Sessions

Workplace Application: HR executives will learn effective ways to better serve the changing needs of their virtual clients and guide teams to succeed in the virtual space.

Virtual Teams (VTs) are creating new challenges. Perhaps the most critical one is the human connection. Connection is the lifeblood of organizations, and without it VTs cannot achieve optimum performance. In this interactive session, Yael will share highlights from her latest book, A Manager's Guide to Virtual Teams, provide field research insights and explore four key virtual challenges: Creating Context Communication, Establishing Trust and Accountability, Conducting Virtual Mediation and Getting Deliverables Out the Door, with a special focus on Cross Cultural Communications and HR's role in serving the changing needs of our growing virtual workforce.

Recertification /Learning Objectives:

With virtual teams on the rise, HR professionals need to explore effective ways to leverage their unique capabilities. This session discusses ways HR executives can better serve the changing needs of their virtual clients to become true 'Agents of Connection', facilitating the human connection in the virtual workplace. This interactive session combines solid methodology with practical insights, learnings and best practices.
Participants will:

• Learn key facts about the growing emergence of virtual teams, including challenges, benefits and barriers, types and eight characteristics of high performing virtual teams.
• Investigate proven methods and processes for setting up successful virtual teams from the start.
• Discover, both cognitively and experientially, about the four key virtual team challenges: Context Communication (including effective virtual team meeting techniques for written, voice and virtual in person practices), Trust and Accountability (including virtual representation techniques and trust builder behaviors), Virtual Conflict Mediation (including telephone practices) and Deliverables (effective ways for getting results).
• Explore the importance of cross cultural communications in the virtual world through a combination of teaching and group activities around virtual interactions. Participants will be exposed to cases where English is 'lost in translation', including actual scenarios, questions, activities, reflections and mechanisms to help communicate in a world of diminished cues.

Session delivery methods will include brief informative inputs, interactive group discussions, exercises, a group case study (based on real client situations), individual reflection, and paired sharing. We will also work with 'live' case situations provided by presenter and volunteered by participants, and end with a brief global mindset shift exercise. Handouts and resources for further exploration are highlighted at the end.

*Additional programs fees and advance registration are required.