Connecting with Others

Last week I had coaching calls with people from around the world; based in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Vietnam, Amsterdam, Singapore & Cambodia.

Our conversations were centered around the virus and how it was impacting work and life.

Before the Pandemic tsunami hit, some of them had been given new jobs, new roles, new projects are suddenly left rudderless as they don’t know what the future holds.

Working virtually people are discovering that they can be more blunt or confident because there is no physical proximity to embarrass or intimidate. Virtual communication also makes it harder to pick up non-verbal cues. Since people are not in the same workspace it is easier to disregard and disconnect from each other, reducing humanity.

Sitting in one place, staring at a computer screen can be exhausting. Issues which were easy to solve when people worked in a common space, now need a lot of co-ordination and cooperation.

Here are some ideas on how to keep teams engaged and motivated:

Do daily check-ins

  • Use one word to describe how you are feeling today
  • Share what you are working on
  • What are you thankful for at the end of the day
Do weekly check-ins
  • Have a coffee meeting, throwback Thursday or fizzy Friday to bring the team closer
  • Each team member says:
    • 1 lowlight of the week
    • 3 highlights of the week
    • What have you learned this week?
  • Things to avoid
    • Trying to find solutions for others
    • Just hold the space so others can talk – you don’t need to fix it

By having this type of check-in with your team will motivate them to do, read or learn something new to share with everyone – like show and tell of our kindergarten days.

...
Written by

Jaya Machet

Jaya Machet is an Executive coach, Visual & Business Story Powered Communication Facilitator. She helps humanise the workplace through meaningful communication.