Strategies for Virtual Team Building
Introduction
Virtual team building is the perfect solution to the challenges of working in a distributed environment. It provides you with an opportunity to build stronger bonds between employees and allows them to feel more connected and productive as a result. Here are some strategies that can help make virtual team building work for your organization:Prepare your team.
The first step in building a virtual team is to prepare your team. Some of the key things to consider when preparing for a meeting include:- Have an Agenda. The agenda will help keep everyone focused on the topic at hand and prevent any distractions from creeping into the conversation. It should also include topics that may not have been discussed previously, such as how long you've been working together as a team, what goals you want to accomplish during this meeting and where you see yourself going with this project in the next six months (or year).
- Have a Clear Purpose For The Meeting. This should be evident from day one of planning so there aren't any surprises later on down the road when someone asks why we spent 20 minutes talking about something unrelated instead of discussing our next steps with regard to this project! Also make sure all participants are aware of how much time they need per person before starting up so they're ready when it's their turn at discussing ideas related specifically toward completing those goals mentioned above.
Set clear expectations.
In order to set clear expectations, it's important to define what you want to achieve.- Decide on a problem before starting on a solution.
- Define your goals in advance and make sure they are ambitious but achievable (i.e., don't try to solve the world's problems at once).
Encourage communication.
You can encourage communication by using a variety of communication tools. Make sure everyone has access to the tools and that they're comfortable using them. Also, make sure that everyone knows how to use these tools including yourself! If someone is uncomfortable with something you've asked them to do, they may feel reluctant or apprehensive about doing it at all.Use a variety of tools.
The best way to build a virtual team is by using tools that allow you to communicate and collaborate effectively. You can use video conferencing, chat software and shared documents for this purpose.If you want to get more creative with your virtual team building process, there are a number of great collaborative tools out there that will help you organize your projects and keep everyone on track so they're able to work together effectively. These include Trello, Asana and Basecamp (to name just three).
Keep things simple.
The first thing to remember is that you don't have to make everything digitally complex or complicated. It can be as simple as having a team meeting over coffee, or even just sending an email once in awhile. A simple approach will help you avoid some of the pitfalls of virtual teamwork, such as having too much information flying around at once and becoming overwhelmed with all the new things happening (which can lead to communication breakdowns).Give the team time to gel.
The best way to build trust is by giving your team time to gel, or get comfortable with each other. You can do this in a variety of ways:- Set up regular check-ins, especially for the first few weeks after you start working together. This will help you see the progress of your team and make sure everyone's on board with it.
- Find ways to get feedback from them about their work and how they're feeling about it (e.g., asking questions like "how could I improve?" or "what would make this more fun?"). This will help everyone feel heard and appreciated as well as give them an opportunity for self-reflection on what works for them personally within their roles at work and hopefully outside of work too!
