Nobody likes to feel left out of a conversation, or that their contribution isn't valued. Well, I've not
met someone yet! The phrase "out of sight, out of mind" could become increasingly concerning during this current crisis. Effective leadership and communication will help keep the whole team engaged, motivated and productive, with well-being at the forefront.
DISTANCE BIAS
As humans we have a number of biases (rules of thumb) that help us navigate the world. One of those is "distance" bias: our tendency to favour people closer to us in time and space. Think back to in person meetings where one person was on a conference call - they can easily get forgotten about by the group, or can find it hard to join the conversation without others feeling they've stopped the flow.
This bias means that we tend to forget or give less attention to those who are not communicating regularly or are quieter than others.
And now it's even more important to be attentive to the needs of the team, and not just the ones that are proactive, talk the loudest, or talk the most. It's important that everyone feels connected and their strengths and knowledge is recognised and utilised.
IN-GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS
Another bias is in-group/out-group.
Your in-group are the ones you think are more like you, you can relate to, they have similar views and beliefs, similar sense of humour. You may also think they are more capable and trustworthy, because you "get them" or they work in a similar way that you do.
The out-group includes those you've decided are very different to you, not so easy to get on with, have contradictory values and beliefs. You may not "understand" them, and ultimately not trust them. There may be legitimate reasons for any negative beliefs, but there's also the potential that you're missing some important diverse thinking and not giving them the attention that they deserve.
Having people challenge the status quo and automatic thought processes (including group think) allows for better decision-making for you as the leader, and the team.
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION
What can be done to improve communication whilst video conferencing? As leaders, keeping people informed, being transparent and trustworthy, empathetic and expressing genuine concern for those in your team, will help you jointly navigate the challenges.
Meeting Set up:
Set up some protocols about your meetings:
send out agendas in advance (good for introverts)
start on time
keep meetings short (30-45 mins)
end early if possible (who doesn't want some time back in the day??)
reduce distractions (block out the time, muted microphones unless talking, no checking of emails etc), have the camera on (helps with eye contact, but also focus).
Make meeting as painless as possible to encourage participation! One technique is to come up with a naming system for the meetings, putting them into categories for instant recognition. For example, categories could be "general, all team meetings", "project/specific", "121 conversations", "brainstorming/contingency planning". Your team can then get inventive with the unusual names they give each of them, so that they are identifiable on invites and for preparation work!
During stressful times our attention span will be reduced, and there's likely to be additional distractions fighting for that attention at the moment. It's important to understand and respect this and communicate in a short and straightforward way.
Here are a few brain-based reasons behind this and solutions to improve communication and collaboration, especially on video conferences.
DISTANCE BIAS
As humans we have a number of biases (rules of thumb) that help us navigate the world. One of those is "distance" bias: our tendency to favour people closer to us in time and space. Think back to in person meetings where one person was on a conference call - they can easily get forgotten about by the group, or can find it hard to join the conversation without others feeling they've stopped the flow.
This bias means that we tend to forget or give less attention to those who are not communicating regularly or are quieter than others.
And now it's even more important to be attentive to the needs of the team, and not just the ones that are proactive, talk the loudest, or talk the most. It's important that everyone feels connected and their strengths and knowledge is recognised and utilised.
IN-GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS
Another bias is in-group/out-group.
Your in-group are the ones you think are more like you, you can relate to, they have similar views and beliefs, similar sense of humour. You may also think they are more capable and trustworthy, because you "get them" or they work in a similar way that you do.
The out-group includes those you've decided are very different to you, not so easy to get on with, have contradictory values and beliefs. You may not "understand" them, and ultimately not trust them. There may be legitimate reasons for any negative beliefs, but there's also the potential that you're missing some important diverse thinking and not giving them the attention that they deserve.
Having people challenge the status quo and automatic thought processes (including group think) allows for better decision-making for you as the leader, and the team.
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION
What can be done to improve communication whilst video conferencing? As leaders, keeping people informed, being transparent and trustworthy, empathetic and expressing genuine concern for those in your team, will help you jointly navigate the challenges.
Meeting Set up:
Set up some protocols about your meetings:
send out agendas in advance (good for introverts)
start on time
keep meetings short (30-45 mins)
end early if possible (who doesn't want some time back in the day??)
reduce distractions (block out the time, muted microphones unless talking, no checking of emails etc), have the camera on (helps with eye contact, but also focus).
Make meeting as painless as possible to encourage participation! One technique is to come up with a naming system for the meetings, putting them into categories for instant recognition. For example, categories could be "general, all team meetings", "project/specific", "121 conversations", "brainstorming/contingency planning". Your team can then get inventive with the unusual names they give each of them, so that they are identifiable on invites and for preparation work!
During stressful times our attention span will be reduced, and there's likely to be additional distractions fighting for that attention at the moment. It's important to understand and respect this and communicate in a short and straightforward way.
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