The Power of We: A Speaker’s Guide to Collaborative Success

I am incredibly thrilled to have earned the designation of?Virtual Master Presenter. This milestone, deeply personal yet universally significant, echoes a belief that's learning is ideal when done in a safe and collaborative environment where individuals can stretch their minds on the art of the possible. In many ways my own learning journey is symbolic to my own teachings: Getting to We? by applying the art, science and practice of collaborative WE ways of working.?

The Art, Science and Practice of Getting to We

I wake up every day researching and teaching others the art, science, and practice of creating highly collaborative win-win business relationships. I often use the analogy that collaboration is not about putting people in a room where 1+1=2 or maybe even 3.? Rather, successful collaboration is when 1+1=11. Amazing results are possible because collaborators are co-creating in an environment that fosters trust, transparency and compatibility.?

So why take a course on being a better virtual presenter?? Especially when my Executive Education courses at the University of Tennessee are already ranked at #4 in the world by European Business Review??

It is because when I show up to teach—or do a virtual keynote or custom workshop—I feel passionate that I owe it to the companies to help them get the absolute best value and impact that is possible. If executives choose to spend their precious time and money on hearing what I have to say, I think it is only fair that I should spend my own precious time and money on learning how to create the absolute best collaborative learning environment that is possible.?

Long ago I learned that a collaborative virtual learning environment means far more than simply using Zoom breakout groups, chat, and polls. As a professional educator and keynote speaker I wanted to push myself to find the absolute best ways to build high-impact interaction into my virtual presentations, workshops and courses.??

My Journey Towards Mastery

For fun, I thought I would map my own learning journey to the Getting to We philosophy – which is anchored in trust, transparency, and compatibility.

Trust:? A key concept of Getting to We is to go into a relationship with a mindset of choosing to trust versus the mantra that someone must earn your trust. Anytime I embark on learning something new, I choose to go in with an open mind and trust my teachers or coach. After all, if you have done your due diligence and have chosen to work with a vetted expert, why not be a sponge and soak up what they share?? Here, I want to give a shout-out to ? Rebecca Morgan, CSP, CMC, CVP, VMP – the instructor for the eSpeakers Virtual Master Presenter program. Rebecca is truly one of the smartest people on the planet when it comes to virtual presentation skills. Thank you for sharing so many fabulous new tricks, tools and resources!

Transparency: Getting to We is enabled when you have a safe environment to share candid feedback and challenge the status quo. Again, kudos to Rebecca for creating that environment in the Virtual Master Presenter’s program. However, transparency is a two-way street, and individuals (yes – that means me!) need to be transparent and candid with themselves about opportunities to improve. I went into the program with an open mind, seeking to see where I was falling short and not being afraid to try new things I had not done before.?

Compatibility: Lastly, Getting to We is about looking for connections to increase compatibility – both with fellow collaborators and how you interact with your work. When you have compatibility, you remove friction, which reduces stress and improves efficiency. For me, this meant stretching my mind to understand the latest virtual trends, tools, resources and tricks. Going through the course gave me a list of dozens of things I needed to adopt and tweak.

One area where I wanted to reduce friction was with my actual studio setup. After all – who likes to stress over technology that is hard to use? So, I set out to embrace (and learn!) technologies that increased my ability to create a highly collaborative environment. I already had a pretty amazing virtual studio – but I was able to go from good to great!?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my virtual studio setup.? Of course - I am sure some pros out there can give me additional pointers!?

Application in Professional Settings

I invite you to embark on your own learning journey, laying the foundation with trust, transparency, and compatibility. Whether you are about to embark on a relational contract with a strategic partner using the Vested methodology - or you are simply seeking to learn a new skill - I challenge you to reflect on your own path. Consider looking at your learning journey through the principles of Getting to We and discover how they can light up your personal and professional worlds.?

Together, let’s aim for a future where collaboration and shared success form the foundation of all our endeavors. As we venture forward, let’s hold fast to the belief that our journeys and accomplishments gain true value when we go beyond What’s-in-it-for-Me thinking and contribute to What’s-in-it-for-We win-win collaborations.??

For those whose professional development path includes upping their virtual presentation skills, I encourage you to explore the eSpeaker’s Virtual Master Presenter course. Note – I am NOT getting paid by eSpeakers.? Nor am I getting a referral orkickback for recommending their course. So don’t think I am making this recommendation because there is something in it for me. ???

Finally - remember that if you are stuck in a collaboration and feel 1+1 is only achieving a 2 or 3 level results, you are likely doing something wrong. Successful collaboration is when 1+1=11, which starts with Step 1 of Getting to We where you lay a strong foundation with trust, transparency and compatibility.??