"Work from Home Wednesday" LinkedIn live series continues in February with a workshop on coaching skills. Come learn and practice techniques for helping guide your peers and reports solve their own challenges with their own tools.
When? Wednesday, 2/8 @ 12PM PT
Where? LinkedIn
What? This Month's Topic: Coaching Skills
Click the link below to register for the event and I’ll see you on LinkedIn next Wednesday!
We're relaunching our popular "Work from Home Wednesday" series in 2023 with a workshop on active listening skills. Come watch and participate as we practice skills and techniques for engaging and listening better while working from home.
This Month's Topic: Active Listening Skills
It’s fifteen minutes of learning plus fifteen minutes of practice. Thirty minutes total and you’ll have a brand new skill under your belt.
Click the link below to view the recording:
How do we keep our teams learning when budgets are tight?
"A cat in a cubicle working at a computer, digital art" / DALL-E
The past few months have been a rough time in terms of job security. Many clients, colleagues and friends have either had their positions eliminated or seen their teams shrink. Fears of a recession, lagging stock prices, price increases and inflation worries are causing many businesses to pause and pull back growth and spending plans.
One of the first things to go in a spending crunch are “cost centers” - non-revenue generating parts of the business that can sometimes been seen as “non-essential”. Of particular interest to me (and to readers of this newsletter!) is how learning and development teams fare during these lean times.
An important thing to remember is that developing a learning culture in your organization doesn’t require a big budget. There are many small, inexpensive and effective things you and your teams can do during periods of disruption that will pay dividends in the long run. Here are a few ideas:
Create Peer Coaching Groups
Organize groups of 5-7 employees together to meet on a monthly cadence for one hour. The agenda is simple - ask people to bring their a challenge they’re facing, and encourage the group to break off into pairs and triads (groups of three) to coach each other through their issues. Developing bonds of peers helps build a sense of belonging and also enhances the levels of trust across teams that don’t normally interact. If you need a teaching guide to help people with the skill of coaching, I highly recommend The Coaching Habit.
Create Learning “Office Hours”
Sometimes people have a quick question, or might not know about existing resources to help with their people management or communication challenges. Set aside an hour per week for people to pop into a Zoom call to ask questions and get mini-trainings on whatever they’re interested in. If you’re struggling with attendance, you can focus these these by team and see if you can get invited to different team meetings to give a quick five minute plug to let people know this resource exists.
Take your Facilitation skills “on the road”
It’s amazing to see the impact that a skilled facilitator with a fresh set of eyes can have on a project or team goal. Offer yourself as a “guest facilitator” to help different teams resolve long standing challenges or simply break old habits for team meetings, check-ins or standups. Doing so will help you get a better understanding of what other teams are working on, and put you in a great position to go back to those teams later with offers for skill building sessions they might want in the future.
What kinds of “zero budget” ideas are you bringing to the table this winter? Reply back and let me know!
(not so) Quick Reads:
If you’re looking to add some structure to your people management approach, I highly recommend the book “The Effective Manager” by Mark Horstman. His step by step guide to people management is research-based, simple to follow and exceptionally clear in its approach. If you’re a people manager (or an aspiring one) this guide is a fantastic way to enter 2023 in a more organized, structured and…effective way. If you read it, let me know - I’d love to to chat with you about the tools and recommendations.
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
Do you know how to delegate?
An oak tree standing beside a river with tall reeds, stormy with lots of wind, oil painting / Dall-E
I recently revisited one of my favorite books, The Effective Manager (link: The Effective Manager Book | Manager Tools ), and found the chapter on delegation to be extremely timely.
Delegation is a skill, just like any other managerial behavior. Knowing when to delegate, how to do it, and how to support the person you’re delegating to, all are key components of delegating successfully.
What should I delegate?
Small work. Remember, for the person you’re passing the work to, a small task will be a big project (at least initially). Don’t overwhelm people with massive, complex work all at once. Simply saving yourself a couple hours every week is enough to make room on your plate for more impactful projects.
Who should I delegate to?
Give people projects they’re interested in. Use your understanding of what people are curious about, good at and want to achieve. Try to avoid simply delegating stuff you don’t like doing - instead make the process of offloading work to a report something that they see real value in, either for their career, their interests or their desire to learn and acquire new skills.
How do I do it?
The Manager Tools book provides a really simple process for delegating. It looks like this:
State your desire for help
Tell them why you’re asking them
Ask for specific acceptance
Describe the task in detail
Address deadline, quality and reporting standards
(Manager Tools, pg 173)
The big insight here: Explain why they’re the right person and ask for their buy-in (steps 2 & 3) before explaining the details of the task (step 4). This fundamentally changes how they listen to the task description - instead of listening for reasons to avoid saying yes, they’re now listening with an ear towards figuring out how to make this work their own. It’s a subtle bit of psychology that research shows drives a stronger sense of ownership and better results overall.
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
Quick Reads:
Pay Transparency Becomes Law in New York City - If you want a simple (but challenging) way to increase equitable outcomes in compensation, publish your pay ranges on job postings. A huge step forward in the law, hopefully more cities and states follow suit.
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
Does your social identity change when you’re working from home?
Social identity comes in many forms, and shows up for everyone in different ways on different days. I’ve found that one of the most helpful tools for discussing personal identity in my manager training workshops is the “social identity wheel”, a visual aid that displays the various identifying characteristics a person might feel about themselves at a given time.
For the same person, different aspects of the wheel might feel more salient (or at the surface) in some settings, while in other environments, they might be less top of mind.
For example, when I’m facilitating in a room full of C-suite executives 20 or 30 years older than me, my age is always top of mind. However when I'm teaching to international groups where English isn’t the first language of the majority of the audience, my own language ability and national origin are at the forefront for me. Whether you feel part of the “in-group” or “out-group” can also affect which parts of your identity are most “top of mind” to you at a given time.
This all leads me to the big question of the day - how do our identities show up differently when we’re working from home? I know that during the lockdown, it was clear to me that being a parent or caretaker was something that was very visible for many, having to manager childcare with kids at home and doing double (or triple) duty as a parent, teacher and worker had many work from home parents feeling completely overwhelmed.
Many other aspects of identity that were exciting and energizing to share with colleagues in the office have become harder to express in a remote work environment. Sharing one’s personality through fashion, body language or voice has been harder. Sharing religious holidays or traditions with colleagues through celebration, food or drink has also become harder to do.
But then again, the flip side is also true - target identities, “social identity groups that are positioned as targeted by oppression, to be disenfranchised, subordinated, exploited and/or otherwise harmed” may find that working from home grants some relief from harm. For instance, people with physical or mobility limitations don’t have to endure through challenging commutes, less-than accessible office buildings or conference rooms without adequate support.
How has your own conception of personal identity at your job changed while working from home? If you’re in a hybrid work situation, does your identity feel different on the days you’re in-person vs. the days you work from home? If you’re comfortable, please reply back to this email with your reflections, I’d love to hear them!
Quick Reads:
A “how-to” for hybrid work - All In person work should be “Voluntary, Strategic and Intentional”. I love the suggestions here about how to push back on the myths of the benefits of in-person work. Just because you don’t know how to do something (yet), doesn’t mean it’s wrong!
Actionable ideas for hybrid meetings - Simple and practical ways to make your hybrid meetings more human.
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
Meetings can often feel like daycare. We gather up our colleagues, get them to sit quietly for a few moments, and try to wrangle some semblance of direction from a group that wants to be anywhere but in this meeting. What’s the solution? Structure!
Just like a five year old, a small dose of structure into your team’s meeting life will do wonders for focus, productivity and general attitude (it won’t help get the grass stains out of their soccer uniforms, but that’s a different email newsletter…).
Here’s a quick five minute challenge for you to add a dose of sanity to the next meeting you’re in charge of running:
Pick the next meeting on your calendar you’re in charge of (could be later today!)
For that meeting, answer the following questions with one sentence each:
Purpose - What’s the reason we’re gathering?
Product - What will this meeting produce (that didn’t exist before we met)?
Personal Benefit - Why should you care about being here and participating? How does the meeting product make your (work) life better?
Process - How will we structure our conversation (this is your agenda)?
Review your answers, and cut/paste them into the calendar invite then hit “update”
A couple things to note:
You might struggle to answer these questions for recurring meetings. That’s a good thing! It means the meeting hasn’t been well defined. You have two options: cancel the meeting since it’s not a productive use of time (yay!) or discuss these questions with the meeting participants as an agenda item. It’ll help clarify why you’re spending the time and what everyone considers a “successful” gathering.
Ask others in the meeting to answer these questions themselves. You may learn a thing or two about unspoken expectations for your gathering.
Remember: Structure is the backbone of creativity. Adding some guardrails helps people stay on track, understand what’s appropriate to discuss and walk away feeling good about the time spent.
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Quick Reads:
What if offices were the radical invention? - A post from last year that poses the hypothetical question:
”What would work look like if the pandemic happened in reverse?”
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
It’s a Thursday afternoon during the dog days of summer - The weather is beautiful and you’re hoping to get out of the office a little early so you can enjoy a summer happy hour with a couple of your work buddies.
Only problem with this scenario is that you look around and remember that your office is your bedroom and your work friends all live hundreds of miles away. Is it still okay to close your laptop at 4:30 and go outside to enjoy a cold beverage?
For years, the idea of setting work/life boundaries was a pretty easy and straightforward task. Commutes, train rides and putting on actual shoes to leave your home were clear mental, physical and emotional indicators that a change in your day was about to occur. These indicators served as reminders that you were transitioning from home life to work life (and back again at the end of the day).
As we look ahead to the fall and prepare for another new phase of hybrid work “normalcy” it’s a really good time to reset our personal work from home boundaries. It’s worth doing a bit of self reflection by examining our work from home boundaries:
How do I know when my work day is done?
What physical, mental and emotional routines do I go through in the morning to prepare for at-home work? What routines do I have for ending work?
Are there any habits I’d like to let go of? Are there new habits I’d like to form?
How can I share these boundaries and intentional habits with my team? How do I make it safe for others to share them with me?
Here’s a habit I’ve been doing ever since I started working for myself from home: Every Friday morning, I block off one hour to plan my next week. I look at all my to do lists and projects and block off time on my calendar to accomplish the work the following week.
This “meeting with myself” serves a dual purpose - it’s a reality check on what I can reasonably accomplish in five work days while also creating as a clear mental and emotional boundary for the weekend. I know that when the “Sunday Scaries” show up, I will remind myself that my past self took care of my future self, so come Monday morning I can trust that I’ll hit the ground running.
What’s your favorite “work from home” habit? Reply back to this email and let me know what works for you!
Want more tips on structuring your work from home routines? Check out this video where I share a few different ideas for maintaining rhythm in your at-home work patterns:
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Quick Reads:
Hybrid Work and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives - McKinsey provides recommendations on how to make an organization’s hybrid communication plan work in tandem with DE&I goals.
What’s the point of a summer internship if you don’t meet anyone? - Another great article from Emma Goldberg (NYT) on hybrid workplace culture from the perspective of summer interns. With so many people working remotely, interns have to get creative to make the most of their networking experience.
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
If any of these feelings resonated with you…
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Quick Reads:
Two recent articles examine the connection between work-related “burnout” and a (really pernicious) trend of office workers not taking time off to recover from illness. Remember: Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to take time off to recover!
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
Planning to meet in person?
The days are getting longer, the weather is turning warmer, and here at Oak and Reeds the summer means one thing…it’s team off-site season!
If you’re on the fence about bringing together your team for an in-person meeting this summer, ask yourself these questions:
Is there anyone on our team I’ve been working with (virtually) that I’ve never met in person?
Are there any team challenges or projects that would benefit from a half day or full day in-person discussion?
Am I noticing signs of burnout (diminishing patience, less frequent casual “checking-in”, “video off” in virtual team meetings) in some or all of my team members?
If the answer to any of these is “Yes!”, you might be in need of an in-person team gathering.
Quick Reads:
Has your company scrapped your “Return to Office” plan? You’re not alone. Many organizations are taking a “let’s see how it goes” approach to returning to formal in-person work…and seeing success.
Virtual Presentation Skills Class
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
In this video-based class, you’ll learn techniques to mentally and physically prepare for virtual presentations, engage with virtual and hybrid audiences and enhance your overall ability to deliver compelling ideas in video conferences.
Want a Virtual Workshop or Virtual Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person using...human beings.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team?
Hybrid Work on the Horizon?
During a recent workshop, I asked participants "What are three words that come to mind when you think of returning to in-person collaboration?" Here were the results:
(Note: The bigger the word, the more people who thought it)
When you read this infographic, do these thoughts align with your personal transition back to the office? With your team's transition?
In my "Leading Teams Through Change" workshop, I encourage teams to share their thoughts on hybrid work out loud with each other. Creating opportunities to share what's exciting (and worrisome) about a change helps build more resilient and empathetic teams by exposing colleagues to each other's shared emotions and experiences.
Quick Reads:
A pair of articles from The Atlantic caught my eye this week:
Workplace cultures that ignore sadness and "enforce positivity" limit people's ability to process change and build authority in authentic ways.
New research from Microsoft begs the question: Do you suffer from a triple hump workday?
Online Classes for Individuals
Tired of waiting for your next Oak and Reeds group workshop? You're in luck!
We're in the process of building out an online class curriculum for all of our most popular training topics.
These will be self-directed video classes with a mixture of exercises, quizzes, and other interactive elements to keep you practicing and learning in a fun and fast-paced way.
Are you interested in learning more? Please click the button below to sign up to be the first to know when our classes go live!
Want a Virtual Workshop or Virtual Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, equitable interviewing, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person using...human beings.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team?
In the evolving domain of management, feedback emerges as a potent tool for leaders and teams. But it's not just about giving feedback; it's about doing it right. Here's why feedback is vital for people managers and best practices to ensure it's effective.
Among team collaboration best practices, one technique stands out: the "Yes, And" method. Originating from improv comedy, it has seamlessly transitioned into team collaboration workshops, proving its weight in gold. Here’s why it's an indispensable strategy for those wondering how to collaborate effectively, especially in remote settings.
Time flies. Here we are, with only 15 weeks left to wrap up the year. As the adage goes, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." While you can't turn back the hands of time, you can make sure the remaining weeks are fruitful, impactful, and set the stage for an even more dynamic year ahead.
Oak and Reeds now offers whisper courses as a supplement to our live, virtual instructor-led workshops. This new content offers bite-sized learning units (sent via email) to help learners digest content over time. All of these courses are customizable and can be tailored to your organization’s specific learning needs.
“Sticky” learning, or microlearning, is an educational approach that offers bite-sized learning units to help learners achieve a goal. An example of sticky learning is whisper courses. These are a series of emails with a simple suggestion, or 'whisper,' for learners to apply new theories to everyday interactions like feedback 1:1’s or team meetings.
In the 1880s, a German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus, launched a study on human memory. He developed a theory called the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, which illustrates the rate at which people forget new information.
The new year signals an opportunity to have those meaningful conversations. As we continue to adapt to a remote-first work setup, how do we make sure our people are equipped to balance productivity with their personal wellbeing?
How do we ensure that 2021 is a year we look back on as one of focused growth and development instead of a chaotic, stress-inducing mess?
Oak and Reeds now offers whisper courses as a supplement to our live, virtual instructor-led workshops. This new content offers bite-sized learning units (sent via email) to help learners digest content over time. All of these courses are customizable and can be tailored to your organization’s specific learning needs.
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In today's work landscape, hybrid teams are the new norm. This evolution brings challenges in brainstorming techniques, especially when aiming for maximum creativity. As people managers navigate this terrain, integrating diverse idea generation techniques becomes crucial. Here's how to boost creative brainstorming in hybrid settings: