Effective Communications: Adding Verbal and Non-Verbal Capacity in Virtual Contexts

Working virtually can put the squeeze on our full range of verbal and nonverbal communication skills. This is a given with it comes to nonverbal. When we’re in the same physical space together, the success of our communication effort  is mightily influenced by our nonverbal, visual, actions.  Where is body language, and tone of voice, […]

Effective communications: High-context in a low-context virtual world

Keeping communications high-context in the virtual world can be a frustrating exercise.  Virtual interactions tend to favour low-context, direct and impersonal, forms of communication.  If you’re from a high-context culture, beware. Here’s a two-minute screencast I created to look at the high/low context conundrum, and what you can do about it: (Update: This screencast is […]

10 Business Reasons to Meet and Collaborate Virtually Instead of In-Person

It used to be that meeting virtually was frowned on, when meeting in-person was an option. These days, the preferred choice is often flipped.   Let’s meet and collaborate virtually, first.  Virtual collaboration is increasingly the way to make a difference. As a virtual meeting facilitator, here’s ten scenarios I’ve found well served with a […]

Communications and Making “Common” – In Real Life and Virtual

Most of us advocate for better communications between people.   What exactly does it mean though, ‘communications’? Apparently its roots are Latin in origin, and mean to make “common”.   If we think of communications as making common, getting on the same page, then its part and parcel of effective collaboration.   And that making […]

Virtual Dilemmas in Communications and Collaboration

Yesterday, I did a webinar for the BC Human Resource Management Association on the topic of Virtual Collaboration. The webinar attempted to address some of the typical challenges, dilemmas we face, as we try navigate and work together, in the virtual medium; be it using email, text, audio, video… Here’s some of those virtual dilemmas: […]