Naked Meetings III: Going Virtual

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Naked Meetings III: Going Virtual

Rick Lent & Nancy Settle-Murphy

November 7, 2012


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Today’s Speakers

Rick Lent Principal

Meeting for Results

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Nancy Settle-Murphy President

Guided Insights

This work by Rick Lent, Ph.D and Nancy Settle-Murphy. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Naked Meetings III: Going Virtual

Rick Lent, Ph.D. Nancy Settle-Murphy

www.MeetingforResults.com www.guidedinsights.com

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http://www.MeetingforResults.com

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Today’s Agenda

1. Help you recognize some of the unseen structural challenges of virtual meetings.

2. Give you ways to structure effective virtual meetings.

3. Provide selected tips and tools for designing and conducting better virtual meetings.

And take your questions …

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Your Replies on Registration Survey…

1. What are your challenges in leading virtual meetings?

2. What type of virtual meetings do you typically lead?

3. How long have you been involved in planning and running virtual meetings?

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Unseen structures …

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Unseen Structures of Meetings

• Physical, temporal, procedural and personal aspects of meetings.

• With an (unrecognized) impact on how we interact with each other and do the work of the meeting.

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Unseen Structures of Virtual Meetings

Sara Beauvais The FairyCircle.com

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Some Structural Aspects of Virtual Meetings…

1. Length of your typical virtual meetings?

a) Up to 30 minutes?

b) Up to 60 minutes?

c) Longer?

2. Number of participants in your usual virtual meetings?

a) 2-6

b) 7-12

c) 13 or more

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Examples of Virtual Meetings

Two stories of virtual meetings, their structure, and outcomes.

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Virtual Meeting to Reach a Critical Project Decision

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What Was that Critical Project Decision?

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Underlying Structure of Meeting

1. How discussion was conducted.

2. How differences in authority and expertise were managed.

3. When critical information was shared.

4. How decisions were framed, and achieved.

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When Virtual Engagement Can Mean Life or Death

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Engagement by Design

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Listen

Apply

Interpret, Assimilate

Interact





Five Choices in Planning and Preparing for Effective Virtual Meetings

1. How you define the work of the meeting and communicate necessary information in advance so all arrive prepared

2. Whom you invite

3. How you design the discussion

4. How time will be spent

5. How you arrange the meeting “space”

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1. How You Define the Work of the Meeting Define a Clear Task for Each Part of Meeting Agenda

The more clearly the task description fulfills the FATT criteria, the more likely it is that the group will engage each other effectively in the work of the meeting.

• Focused: Subject for discussion is a clear and bounded task so everyone understands exactly what is under consideration.

• Actionable: Decision can be acted on by those present. This group has the relevant authority, .

• Timely: This is the right time to address this topic.

• Timed: Adequate time planned for task and # of participants.

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Well-Defined Task Statements

Rather than “communication planning”

• “Decide on plan for maintaining website and Facebook page.”

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2: Whom You Invite

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Task/purpose at hand

Level of trust

Relationships – existing and desired

Diversity of perspectives

Roles and responsibilities

Locations, time zones

Asynchronous, synchronous, or combination





3: How You Design the Discussion

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Quick tips for structuring a virtual discussion: • Maximum #: 8 people

• Online flipcharts, quick polling – verbal or online

• Multitasking “on task”

• “Around the virtual table”

• Give people a job to do

• Online conversations, before and after





Prework, Prep as Prereqs

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+ = ion





4: How Time Will Be Spent

• 80/20 rule: 80% active, 20% passive

• Shift activities, energy every 5-7 minutes

• 60-min. meeting = 5 + 10 + 45 min.

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• Objectives, goals • Conversation type • # participants • Supporting technology • Extent of prework





Creating a Realistic Design: Task: “Decide on plan for maintaining website and Facebook page.”

Agenda for Meeting Timing Activity Other

Pre-work portion in online conference area

Open 5-6 days prior to meeting/close 24 hrs before meeting

Post summary slides with request for participants to nominate favorite plan by voting in online conference space, along with related rationale

May need to send reminder, depending on participation

Welcome, objectives, process, check-in

5 minutes Prepare slide or electronic whiteboard/flipchart with agenda and related timing

Send agenda ahead of time as well

Review options 5 minutes Poll participants for their top choice May use virtual hands-up as alternative

Discussion 30 minutes Discuss pros & cons of each option Less time needed if we have a consensus

Decide (consensus preferred)

10 minutes Re-poll participants Verbal weigh-in – 1st and 2nd choices, with statement of rationale

May use polling if anonymity desired

Next steps 10 minutes Summarize responses – announce decision, implications and next steps Create notes in shared space where all can see

Meeting notes w/in 24 hrs, indicating actions, drivers and dates

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5: How You Arrange Virtual “Space” Where are Participants Seated?

• Everyone remote or some in room together? – Best is to have all participating virtually

(even if some could be face-face).

• If you must mix remote and face-face participants, go-around group regularly to get equal input. Begin with those on speaker phone. – Have tent card with pictures of those on speaker phone

• Make sure everyone has same information in the same form/medium – on a screen or in their hands.

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5: How You Arrange Virtual “Space” Can I hear you now?

• Avoid use of mute

• Ask all to be in a quiet space, or use headset

• Avoid use of speaker phone

• Avoid noisy, distracted places – No meetings while driving

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5: How You Arrange Virtual “Space” Visible Note Taking

• Use virtual flipchart or shared document for ongoing meeting notes – Real time “Visible Note Taking” important for tracking

progress of discussion – Have volunteer keep ongoing notes where all can see

them

• Plan how participants can make comments, ask questions, etc. – You can’t see body language – Use of IM, email, “raising hands” and regular “go-

around” is important

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Five Choices in Planning and Preparing for Effective Virtual Meetings

1. How you define the work of the meeting and communicate necessary information in advance

2. Whom you invite

3. How you design the discussion

4. How time will be spent

5. How you arrange the meeting “space”

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For More Information..

Rick’s e-book available on Amazon and other e-book retailers. Also see Rick’s blog at www.meetingforresults.com/blog or sign up for his newsletter

Contact Rick directly at:

[email protected] or 1-978-580-4262

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Nancy’s new book available from Amazon and CRC Press in December - Enter promo code - KVL31 – at checkout Contact Nancy directly at: [email protected] or 1-978-263-2545




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