimension)
  4. John takes responsibility for the query, assuring Bruno that someone is taking care of his problem. (Human dimension)
  5. John explains how he will follow up. (Business/hidden dimension)
  6. John apologizes for the service breakdown. (Human dimension)

 

Try it for yourself

Use the comments box at the bottom of this post to reply to this email, using all 3 dimensions:

I recently sent you a fax to cancel my contract with you. I have received no confirmation and my bank account shows that I’m still paying for your service. When I contacted your customer service department, they told me that I’d receive a confirmation within 6 weeks.

I’m still waiting.

Please let me know the status of my cancellation asap.

Thank you,

How do you measure the success of training?

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More specifically, how do you measure the success of training when learners don’t have a test to pass? The goal of our training is for participants to be able to do their job better. How easily can that be measured, taking into account all of the other variables that can affect job performance?

When we look at the success of our on-the-job training, we use the Kirkpatrick Model as a guide. The Kirkpatrick model has four levels. When you measure each of the four levels, you have an overall impression of the success of the training. By looking at all four levels, it gives us the chance to make sure that what is learnt can really be implemented. Each level can individually help, but looking at all four levels together gives the real story. If you’re not familiar with the Kirkpatrick Model, here is a short summary:

Kirkpatrick’s four levels

Reaction

Are the learners/participants happy with the process?

Learning

Did the learners acquire the knowledge, skills or attitude that they were meant to learn?

Behavior

Have the learners changed the way they do something when they got back to the job?

Results

Has the training helped to achieve certain results?

An example of the four levels in practice

A group of phone operators in a help desk take English training. Following the training, they fill in a feedback form (reaction) about their satisfaction with the training. They could be tested either during or after the training to assess their new knowledge (learning). Once back on the job, they can be observed to see what they are doing differently (behavior). Finally, some sort of job-performance indicator can be used to see if the actions of the learners are having the desired effect (results), e.g. the time it takes to resolve a problem or a measure of customer satisfaction.

When looking at all four levels, we can not only measure success of the program, but we can also pinpoint potential problems. For example, if we only measure the end result and we don’t see any change, it may be possible that some other variable is responsible for the situation. Maybe the learner is learning and is satisfied with the training but is not given the opportunity to implement their new skills.

More on the Kirkpatrick model

Some of our key staff are Kirkpatrick certified and available to answer your questions about training assessment. Use the comments function below or contact us via email.

Emails with effective subject lines

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How many emails do you get a day? Too many, right? For good or bad, emailing surpassed telephoning as our primary method of communication in the workplace years ago. Yet today we still receive poor, confusing and ineffective emails – and worst of all we still write them too! If you want to improve the quality and impact of your emails, there’s no better place to start than at the beginning – start by writing an effective subject line.

The email subject line is where writing effective emails begins. It is often the first thing that your reader sees, and plays a key part in whether they open the email immediately, later or not at all. And it’s pretty simple to do. Here’s how …

writing emails that people read

 1) Write your subject line first

Too many of us either just hit reply, forward or even write nothing at all in the subject line. An email with a blank subject line isn’t going to get the attention it deserves, may go unread and will certainly be difficult to find later on. Obviously you’ve planned your email before you started writing, so write the subject line before you write your email.

2) Keep your subject line simple, clear and honest

An effective subject line should be simple to understand, clearly convey why you are writing, and accurately summarize the email’s contents. This helps your reader prioritize the email’s importance without having to open it. It also help you to build trust with your reader , as you’ll quickly be seen as somebody who is clear, open and reader-oriented.

3) Keep your subject line short, with key words at the beginning

A typical inbox reveals about 60-70 characters of an email’s subject line. That’s about the length of the last sentence. HOWEVER today more than 50% emails are ready on mobiles. This means you’ve got 20-30 characters to get it right. Place the most important words at the beginning!

4) Help your reader (and yourself) by using obvious keywords

Your reader, and perhaps you, manage the flood of emails via search functions, filters and folders. That’s why it’s important to include keywords related to the topic of the email that will make it searchable later.

5) Don’t cry wolf too often

Think carefully about how often you want to use words such as URGENT, NEED HELP, PRIORITY etc. If you use them too often in your subject lines, you should be prepared that when you really need to draw attention to your email, your reader won’t be interested.

6) Make sure you reread the subject line before you click send

Once again, check that your subject line accurately reflects what you wrote, that the key words are at the beginning and your subject line will be easily searchable.

A very short, practical exercise

  1. Open your inbox and look at received emails. Based on the simple guidelines above, how many of the emails in your inbox have effective subject lines?
  2. Now open your own sent mails folder. To what extent would you describe your own subject lines as effective? Can you anticipate the content of your own emails based on the subject lines you wrote? Give yourself a score out of 10.
  3. Now set up a reminder in your calendar to repeat step 2 in 14 days time.

20 phrases for closing an email

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Originally published on 08.07.2013

A common problem

We often hear how writing emails in English can cost just too much time. One solution that works for many people is to begin building a “toolbox” of useful phrases.  A toolbox is a simple idea – you just start keeping a list of common and useful expressions – perhaps on your desktop or in a notebook next to your keyboard? There’s nothing wrong with reusing some standard phrases if it helps save you time and communicate clearly. You probably already have 2 or 3 sentences you reuse again and again. But sometimes the tone just isn’t right, is it?  To help you find the right words when you need them here are 20 great expressions for closing an email.  As you read through them ask yourself two simple questions:

1. When would I use this?

2. When will I use this?

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Expressions for thanking                                                                                                     

  1. Thank you for your help. / time / assistance / support
  2. I really appreciate the help. / time / assistance / support you’ve given me.
  3. Thank you once more for your help in this matter.



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Expressions with a future focus

  1. I look forward to hearing from you soon / meeting you next Tuesday.
  2. I look forward to seeing you soon.
  3. I’m looking forward to your reply.
  4. We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.
  5. We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
  6. Please advise as necessary.
  7. I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

Expressions for showing them you want to help

  1. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  2. If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
  3. If you require any further information, let me know.
  4. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information.
  5. Please let me know if you have any questions.
  6. I hope the above is useful to you.
  7. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  8. Please contact me if there are any problems.
  9. Let me know if you need anything else
  10. Drop me a line if I can do anything else for you.

You can check out more ways to improve your writing at work here.  Don’t hesitate to comment below if you have any questions or additional phrases you’ve used that work.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you’re looking for phrases, tips and tricks and useful downloads related to this topic, start here. In a range of topics, here are some more links for you:

Getting meetings back on track

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Do you ever feel your meetings have gone off track?

You’re in a meeting to talk about one thing, but someone is talking about something completely different, someone else is discussing an unimportant point, and others are debating something completely irrelevant – the whole meeting has gone off track! When this happens, it’s hard to get back on track and return to your meeting agenda. In international meetings with foreign colleagues, this can be much harder as you don’t want to seem rude or too forceful about sticking to the schedule.  You could watch the clock and give warnings when people are talking too much or are going over their allotted time, but again this could be misinterpreted as impolite and bad-mannered.

To avoid damaging delicate business relationships, here are some common ways and phrases for getting the meeting back on track in a professional an polite manner.

Be the moderator

  • Sorry, but we’re getting off topic and need to move back to …
  • Let’s return to the main point of today’s meeting.
  • We seem to be talking outside of the scope of the meeting.

Consider the value of the current discussion

  • Do we need to add this topic to the agenda?
  • Maybe we can get back on topic and postpone this to later?
  • Is everyone happy if we discuss this later?

Focus on the schedule / time

  • We’re running short on time, so can we move back to…
  • I’m afraid we’re running out of time.
  • I’m afraid I can only give you another minute.

Talk about briefness

  • Please keep to the point everyone.
  • Please make your comments brief.
  • Please keep your remarks short.

More on meetings?

Our blog authors have plenty to share!

We also have a number of seminars that might be of interest to you.

5 tips for successful networking

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Originally published on 25.03.2013

I know enough people at my company.  I have enough friends.  I’m not comfortable speaking and reaching out to people I don’t know.  I’m not a salesperson. 

The list of excuses on why not to engage in professional networking can go on and on.  As undesirable as it can seem, networking successfully can lead to improved performance in your current job, as well as opportunities for future career development.

5 quick tips on making networking easy

Network with a purpose

Set a specific goal (improving inter-department relationships, growing sales in the logistics industry, discovering opportunities to work abroad in your company, etc).  The more focused your networking is, the faster the desired results will be.

Share useful information

It is always easier to reach out to someone when you know you have something they can use.  Think of something that has helped you in your job (a process, document, tip, etc) and pass it along.  If you help someone first, they are more willing to help you when you may need it in the future.

Use the other person’s ego

You don’t want to contact someone and ask them for a job.  Instead, contact them and ask for an informational interview if you are looking for a job.  Tell them you have some questions that you feel their experience will help answer.  You will get some insight and a good networking contact, and they get to feel like an expert and helpful.  It’s a win-win situation.

Follow up

If you say you are going to send something, send it.  If you say you are going to check on something, do it.  Following up on what you say you will do shows respect and professionalism, and helps build trust with the contact.  Also, make sure to follow up regularly with contacts even when you don’t need something as there will be a time when you will; and no one likes that friend who only calls when they need something.

Use good etiquette

The same skills you have used to become a successful professional are the ones you will use to build and maintain a good network of contacts.  Here are some good reminders on what to do/not to do when networking online and face-to-face.

There are many other ideas on networking successfully.  Check out Target Training’s seminar on networking for professionals here.  Tell us in the comments area below what have you done to build your network.

Effective introductions when presenting in English

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If you are nervous about presenting in English, making an effective introduction is especially important. An effective introduction will help your audience know what to expect and it will help you feel confident.  Once you’ve started well it is easier to keep going – and don’t forget that your audience is there to listen to what you have to say and not your English!

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Effective introductions for beginners – the 3 Ps

This simple technique always works. When you are presenting in English (or in any language) your introduction needs to answer three questions:

  1. Why are you standing there presenting? What is the purpose of your presentation?
  2. What are the steps in your presentation? What is the process you will follow?
  3. Why should your audience listen to you?  What is their payoff?

It doesn’t matter if you are introducing your team, presenting a process or giving an update on a project – the structure is the same. The 3Ps help you remember this structure, and if it helps you when you are nervous, why not use the three keywords?

Presenting in English – an example of the 3Ps in action

“Good afternoon and thank you for coming.  The purpose of my presentation today is to update you on the factory acceptance test.  The process I will follow is to first review the agreed schedule, then talk about the tools we are using and finally we will look at two problems we have found and how we will solve them.  This will take me 10 minutes. Why should you listen?  Well, your payoff is that you will be confident that we can complete the FAT on schedule and that everything is under control.”

Simple, clear and effective

If you follow this structure, your introduction will be simple, clear and effective.  Most importantly you can concentrate on what you want to say, and stop worrying about the English.

Good luck, and why not let me know how it works for you?

Elvis, statistics and virtual teams

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At the time of Elvis’ death there were an estimated 170 Elvis impersonators in the world. Today there are at least 85,000 Elvis’s around the world. At this rate of growth, “statistically speaking”, one in three of the world’s population will be an Elvis impersonator by 2019.

I share this for two reasons. Firstly, I’m always suspicious of how statistics can be used to make a point – in this case an absurd, if humorous, one. Secondly, statistics can help us understand what is happening around us. There are a lot more Elvis impersonators in the world than there used to be, and the number keeps on rising.

Virtual team statistics

“So what does this have to do with virtual teams?”, I hear you say. Spend 10 minutes surfing the internet, and you can find numerous statistics on virtual teams. Here’s a sample…

  • 66% of multinational companies make extensive use of virtual teams i.e. project teams, management teams, service teams
  • 7 out of 10 managers believe virtual teams will become increasingly prevalent in the future
  • Between 49% and 52 % feel that time differences impact the team’s success –   with the standard solution being people are working much longer hours to ensure their availability for team meetings.
  • 15%-28% of team members feel that a lack of awareness regarding other team members ‘workloads is a recurring problem. Virtual team leaders feel the problem is greater.
  • Somewhere between 51% – 79% of virtual team members feel that the lack of personal relationships within the team cause problems
  • Ineffective leadership styles negatively impact a virtual team’s performance (25 % to 71%)
  • 55% to 73 % of virtual team leaders feel that decision making is too slow
  • 71% of teams feel that there is a lack of active participation amongst team members
  • Between 10% and 47% of international virtual teams feel that inadequate English language skills negatively impact the teams results
  • Differences in cultural norms also present challenges in communication, decision making and building relationships within the virtual team (26 % -49%)
  • 81% feel that poor communication and inappropriate information sharing (too much or too little) between team members impacts team’s success
  • Not knowing how to effectively use the technology available is an issue for at least 1 in 5 virtual teams
  • Only 16% of teams have had any training on working in virtual teams

What does this really mean?

Returning to the two reasons I mentioned earlier – yes, we’re using statistics to make a point about virtual teams. We’re a training company, and yes, we’d like you to invest in training. However the statistics above do help us to see what is happening. Just as there are way more Elvis impersonators today than there were in 1977, it’s clear that virtual teams are here to stay, that the challenges are known, and that we need to begin addressing and overcoming these barriers if we’re going to become truly effective when working virtually.

 

Obviously, no training program can remove the issue of working across time zones, but practical hands-on training does have a part to play in many of the other challenges facing virtual teams. Task-specific business English training can alleviate the basic problems caused by language barriers, and if you integrate a cross-cultural element into your training you can raise awareness of the impact culture can play on business relationships and communication. Soft skills training can make virtual team leaders much more comfortable and effective when managing virtually. This in turn will address challenges such as slow decision making, dealing with undercurrents and conflict, and driving active team participation. Finally, the technology isn’t that demanding. It’s more a case of learning to use your tools effectively and adapting your communication and team dynamics accordingly.

An upfront investment in training can and will bring your virtual teams tangible long-term benefits. Now take a look around you and imagine who’d be wearing that rhinestone jumpsuit. Lord almighty, do you feel your temperature rising?

 

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Teleconferences are not normal calls

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Not your typical phone call

Teleconferences are a great way to connect to people around the world. They’re less expensive than face-to-face meetings, often take less time, and solve problems more efficiently than emails do. Conducting a teleconference should be easy. All you have to do is connect everyone on the phone and make decisions as if you were all in person, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. A teleconference is not your average phone call. It is a meeting and needs to be prepared for as such. Below are some key points to help you remember that a teleconference isn’t your typical phone call.

3THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND FOR A TELECONFERENCE

Teleconferences aren’t difficult to carry out, but many people are not mentally prepared when joining. Having the awareness, through the 3 main points below, that your telecon is not just a normal call is a great start.

1. Plan

  • Send out an agenda beforehand with objectives, time(length) of call, participants, and specific results you want to achieve.
  • Identify roles: moderator, minute taker, etc. Remember, ideally the moderator and minute taker will be two separate people. Also, just because someone sent out the Outlook invitation, doesn’t mean they are automatically the moderator. Make it clear before the call.

2. Moderate

  • The moderator should ensure that the call starts on time, not too much time is spent on certain topics, and the call allows for everything to be covered within the designated time
  • The moderator should also open and close the call in an official way. Open: state the objectives and goals and introduce people if needed. Close: review the action items identified and what the next steps are.
  • The moderator should make an effort to include everyone on the call as best they can with pointed, open questions directed at specific people. This will encourage and facilitate participation.

3. Participate

  • Everyone should participate by being prepared to say something for each item. (You may not say something for each point, but you should be prepared to do so.)
  • Ask questions if you are not sure of something
  • Speak naturally in the direction of the microphone
  • Identify yourself when speaking (if necessary)
  • Pause occasionally so others may make comments
  • Try not to talk over others and interrupt by using polite phrases

More tips on teleconferences?

You might enjoy reading Chad Phillip’s post: Teleconference tips and phrases. The simple and practical checklists in our latest Ebook: The ultimate book of virtual teams checklists may also be of interest to you.

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF VIRTUAL TEAMS CHECKLISTSVTchecklists

How effective is your virtual team?

 

 

 

 

Virtual Meeting Dos and Donts

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Ensure your virtual meetings are productive

Virtual meetings can be tricky at times. Are they more like a telephone call or a face-to-face meeting? Well, they are a combination of both and should be treated differently. Here are some quick and easy “Dos” and “Donts” for virtual meetings.

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Virtual Meeting “Dos”

  • Ensure all stakeholders essential to achieving the meeting’s goals can attend—Otherwise, reschedule it
  • Consider rotating the meeting time to accommodate those participants in different time zones
  • Prepare an agenda that outlines the meeting goals
  • Ensure meeting items/priorities/times align with meeting goals
  • Cancel a regularly scheduled meeting if you feel time could be better spent elsewhere
  • Send a meeting reminder with the agenda, needed materials, and information on the technology to be used at least three days before the meeting
  • Ask team members who are not speaking to put their phones on mute
  • Ensure everyone participates
  • Eliminate distractions—Ask people to turn off all smartphones, and to avoid email and instant messaging during the meeting
  • Side bar and report to make necessary side conversations part of the official function of the meeting
  • Document decisions and next steps

 

Virtual Meeting “Donts”

  • Hold a meeting if you can’t clearly answer the question “What is the purpose and expected outcome?”
  • Let meetings become “habit”
  • Attempt to cover more than five specific items per meeting
  • Allow side issues, “experts”, or native speakers to dominate the meeting
  • Hold a meeting even if any stakeholders essential to the meeting objectives cannot participate
  • Assume team members are clear about their roles and the meeting objectives
  • Continuously hold “marathon” meetings without any small-group brainstorming or breaks
  • Tackle critical topics at the start of the meeting
  • Let the meeting get off track by discussing the details of an action item that aren’t relevant to the meetings goals
  • Start late

More tips on virtual teams?

These dos and donts are only a small sample of the tips in our latest Ebook: The ultimate book of Virtual Teams checklists. Make sure you download a copy if you’re interested in maximizing your virtual team’s impact. Enjoy the read and… let us know what works for your virtual team!

Email replies: How to avoid emotional emails

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Professional email communication is essential in business situations. However, people sometimes let their emotions get the best of them and send an email they later regret. Multiple punctuation marks, all-capital letters along with a rude and unprofessional tone are often used to show how upset the sender is. We have all received them at one time or another. You may have been guilty of sending one, as well.

A quick reaction to receiving such an email would be to immediately send a response even angrier than the original, but what would that solve? Answering with your own angry and emotional email would only lead to more problems later. The important thing to remember when receiving such an email is to remain calm. There is no reason to maintain the angry dialogue by responding in the same manner, but simply ignoring the email won’t make the issue go away either.

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3 Tips on what to do to avoid emotional replies

Don’t write your response immediately. If you do, some of your own lingering emotions may show in your writing. Put the email aside until later in the day.

1.  After some time:

  • Take a deep breath
  • Try to see the situation from the sender’s position

2.  Ask yourself:

  • Why are they upset?
  • Is the issue a legitimate complaint, or has the sender lost sight of the big picture?
  • How can I help solve the issue?

3.  When writing your response:

  • Stay professional, diplomatic and objective
  • Stick to the facts
  • Do not respond to any of the original email’s unprofessional language or personal attacks

Emotional emails are often written to get a reaction and to bring awareness to a particular issue. Make sure you acknowledge this issue, but don’t try to pass the blame on to somebody else. By remaining professional, the sender will often realize how unnecessary their tone and language was.

Helpful phrases to help avoid emotional emails

Intro sentences:

  • “Thank you very much for taking the time to write me today.”
  • “I hope my email finds you well.”
  • “I have just read your email concerning…”

Addressing the issue:

  • “I understand your concern about…”
  • “With reference to your inquiry about…”
  • “Thank you for bringing … to my attention.”

Closing sentences:

  • “I appreciate your continued professionalism and patience as we resolve this issue.”
  • “Working together, I believe we can find a reasonable solution to this issue.”
  • “Your email has helped bring attention to this important issue.”

By keeping your email clear, concise and diplomatic, you open the door to a more efficient dialogue while also strengthening your professional relationships. Always avoid using language that you wouldn’t use if speaking to somebody face-to-face. If you have any phrases you like to use in these situations, please let us know below.  Also, check out our seminar on reader-oriented writing in English to improve your overall email communication.

Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams

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What are the challenges in your virtual team?

Each virtual team has their own unique challenges, but there are always a few that seem to be consistently present.  In this short video, Scott Levey, Director of Operations, focuses on two of the most commons challenges we see when training virtual teams.  Having awareness of these, and other issues that may arise, will help your virtual team increase its effectiveness.

 

 

Want to improve your virtual team’s performance?  Make sure to download our eBook of Virtual Team Checklists and check out our Working Effectively in Virtual Teams seminar.

Giving Feedback Virtually

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Do you ever give feedback virtually?

Do you give your suppliers, your clients and your co-workers effective feedback – both positive and constructive (negative)? Giving good, timely, constructive and actionable feedback is something that most of us have to put a lot of effort into. Do we praise theVTchecklists right things? When we give constructive feedback, do we make positive suggestions? Do we always remember to address the issue, not the person?

Giving feedback well is not easy. But, giving feedback well in a business world that is becoming increasingly virtual can be a real challenge. When we add a few of the complexities that come from interacting virtually, we have an even harder job. Some of these challenges include timing, reading reactions, specificity and tone. When giving feedback virtually, for example via email, here are a few suggestions and tips below to help you do a better job.

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5 Tips for giving feedback virtually

1.  Make sure that the timing is appropriate – especially if your feedback is negative. Think about raising a child or a pet; you don’t tell them they did something wrong three days later!

2.  Make sure that the reader understands immediately what the email is about:

  • Use a subject line like: “Feedback on your proposal”
  • Tell them in the first sentence why you are emailing: “I’m writing to you with some feedback regarding the proposal you sent me on January 4.”
  • Tell them what feedback is included: “I have some feedback regarding the pricing and the payment process.”

3.  Break your feedback up. If you told them you had feedback about the pricing and the payment process, these should be two completely separate paragraphs. Give them headings if you wish.

4.  Try to be specific and give justification. For example:

  • “We liked your proposal. Especially the second page where you mentioned that the training would focus on our corporate values. This really fits to our company philosophy.”
  • “Unfortunately, we cannot agree to point 3 in section 2, relating to the payment options. This is not in accordance with our compliance policy.”

5.  When rejecting a suggestion, try to make a counter suggestion. For example:

  • “We cannot agree to point 3 in section 2. However, we could agree if the payment period was extended to 60 days.”
  • “I do not like the way you formatted the report. Next time, try to base it on the attached example or come and see me to discuss my expectations in more detail.”

Of course, there are many other things which can help to make giving feedback virtually more effective. Please feel free to add your extra ideas in the comments section below. Also, make sure to check out our seminar on Working Effectively in Virtual Teams to help improve your virtual team’s performance.

 

 

Virtual Team Meetings: Creating Empathy and Rapport

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How are your Virtual Team meetings?

More and more meetings are being held virtually. Virtual team meetings are a trend that is bound to continue as it is far cheaper than getting everyone together. But it isn’t the same, is it? Unless you use webcams, you can’t pick up on any nonverbal communication going on. You can’t see people’s faces. You can’t see what they are thinking. To be honest, you don’t know what they’re actually even doing. You also, and this point bothers me the most, can’t have that cup of coffee together at the beginning where you exchange a few words often unrelated to business.

Why is the social aspect so important?

You completely miss out on the opportunity to establish any empathy or rapport with the people you are working with. Imagine for example that you are having a virtual team meeting to discuss solving a problem you have. If you don’t have any form of relationship with these people, how can you expect them to help? Isn’t it easier to request help from someone you know a little about? If you don’t know them at all, how can you choose the right way of talking to them to win them over? Of course, the need for empathy building will vary from culture to culture. Some will take an order as an order and just do it, but not that many. And what happens if you have a multi-cultural team?

What can you do to establish virtual empathy and rapport?

It is doubtful as to whether empathy can actually be taught. But there are techniques which help to develop it. Here are a few:

  • Begin the webmeeting on time, with a quick round of self introductions. It is important to hear everyone’s voice and know who is present. Remind participants that each time they speak, they should identify themselves again.
  • Log in early and encourage small talk while waiting for everyone to join in and at the beginning of the meeting itself – have that cup of coffee virtually. This will help to make a connection between people and give them a bit of character. In a remote meeting you often feel distant from each other, and this can make it difficult to interact. This feeling of distance happens, because the participants are in different places and often can’t see each other. Small talk helps to ‘bridge the distances’. Small talk also helps you to get to know each other and each other’s voices, so you know who is speaking and when. This will help communication later on in the meeting.VTchecklists

What can you talk about and what should you say?

Small talk can also give you valuable information about the other participants which could be important to the success of the meeting. What mood are they in? Are they having computer problems? Are they calling from a quiet location? Here are some topics we recommend using and some language to get you started. There are literally hundreds of things you could say, but it can be helpful to have a few prepared. You’ll see that some of these are particular to virtual meetings:

Location

  • Q: Where are you speaking from?
  • A: I’m at my desk.  How about you?

Weather

  • Q: What’s the weather like where you are? We’re clouded over!
  • A: We’ve got blue skies and sunshine.  Hope it gets to you soon!

Logging-in

  • Q: How did you find logging in?  I had a few problems.
  • A: It was fine.  What problems did you have?

Sound quality

  • Q: Can you hear me OK?
  • A: No sorry, you are a bit faint.  Can you please speak up?

Performance

  • Q: I am getting serious lag here.  How are you doing?
  • A: I am doing fine.  Maybe it is your internet connection.

Work

  • Q: How are things going in Marketing at the moment?
  • A: Oh, you know, busy as usual.  How are things in your department?

If you give lots of information in your answers, it makes it easier for the other person to ask more questions and keep the conversation going. If you just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it will stop the conversation. If you’re asking questions, remember to use open questions so that they can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”.

More on this topic can be found in our Using Collaborative Technologies Seminar. Do you have any tips you’d like to share on how to build empathy and rapport in your virtual team meetings? Let us know in the comments area below.

 

Giving Advice Across Cultures

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Is giving advice the same in every culture?

Giving advice to someone is not as simple as just telling them what to do, especially in an intercultural situation where more sensitivity needs to be applied.  The problem is that if the advice you give is too direct it can come across as a command. What if you haven’t understood the situation correctly or completely, and your advice is no good? The person seeking your advice needs ‘an out’ – a way that they can reject your advice, or reformulate their request for advice without losing face – or causing you to lose face!

Below you can see some typical phrases for giving advice across cultures in the form of tips which can help you ensure nobody loses face. They offer your conversation partner plenty of flexibility to take your advice or not, as they see fit. If you are able to offer advice in an objective, neutral, sensitive and respectful way when people come to you, then the risk of accidentally damaging a good working relationship will be reduced.

Language for giving advice across cultures

 

Tip: Clarify the limits of the question
Phrase: If I were you, I’d make sure you understand the limits of the question.

Tip: Ask how your advice sounds
Phrase: Asking how your advice sounds might help.

Tip: Be confident not arrogant
Phrase: If you ask me, be confident but not arrogant when giving advice across cultures.

Tip: Beware of giving unsolicited advice
Phrase: Bear in mind the difference between solicited and unsolicited advice.

Tip: Give the recipient an “out”.
Phrase: You could try giving the recipient an “out.”

Tip: Ask for follow-up
Phrase: In your situation I would make sure to ask for follow-up.

3 Benefits of using suitable language when giving advice

By ensuring the language you use to frame your advice is culturally sensitive you can:

  1. address your conversation partner respectfully
  2. avoid damaging relationships
  3. help establish trust and open channels of communication

If you are interested in learning more about doing business across cultures check out our seminar details. And for more details on intercultural communication take a look at our selection of blog posts.