This document discusses keys to making virtual communication work. It begins with an overview of communication challenges in general and for virtual teams specifically. It then provides tips for virtual teams such as establishing clear standards and norms, developing team charters, communicating vision and goals effectively, understanding different communication styles, and using structures like TREOA for presentations. The document concludes with references for further resources on virtual team management.

1. Keys to Making
Virtual
Communication
Work
Jonathan Gilbert, PMP
Director of Client Solutions
ESI International
www.esi-intl.com
Used with Permission

2. Our Agenda Today
 Communication – in general
 Virtual Communication
 Tips and Resources
building talent, driving results 2

3. Discussion
From your perspective, what are the top challenges
you face, right now, in leading a virtual team.
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4. What are our rules of engagement for
today’s discussion?
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5. Communication –
in general

6. Why does communication
matter so much?
 Idea of the need to communicate well is
not new!
 Communication is the grounding skill for –
– Facilitation
– Collaboration
– Influencing
– Relationship building
– Team building
– Negotiation
– Conflict resolution
– Customer relationships
– And more…
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7. Communication is also the
cornerstone skill for –
 Business Analysts
– Eliciting requirements
– Listening
– Facilitation
 Program Managers
– PMI’s Exam Specification includes many
communication-oriented skills
 Project Managers
– Gaining buy-in
– Managing customer expectations
– Presenting to stakeholders
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8. What the Experts Say
Poor communication was 75% of IT decision makers Of the Top 10 Knowledge
the #1 cause of project described communication and Skills Expected to
failure in COMPTIA poll. skills as “very important” to Increase in Importance Over
their hiring decisions in the Next Five Years:
2007.
#3 – Teamwork and
Collaboration (74.2%)
- CompTIA, 2007 - Forrester, 2007 - Creativity and Innovation 2007
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9. Communication
Communication is the transfer of information between people and the
attachment of meaning.
= Shared meaning
and desired
outcome
High-impact communication is clear communication directed at a target
audience that achieves its purpose by producing desired outcomes.
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10. Communication Filters
 What is a filter? Anything that interferes with the message
 Primary filters in communication
– Memory
– Context
– Content
– Style
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11. Virtual
Communication

12. Virtual Teams
First, let’s take a look at the
definition …
Virtual Teams
“A group of persons with a shared
objective who fulfill their roles with little or
no time spent meeting face to face.”
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13. What the Research Tells Us
About Virtual Teams
 Greater access to global talent  Conflict can go underground and
 Greater work-life balance for some escalate rapidly
employees  It is tougher to evaluate individual
 Geographically dispersed members performance
 Multiple cultures (visible/hidden)  Effective use of technology is
 Clear goals and standards are even essential
more critical  Relationships take more time and
 Communication/trust is the number effort
one issue  It is tougher to implement change
 Employee development and
mentoring must take on a new form
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14. Tips and Resources

15. Team Standards
“ Standards/goals without consequences
“
are merely suggestions.
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16. Establishing Team Standards
and Norms
 Keep in touch with other team members.
 Check your voicemail every day and return calls within 24 hours.
 Check your email every day and respond to messages within 24
hours.
 If you are going to be out of the office, let other people know and
leave a message on your voicemail — an “out of the office alert.”
 Email messages are to be used for updating and exchanging.
information only. There are to be no surprises over email about
problems. Interpersonal issues are not to be resolved using email;
use the telephone or a face-to-face meeting.
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17. Establishing Team Standards
and Norms (cont.)
 Send an agenda out 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
 Be on time for video conferences, audio conferences and other
meetings.
 In video conferences or audio conferences, keep the mute button
on when not speaking.
 Take breaks every 60 or 90 minutes during audio conferences
and video conferences.
 Do not interrupt others in meetings.
 At the end of each meeting, evaluate how the team performed,
abiding by team norms.
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18. Establishing Team Charters
That Include…
 The mission and scope of the team
 Standards for team behavior and team
processes
 Clear understanding of individual
accountabilities and use of “responsibility
charting”
 Effective use of technology
 Development of an external communication
plan to key stakeholders
 Success measures that everyone
understands
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19. Communicating the Vision
and Goals
 Make it simple to communicate and easy
to remember
 Paint a picture using examples or
analogies
 Present the vision in multiple forums
 Repeat the message; according to
Hallmark, people need to hear it seven
times
 Connect each employee’s work to the
over-arching goal
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20. Communication Filters
One way to ensure messages are
received correctly is to understand
your communication style.
 To capitalize on your communication strengths
 To improve your ability to communicate with
people who have different communication
styles
 To recognize when a miscommunication
occurs due to style, not content
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21. Communicating with…
Direct Spirited
 Bottom line  Persuasive
 Speaks forcefully  Big picture
 Presents strongly  Motivational
Systematic Considerate
 Precise  Supportive
 Concise  Trust and harmony
 Speaks efficiently  Listens well
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22. Communicating with…
Direct Spirited
 Focus on their goals and objectives  Focus on opinions and inspiring ideas
 Keep your relationship businesslike  Be supportive of their ideas
 Argue facts, not personal feelings  Don’t hurry the discussion
 Be well-organized in your presentations  Engage in brainstorming
 Ask questions directly  Be entertaining and fast-moving
 Speak at a relatively fast pace  Allow them to share their ideas freely
Systematic Considerate
 Focus on facts, not opinions  Focus on your relationship
 Be thorough and organized  Be supportive of their feelings
 Provide written evidence when possible  Make sure you understand their needs
 Be systematic in your presentations  Be informal
 Avoid gimmicks  Maintain a relaxed pace
 Allow time for analysis  Give them time to build trust in you
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23. Summary: Styles and Tips
Direct Spirited Considerate Systematic
Verbal  Decisive  Expresses opinions  Listens  Focuses on specific
readily details
 direct speech  close, personal
 generalizes language  precise language
 doesn’t stop to say hello
 persuasive  supportive language  avoids emotions
Paraverbal  speaks quickly  lots of voice inflections  speaks slowly  little vocal variety
 loud tones  animated  soft tones  brief speech
 formal speech  loud tones  patient speech  even delivery
Body Language  direct eye contact  quick actions  gentle handshake  poker face
 firm handshake  lots of body movement  likes hugging  controlled
movement
 bold visual appearance  enthusiastic handshake  slow movement
 avoids touching
Personal Space  keeps physical distance  cluttered workspace  family pictures in  a strong sense of
workspace personal space
 displays planning  personal slogans in
calendars in work space office  likes side-by-side  charts, graphs in
seating office
 work space suggests  likes close physical
power space  carries sentimental  tidy desktop
items
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24. A Powerful “Opener”
TREOA
 Topic: What is the problem, issue, or opportunity you are addressing?
 Recommendation: What is your general recommendation?
 Evidence: What evidence do you have that supports the topic and your
recommendation?
 Outcome: What outcome will the audience realize from this recommendation?
 Action: What specific action do you want this audience to take?
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25. References
 Teams That Click, from The Results-Driven Manager series
 The Distance Manager: A Hands-On Guide to Managing Off-Site Employees and Virtual
Teams, by Kimball Fisher and Mareen Duncan Fisher
 Remote Working: Linking People and Organizations, by David Nickson and Suzy Siddons
 The I in Team, by Susan K. Gerke and Linda V. Berens
 Mastering Virtual Teams, by Deborah L. Duarte and Nancy Tennant Snyder
 Leadership At A Distance, edited by Suzanne Weisband
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26. Questions?
Jonathan Gilbert, PMP
Director of Client Solutions
ESI International
www.esi-intl.com