How to engage people in your far-flung global organization

According to multiple studies by Gartner, 7 out of 10 employees are not engaged or are actively disengged at work.  As we all strive for higher performance, these statistics not only must change, but they all CAN change when leaders and team members make the effort.

The Gartner studies did not differentiate between how many people in theiur research work onsite with their leader or team, vs. how many work from remote locations around the world.  But in my experience as a virtual team expert, people that work virtually can get very isolated, which exascerbates the lack of engagement at work. 

How can a remote leader engage people that work from distant locations?  Here are some best practices that work.

1. Be sure to talk with each person on your virtual team by phone at least once a week.
2. Make sure that some part of that phone call is about the person--his/her interests, family, vacation, career aspirations, and more.  Pay attention and remember the personal information that they share with you.
3. If you can't remember the personal details, use Outlook or a customer-relationship management software program like ACT to capture them.  Begin the new phone call personally, such as, "How did your son do at the soccer tournament last weekend?"  The personal touch makes people feel important and cared for.
4. Be accessible in a timely way to people near and far.  When remote people can't get in touch with you and other team members in a timely way, trust breaks down--and so does morale!
5. Leverage a social media bio (SharePoint or Linked-in) to have people share information about themsevles.
6. Leverage video--by mobile phone, web conference, tele-presence, etc., so you learn everyone's face and they learn yours.  If the quality isn't great, be happy to have so many choices, and find the one that works best for your virtual team.
7. Use a headset, not a speakerphone, when taking remotely.  People that sound close, feel close.

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, Inc., http://www.distance.com/

Providing traing to help you make your webinar (for training, presentations, and meetings) engaging, interactive, and fun!

How Green is Your Webinar - Check iLink's Green Meter

If you have the choice between meeting virtually vs. traveling to be face-to-face, check out iLink's innovative Green Meter. 

When everyone logs on to an iLink web conference (training, presentations, or meetings), their system automatically identifies the locations that each person is calling from.  Then it calculates how many miles were saved, how many pounds of carbon emissions were avoided, and how much money you saved by meeting on iLink vs. traveling

Since the Green Meter was launched, iLink customers are on schedule to save two billion pounds of carbon emissions from harming the environment.  Nice work!  Rates are reasonable, the interaction capability is great, and you can save 20% by paying for a year in advance.   All this...and we can save the planet, too! 

To find out more, go to their website at http://www.ilinc.com/greenmeter

Respectfully submitted,

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, Inc., http://www.distance.com/
Experts in how to make webinars (for training, presentations, anfd meetings) engaging, interactive, and fun!

Best and Worst Cell Phones

If you select your mobile phone, not just by price, but also by that company's social consciousness, then you'll want to check out the 2011 best and worst mobile phone brands as rated by GoodGuide and Consumer Ally.

These two firms looked at mobile phones on three key social dimensions:

• concern for the environment
• care about the health impact of their product on consumers
• social responsibility (treatment of workers, diversity in the workplace, and involvement in the community)

The five best cell phone brands on their list are:

1. Nokia
2. Palm
3. Motorola
4. Sony Erickson
5. Pantech

The five worst cell phone brands on their list are:

1. Sharp
2. Casio
3. Garmin-Asus
4. LG
5. Blackberry (The big surprise!)

Check out the article to find out more.

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/02/14/best-and-worst-cell-phones-goodguides-exclusive-ratings/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%7C44536

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/

Top Six Reasons Not to Get Verizon's iPhone 4 -- yet

For the last several momths, I have been eagerly waiting to purchase the new iPhone4 from Verizon.  I have an Android, and it's OK.  But I have lusted over the iPhone since I first saw it.  Like many of you, seeing the iPhone was love at first site!  iPhone is a really, really cool phone.  An avid WebEx user, I wanted to be able to join meetings on my iPhone, like many of the virtual teams that we interact with daily.  Really--this phone makes my heart beat a little faster every time I see it.

But an article I read today in CIO has put those plans on hold.  According to the author, Al Sacco, here are the top six reasons NOT to purchase Verizon's iPhone 4 yet.

1. The iPhone Verizon is offering is old technology - the same release that was first sold on June 2010. 
2. You can't be on a phone call and search for information on the web.  The next release may change that.
3. Verizon's iPhone is expensive--$199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB Model, plus a two-year service agagreement.  These are the same prices AT&T charged for it nine months ago!
4. The Verison iPhone is very fragile.  It has glass on the front and back, which may look great, but is not going to win any durability awards.
5. You can only load official mobile applications using iTunes.
6. The Verizon iPhone has antennae issues.  Don't grab the phone too hard in an area with weak signal, or the call will get dropped. 

So, I'm going to wait until Verizon's iPhone5 is released.

Read the whole article at

http://www.cio.com/article/663581/Verizon_iPhone_4_Six_Good_Reasons_Not_to_Buy?page=1&taxonomyId=3061

Photo from crunchgear.com

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance  http://www.distance.com/
Virtual team expert
Webinar interaction guru

Generation Net - Young people that prefer their virtual lives to the real world

Forty-five percent of 2,300 11-18 year olds in the UK admitted that they were sometimes happier online than in their real lives.

When on the web, many young people revealed that they can be whatever they want to be when they communicate virtually with others that they have never met.  They can appear stronger, older, and more confident.  Photo image editing programs let them edit their images to look more appealing.  They can lie about their experiences and their friends.

The study suggested that children "see cyberspace as detachable from the real world."  The virtual world lets them explore parts of their behavior, personality, and imagination in ways that they wouldn't in real life. 

Despite Internet safety training in schools, about 10% of the youngsters still take serious risks with encounters that put themselves and their friends in danger.
They're still kids, but some day they will grow up and enter the workforce.  If they interact with the computer more than with each other, will they have the social skills to create real, lasting relationships with others at school, at work, and in business? 

I look in my neighborhood, and there are hundreds of school-age kids here.  But it is rare to see even a few children playing together in the park.  It's like the neighborhood has no kids at all.  They're all on their computers or sending text messages to each other. 

I am delighted that kids love the technology.  I also want them to love playing and creating and being with each other so they learn the social skills they will need when they grow up and take their leadership roles in business.  When they have a problem relationship at work later in life, they can't just click the "exit" button.  They have to want the relationship to continue, and then communicate in ways to resolve it. 

February 8, 2011, is Safer Internet Day in the EU.  Here are six tips they suggest to help your kids use the Internet safely.

1. Talk about the Internet.  Ask them to show you what they like to do online.
2. Stimulate your child's creativity by discovering new sites, playing games, and  using the web to stretch his/her imagination.
3. Set up "fair" rules and boundaries for using the phone or computer that you agree together about up front.
4. Protect personal data with highest levels of privacy on social networks.
5. Think about using parental control tools.
6. Avoid having a computer in your child's bedroom.  Put it in a more public place, like the kitchen or living room.

Safer Internet Day 2011
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/index_en.htm

Article: 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1354702/Children-happier-virtual-lives-real-world.html


Submitted by Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/  303.791.1515

Can't find a job? Consider Microwork - Virtual work from home

I know three people that are not only out of work, but have been so for over two years.  I sense their anxiety and desperation as their skills become less and less current.

Consider microwork.  If you have a computer, the internet, and great skills, Bloomberg Businessweek lists twelve companies are engaging contractors that have skills, can work from home, and have Internet access. 

Some general skills jobs pay only a few dollars per hour and will not be worth your while.  If you have specialized skills and industry-specific knowledge, however some offering microwork will pay $250-500/hour.  These aren't full-time assignments, but they certainly could help pay some of the bills if you have the credentials, experience, and expertise that these companies are looking for.  Check out the opportunities carefully to see if it is a good fit for you.

Working virtually offers a world of opportunity for everyone.  The article gives a pictoral slide show of the twelve companies profiled in the article and podcast.  If you know someone that is seeking work, pass it on...

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110128/twelve-sites-that-will-put-you-to-work-now/?chan=technology_special+report+--+ceo+guide+to+the+micro+workforce_special+report%3A+ceo+guide+to+the+micro+workforce

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/

Cultural issues: 3/4 of knowledge workers don't want desktop video

According to a survey of 5,498 knowledge workers by Forrester Research, a whopping 72% don't want desktop video at work.  With the cutbacks in travel budgets, this study caught my eye because virtual teams are feeling the pain of little to no face-to-face team time.

According to research by Kate Listler, approximately 63-88 million people work remotely some or all of the time. (http://undress4success.com/research/telecommuting-statistics/)  One would think that they would eagerly embrace desktop video from their remote locations.

Most people would credit the resistance to privacy issues.  People want to keep their private space at home out of the view of others at work.  These same poeple, however, eagerly use video with distant friends and family.

I believe that the main reason that resist desktop video at work is also to control their virtual presence--the image they convey to others in the business remotely.  Take Margie who said that she runs for an hour at lunch.  When the 1 pm meeting comes around, she doesn't want anyone to see her in her running clothes, without makeup, and with hair that is not groomed for a business meeting with others on the team that she doesn't know well.

When I work from my home office and have a web conference meeting with clients, I do project a very professional image.  I make sure that my image is 100% professional.  My hair and makeup are just right.  I'm wearing a suitcoat and jewelery appropriate for business.  But if the camera were to pan out more (which it doesn't), one might also find that I am wearing shorts or jeans because I am working from home.

Let's face it.  The business office in general has become much more casual.  Compared to how many people groom at home, however, the home office is substantially less casual--at a level that some want to shield.  Virtual teams need to decide how they want to handle desktop video.  With severe cutbacks in travel, the video is an important way that many virtual teams create their working bond with one another.

To read more about the Forester study, go to http://www.conferencingnews.com/news/34862

Posted by Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/