Here's how you can enhance your leader's toolkit with virtual meetings and remote collaboration tools.

Preparation is vital, but actively engaging your team, following up on action items, fostering inclusivity, leveraging technology, seeking continuous improvement, providing training, and accommodating time zones are all crucial elements that contribute to successful virtual collaboration. These practices not only improve meeting outcomes but also build a stronger, more cohesive remote team.

Effective leadership in virtual meetings begins with thorough preparation. - Understand the features and tools available, such as screen sharing, polls, and breakout rooms. - Share it in advance to set expectations and ensure all participants know what to expect.

Embracing virtual meetings and remote collaboration tools can enhance your leadership toolkit in the modern business landscape. Video conferencing platforms like Zoom enable face-to-face interactions, fostering team unity even when working remotely. Cloud-based collaboration tools facilitate real-time information sharing, task tracking, and collective brainstorming, keeping your team aligned and productive. The data and analytics provided by these digital solutions offer valuable insights to optimize workflows and drive informed strategic decisions.

Assuming you are on a Microsoft platform and your team is on it... great! Get hands-on on Teams-SharePoint-OneDrive, assuming you already are a pro at Outlook. If you have subscribed to Co-Pilot awesome. Each of these need a little use to get better at it. Start with the basics and move to getting to know the advanced functions. Make it a habit to schedule meetings on teams, get the teams to collaborate on OneDrive. Have calls where you review on OneDrive and trascribe the meeting. Setting habits for yourself and the team are critical. If you don't set an example as a leader, you can't expect the team to. Start small and grow into each app, take weekly goals and review progress monthly. You can boost productivity for the team rapidly.

Prepare yourself with these three simple steps for a virtual meeting or event: (it's not only about checking the tools and access) 1. Define what you want your audience to take away from the meeting. Would you like to have a "Decision" or "Inform" the audience to gather perspectives? Draft your agenda. Plan how to navigate "hot topics", without losing dynamics or a key outcome. 2. Make sure you have the right people in the room. Sometimes there are too many people and attendees can't actively participate in the meeting. Could you keep them engaged via the email comms instead? 3. Ensure that everyone knows why they are attending a meeting before it takes place - distribute a clear agenda. If it's an important meeting, send a pre-read.

It is crucial to actively facilitate discussions and encourage participation. - Use direct questions to involve quieter members and make them feel included. - Recognize and acknowledge the contributions of all team members to make everyone feel valued.

Here are four typical situations and how to navigate through them: (plan for these cases before the virtual event takes place) 1. Brainstorm - use virtual boards like Miro, Mural, Google Jam boards. They allow everyone to focus and contribute. 2. Problem Solving - organize your audience in break rooms of 2 - 5 people. This approach will allow your audience to work in groups to come up with a reco, e.g. regarding a particular challenge or even define a problem clearly. 3. Break the ice - use engaging apps like Kahoot to gamify and add some fun. 4. Gather questions - use tools like Slido to gather questions from the audience, in case you run a large virtual comms event.

Maximizing engagement is key. Clear video communication ensures visual engagement and maintaining team connections. Structured agenda topics, shared beforehand, keep meetings focused and productive, allowing participants to prepare and contribute effectively. Actively solicit input from all team members to foster inclusivity and diverse perspectives, promoting engagement throughout discussions. Feedback loops and post-meeting surveys help gauge engagement levels and refine meeting approaches based on team feedback. Recognizing and appreciating contributions during meetings motivates team members and reinforces engagement.

Creating a feedback loop is vital for continuous improvement in virtual leadership. - After each meeting, ask for feedback on what worked well and what could be improved. - This not only helps refine your approach but also shows your team that their opinions are valued.

Be specific about what you want to improve and measure the performance of the virtual event quantitatively and qualitatively. (it's about the trend, not the benchmark) Quantitative: > % people who joined the event vs accepted, > % of people dropped off during the meeting, > % people engaged into activities such as Polls, etc. Qualitative: > make a simple Google Form to gather feedback, > rate key areas of the virtual event such as a) relevance of the topic b) organization c) clarity of communication d) technical performance, > If you have several presenters, you might want to rate their sections separately.

Staying tech-savvy is crucial for effective leadership in the digital age. - Continuously explore new tools and technologies that can enhance remote collaboration. - Be proactive in learning about updates to your existing platforms and be open to trying out new features.

Building trust is crucial for successful virtual teams. - Be transparent with your team about goals, challenges, and expectations. - Be available to support your team members and address their concerns.

Critical to set up "chill moments" also to build relationship and bonding among the team which will translate to trust. Discussing only work will hurt the trust level

Some additional strategies: 1. Use Digital Body Language: Pay attention to non-verbal cues in virtual settings. 2. Utilize Collaboration Tools: Use platforms like Miro and Lucid Board for team collaboration. 3. Provide Psychologically Safe Environment: Create a space where team members feel safe to express their ideas and concerns. 4. Provide Autonomy: Empower team members to take ownership of their tasks and decisions. 5. Encourage Inclusivity: Ensure all team members have a voice and feel included. 6. Foster Cognitive Empathy: Understand and respond to the thoughts and feelings of team members to build stronger connections and trust. Finally track the effectiveness of meetings and tools used.