What are the most effective ways to run a team workshop with remote members?

Ensure you have a backup if a tool is down. When we rely on third-party tools, that's just another dependency for success. If Zoom goes down, what is the backup plan? If we are using Miro and that is down, what is the backup plan?

Running remote team workshops requires thoughtful planning. Begin with clear objectives, an agenda, and the right tools for collaboration like video conferencing, shared documents, and interactive platforms. Ensure active participation through icebreakers, breakout sessions, and engaging activities tailored to the team's dynamics and goals. Communicate expectations beforehand and follow up with actionable outcomes to maximize the workshop's effectiveness.

In a hybrid environment, keep in mind the on-site participants as well in the process. Ensure the tool(s) being used enables participation that is as engaging for employees working remotely as employees working on-site. Consider tools that seamlessly bridge the interactions of remote employees with the interactions of on-site employees.

Virtual team?s are defined as a group of people with a shared goal who fullil their roles with litle or no time spent meeting face-to-face. This creates opportunities for finding team members with greater skills, at lower costs. Some virtual teams have occasional physical meetings, while others may never meet face to- face.

Use video and whiteboard tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Whiteboard. Define the objectives and agenda of the workshop and share them with the participants. Set the ground rules for communication and collaboration. Warm up and icebreak with fun activities and games. Engage and interact with the participants using questions, polls, feedback, and breakout rooms. Summarize and follow up with the participants and send them a summary and the next steps.

Create a pre-read of materials for attendees at least 2-3 days in advance. Giving attendees materials to review for 5-15 minutes on their own time before the workshop will maximize the time together to truly get to work toward the goal

Bottom line: Think of your audience when planning the agenda and objectives. No natter how prepared a trainer is, if he/she can't empathize them and answer the question 'what do they want to learn?', a good chance that a training is a dud is highly likely. Focus hard on the outcome when designing the agenda. It serves as a good reason for them to spend their time and attention, and something they can take to practice in the real world.

Give each person a dedicated speaking slot where they can express pros cons etc. Biggest challenge of hybrid working is a room of folk and a few on camera. It’s simple, regardless of where they are, give them a voice and a platform

Have a moderator who can make sure everyone’s voice is heard. It can be hard to know when to interject in virtual meetings, seeing as you don’t have the same body language cues as in real life - or if you’re having a lag due to slow WiFi or bad tech! Take a pause at several points to ask for questions, or ask people to use the “raise hand” feature on Google meet and Zoom to signify if they’ve got something to say.

I use presentation software with real-time polling for all my in-person remote workshops. It allows attendees to answer open-ended and multiple-choice questions anonymously. The results are shared with my clients afterward, with trends and recommendations based on the responses. And because the responses are shared in real time, I can take a few moments to dive deeper into the responses and ask people to share their responses if they are comfortable.

This i agree. It values their time, effort and presence during the training. It is also a big way of empowering their worth as professionals. It is also a way of showing your position and reputation as trainer. It is also an opportunity as a trainer to understand your audience and their context more- which makes you a better trainer over time and opportunity. While a trainer can deliver, control and empower is king.

Ensure the team is aware of the next steps that will take place as a result of the workshop. And follow-through! Deliver a short recap and action items within 48-72 hours of the workshop, and within 2-4 weeks, offer an update and follow-up discussion (if needed) to advance those items.

One approach I found particularly helpful where possible is to give each person who is remote a buddy in the room who is "live" and can ensure their remote buddy is engaged, contributing and following along. As a facilitator, I know that at times, I can lose track of folks who are remote so having buddies ensures that doesn't happen. We build a community of care around the remote team. I've also arranged, for full day sessions, for the delivery of boxed lunches so the remote participants feel included even over meals.

I’ve learnt that two things are key: having a clear problem statement and setting limitations to imagination. A clear problem statement involves stitching facts together and cutting out loose threads of opinions. That statement will then tell you how to set limitations to imagination, which involves establishing parameters of the sandbox and outlining the tools available for play. Only then, you invite the players in.

It's crucial to consider the timezone and weekend differences (Fri-Sat vs Sat-Sun) of attendees in a remote multinational setup. Scheduling meetings at a time that is inconvenient for remote attendees will definitely mean that they will be less engaged. In a geo-scatterd team, it's hard to find a time that works for everyone. So you'd want take measures and be inclusive: - Acknowledge the problem publicly so that everyone is mindful of it. - Alternate scheduling time each cycle to be suitable for different groups not just suitable for the majority every time. - Ask about suitable times and don't assume. With the hybrid and flexible working setups, people shift their schedules around all the time and will have non-uniform working hours.

Make sure you have a clear agenda. Tell everyone in advance and give them at least a few days notice if there is something in particular you want them to prepare. Schedule in a loo break/offline time half way through if it's going to be a long one. This is perhaps the most important because Zoom fatigue can be a blocker.

it's super important to choose the right tools for communication and collaboration. You can use digital facilitation tools like Howspace, which allows for real-time conversations, video chats, and various facilitation features. Next, it's crucial to establish clear expectations and roles for everyone involved. This helps ensure that everyone knows what they need to do and when. Now, here's the fun part - virtual team building activities! Engage in activities that help team members get to know each other and foster connections. This can really strengthen relationships within the team, no matter where they are in the world.