Before 2020 Zoom may not have been part of your vocabulary. In 2021 even if you used a different platform, the verb “to Zoom” became synonymous with virtual meetings. As we embark on 2022, whatever virtual platform you are using, be it Webex, Microsoft Teams, or the countless other platforms that now exist, the question is, how skilled are you at truly owning your virtual space?
If you are experiencing a sense of whiplash as you contemplate 2022, you are not alone. And, if you were expecting your life to return to normal by now, you were also not alone. The era of virtual meetings has not ended and very possibly never will. Indeed, we are all contemplating a new year that is starting to look uncomfortably like the two years we just lived through. Moreover, we are all facing challenges that would benefit from more than one New Year’s Resolution.
The fact is, even when all or some of the members of your team return to the office, there will always continue to be a virtual component to all of our lives.
That is why it is vital to develop the skills needed to manage virtual and hybrid teams in a way that maximizes engagement,
As we navigate the minefields of our professional and daily lives, we will inevitably face challenging situations, like insults and angry emails, or those passive-aggressive disses, like being ignored and ghosted, or left off an invitation list. Unfortunately, one of the hallmarks of these situations is a lack of communication and information, which makes decoding and responding to them doubly difficult and disempowering.
The urge to lash back immediately with some cutting rejoinder or matching insult is not going to be that helpful.
Whether you are the employer, manager, employee, or direct report, you always want to bring out the best in everybody. Being hypercritical or dismissive won’t get the job done, nor will effusive, meaningless praise. Instead, here are seven ways to ensure that you take your interactions to a powerful, productive new level.
See every interaction, be it in person or virtual, as an opportunity to get to know and connect with the other person.
I am a firm believer that your ability to solve a conflict in a constructive way is critical to both your personal and professional success.
One of the ways of doing this is to go into a situation assuming positive intent. That means you approach the situation trying to understand the other person’s point of view with the goal of coming to mutual understanding.
Of course,
In my previous blog, Networking to Enhance a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Business Environment, we spoke about how it has become widely accepted that companies committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion benefit from a “diversity dividend” for a whole range of reasons, including gaining access to diverse markets and tap into different and often innovative perspectives.
If sex appeal has connotations of being desirable, attractive, and aspirational, mastering your ability to communicate skillfully is very sexy!
So, how do you go about being irresistible and elevating your communication skills into the realms of desirability? Here are 12 things you can do every day:
