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November 7, 2021October 6, 2023

10 Steps on How to Avoid Miscommunication at Work

Miscommunication.

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, miscommunication is:

“A failure to make information or your ideas and feelings clear to somebody, or to understand what somebody says to you.”

And it’s everywhere. It’s in the “he said, she said” of relationships. In consumer relations. In work teams. We don’t even need dialogue to miscommunicate.

How scary is that?

Since we’re not relationship counselors, today’s topic is on how to avoid miscommunication at work. Because while the “he said, she said” can be damaging, organizational miscommunication can be catastrophic.

To put it plainly, effective communication at work is critical to your organizational success. The cost of miscommunication at work is high, from both financial and human standpoints.

From the financial perspective, costs could include:

Lost sales
Missed performance goals—which has a human impact as well
Delayed or incomplete projects

On the human side of things, the cost of miscommunication could include:

Missed goals, which could mean a loss of income
Low morale
High stress
Bad attitudes

At the end of the day, communication breakdowns can impact everyone on the team—from senior management to front-of-the-line staff.

We use communication to collaborate–to share information and ideas. To build people up by inspiring or persuading them. That’s on the positive side.

But what about the negative?

Here are some examples of miscommunication at work.

Examples of Miscommunication at Work

Here’s the thing. For the most part, it’s doubtful that anyone sets out to be a bad communicator–and it’s a likely bet that even the worst communicator assumes they’re quite effective.

The problem is that what they say and what the listener actually hears are often two very different things. Then before you know it, there’s conflict and a breakdown in morale and productivity.

So let’s take a look at some examples of miscommunication at work. And from there, we’ll discuss which steps you can take to avoid it.

Communication Styles

Depending on who you ask, there are 4, 5, or maybe even 7 communication styles. For those who follow the rule of 5, they are:

Assertive
Aggressive
Manipulative
Passive
Passive-Aggressive

Each of these addresses how a speaker communicates whatever information they are sharing.

Remember, it’s already been established that effective communication at work is critical to organizational success. Yet if different communication styles aren’t handled properly, communication begins to break down.

How?

Before you know it, people with clashing communication styles are confused, stressed, and often completely misunderstanding what the speaker thinks they are conveying.

Incidentally, clashing communication styles don’t necessarily mean opposite styles. For example, a conversation between two aggressive communicators will often deteriorate. They’re both vying for domination, with neither willing to listen to the other’s point of view–because their point of view is always right.

In a situation like this, miscommunication is bound to happen.

So what’s the solution? Both—or all—parties must strive to hear what the speaker is saying. Listen to what they’re saying instead of how they’re saying it. For the listener, that may mean filtering out their own emotional responses. Without emotion, the listener is better able to be objective.

Think back to the definition of miscommunication above. The failure can be on the part of the speaker when trying to convey their ideas or feelings, or on the listeners’ inability to understand the message.

Instructions

There’s a good chance you’ve heard, “That’s not what you told me to do,” a time or ten. Maybe in an employer/employee setting. Maybe in a parent/child setting.

Someone gave instructions but they miscommunicated them. The listener misunderstood, and a task was carried out wrong.

Frankly, part of the reason for this is wrapped up in the communication styles mentioned above. Because just as each speaker has their own style, so does each listener. And they will filter everything they hear through their own style—often different from the style the message was delivered in.

At this point, you’re dealing with more than communication styles. Personality styles need to be factored into the equation as well.

Do you see the recipe for disaster here?

The above mentioned are broad examples but I’ll provide some specifics as well.

All of us at times say one thing when we really mean something else. Don’t believe me? Google “when she says she’s fine” or “when he says I’ll call you.”

Sexist? Sure. But a great example of people saying one thing when they mean the exact opposite. Now let’s take this to an organizational setting. Here are a few classic lines you might hear—or have said yourself—during the workday. And what they really mean.

1. They said: They’re not paying me enough for this.

They meant: I’m working myself to death to please them, but they neither value nor appreciate my efforts.

2. They said: I’m finding my job too boring and too easy to accomplish.

They meant: Please, I’m begging you. Give me more responsibility.

From all the above examples, it’s easy to see why there’s so much miscommunication at work. But what can be done about it? Since a lot of the problems with miscommunication can be traced back to communication styles—which all of us naturally have—should everyone assume they’re doomed to endless communications potholes?

Nope. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can avoid miscommunication at work.

How to Avoid Miscommunication at Work

Let’s start with the most obvious.

1. Communicate Clearly

In the most simplistic of terms, communication consists of 3 components: the speaker, the message, and the recipient. However, the route between the speaker and the listener can be impacted by a range of things. Emotions, culture, the medium in which the message was passed on, even the location where it happens.

If you’re the speaker, keep all that in mind. If part of your job is to explain tasks to team members, be as clear and concise as possible. If necessary—and without being condescending—use small words. That may sound like you’re being encouraged to explain things to your team members as if they were five, but no. Remember the without being condescending bit of advice.

Part of the above is understanding your audience. If they’re a group of peers who are industry professionals that have a business language all of their own, you can feel safe in using terminology you know they would understand.

2. Document Instructions

Not everyone is an auditory learner.

An auditory learner is someone whose primary learning method is through speaking and listening. They’re the people who can listen to a presentation and understand the message. Their employer can walk up to them and say, “I want you to do this, this, and this,” and that’s enough.

But not everyone learns this way. Some learn visually. Some need to read instructions.

And no, your company doesn’t need to produce a video every time you want to explain something, just so the visual learners aren’t left out. But at the very least, important instructions should be documented, not just verbalized.

This serves a dual purpose. When someone comes back and says, “That’s not what you said to do,” you can pull out your documentation and confirm that yes, you did say that.

This could be particularly important when it comes to sharing things like timelines, targets, and other specifics.

3. Listen

There is a significant difference between simply hearing something and actively listening to it.

How many times have you only heard the droning voice of a parent, teacher, or partner? The blah, blah, blah, and not the words at all?

If your boss or team leader is talking and that’s all you hear, there’s going to be a problem at some point. So stop simply hearing the noise of their voice and pay attention to the words they are saying. This means you’re not checking your phone or allowing interruptions.

And if necessary, take notes.

Finally, feedback is another key component of active listening. Offering specific feedback can help the speaker understand that it may be necessary to alter a message so it can be properly understood by the listener.

4. Clarify Expectations

Are team members clear on what you expect of them when it comes to a project or task? Don’t just assume they understand. Instead, take the time to discuss with each teammate—individually, if necessary—what their responsibilities are.

Do you have short- and long-term goals? And if so, does everyone understand their part in getting there?

5. Follow Up

It can be hard to keep everyone’s attention during a team meeting.

If you’re a project lead, try to spend some time with individual team members after a meeting. Make sure they understand their role. Catching miscommunication at work while it’s still in the early stages can save an organization a lot of time and money.

6. Stay on Point with Emails

Raise your hand if you’ve ever received a rambling, confusing email from someone on your team.

You all have your hands up, don’t you?

If verbal communication is full of miscommunication at work, emails are often 100 times worse. So keep your emails simple. Stay on topic and format with headings and bullet points if necessary. You want your emails to be easy to read and easy to understand.

7. Watch for Body Language

There was a study done a long time ago that states body language—non-verbal communication—is typically more truthful than verbal communication. In other words, the mouth can lie but the body can’t. This is why law enforcement receives training on how to read body language.

Signing up for some law enforcement classes would be a bit extreme, but we’re talking about how to avoid miscommunication at work, and one of the best ways would be to be on the watch for non-verbal cues. Whatever your position in a team, make sure your body isn’t saying one thing while your mouth is saying another.

Experts say our brains will interpret and read the unspoken language of the body before it pays attention to the verbal message. And if the two messages contradict, humans tend to believe the message the body is giving, not the message the mouth is giving.

8. Watch Your Tone

Did you ever have anyone–maybe a parent or a teacher–tell you to watch your tone? What did they mean?

The way you speak, your tone, can convey emotions. This isn’t a bad thing, but you need to watch your tone if it’s not appropriate for the time. If you’re leading a meeting about the launch of a new product that could make or break the company and you’re super casual, or laughing and cracking jokes, people might naturally find it hard to think you’re taking it seriously.

When the subject of a meeting is something that could mean the loss of jobs, it’s definitely time to avoid miscommunication at work.

9. Go to the Source

Sometimes information is handed down via a third party. You’ve probably heard of the game where someone tells the person beside them something, who passes it to the next person, who repeats it to the next.

The last person to get the message receives something different than the original message. This might be a fun game, but it has no place in an organizational setting. It’s sure to lead to miscommunication at work.

Any important communication should be directly shared with key parties.
Also, it’s a good idea for managers to have an open-door policy. This encourages staff members to come to them directly when they need clarification on something. Going to other team members with their questions only opens them up to the possibility of getting the wrong info.

10. Ask Questions

No, not to be annoying.

There are multiple benefits to asking questions, both for the speaker and the listener.

Sensible questions show a speaker that you’ve been paying attention to them. It also gives you the chance to ask for clarification if necessary.

And questions don’t need to be limited to verbal conversations. You can reply to an email with follow-up questions as well. Either way, questions are just one more way to avoid miscommunication at work.

Conclusion

That covered an extensive amount of information about how to avoid miscommunication at work. Let’s remember why it’s important

The cost is high. A team that’s stressed and conflicted will have low morale and likely poor performance and productivity. There’s a long list of negative consequences for companies and employees where communication is lacking.

Understanding the reasons for miscommunication at work and knowing what to look for can help you build strong, cohesive teams. Teams that can get the job done and meet their goals.

Good communication is the foundation of all aspects of your company culture. It’s about positive team environments, client relationships, and so much more.

November 7, 2021June 20, 2023

Top 11 Ways to Encourage Remote Team Productivity

Prior to a global pandemic, there was a lot of skepticism around the ability to be productive in a remote work environment. The studies are in and they are numerous: not only are remote workers productive, but they are often more productive than in person office workers.

It is important to recognize that hours worked and productivity aren’t positively correlated. A Stanford study showed that, contrary to popular belief, working longer days actually has the opposite effect on productivity. The study found that productivity declined steeply after 50 hours of work a week and that someone working 70 hours might as well only work 55, they would get the same amount done.

Though some people admit to working more hours while at home, even those that are working less are still getting work done and completed on time. The bonus? People are overall happier when they can work remotely at least part of the time.

One study in particular by Great Place to Work had a massive sample size of more than 800,000 employees! This is a significant number that showed some pretty impressive results. Remote workers didn’t need a study to show that they could be just as productive at home and that it boosts their overall happiness which has a direct effect on the quality of work, but it certainly helps make the case!

When you consider that the average American commutes 27 minutes each way and spends upwards of $5000 a year on expenses related to that commute, it is easy to see the benefits of cutting it out even some of the time. Not only can you save money, but there is some significant time recovered. If you work 5 days a week, that works out to over 14,000 minutes, 234 hours, or nearly 10 days in your car!

What would you do with an extra 10 days a year?

Productivity doesn’t just happen by handing over a laptop and telling people to do whatever they want, so how can you ensure that your remote team is actually working? Here are 11 ways to encourage your remote team to be more productive:

1. Stop Micromanaging and Build Trust Instead

If you want to boost remote team productivity, the first thing that has to go is the idea that someone will only work if they are on location with a manager hovering over them. When you micromanage someone, it sends the message that you don’t trust them to get the work done on their own.

Trust is absolutely foundational if you’re going to have a productive and healthy remote team. There are a number of ways to promote trust and accountability in the workplace (virtual or physical) and micromanaging isn’t one of them. If you are looking for some specific ideas on how to build trust and encourage accountability, check out this Teamly blog.

2. Use Technology

Insert shameless plug for our own project and team management tool.

In all seriousness, having a one stop shop for all the tools your team will need serves to streamline the process, creates consistency, and virtually (see what I did there?) eliminates confusion. Functions such as team chat, task management, hour tracking, expense management and even screen recording for tutorials use to require multiple programs and logins. Now, with a couple of clicks, your team can be exactly where they need to be and with the tools they need to get the job done.

3. Keep It Simple, Stupid

The good old K.I.S.S. principle.

Engineer Kelly Johnson is often credited for coining the phrase and it speaks for itself: keep your processes and design as simple as possible to increase the chances that it will be embraced and utilized.

Following up the technology recommendation, it is important that you keep your remote engagement systems simple. Using just one platform for all your purposes means that there will be no question on what technology will be used for virtual meetings, where you can find documents, or where to find important team notices and updates.

4. Regular Check In’s and Progress Updates

Let’s say that you have 10 people on your team and once a week you have a 2 hour long meeting to get everyone on the same page and provide project updates.

It is just a 2 hour meeting, right? Wrong.

That meeting cost 2 hours from each of those 10 people. Using some very basic math skills, we can conclude that the 2 hour meeting actually cost 20 hours of potentially productive work time. This is not to say that weekly meetings are a waste of time, it could be the best way for your team or project to connect, but the point is to be conscious of the true time cost when you must gather everyone in one place at the same time.

Perhaps your weekly meeting could be cut in half and, instead, your team utilizes the automatic check in functions of your project management program (like Teamly). In doing this, a person could simply jot down a couple notes about the progression of their project, post it in a common place, and those with an interest or who are part of this project can check in and respond if necessary.

The bonus of this system is that it is more considerate of everyone’s time. If you decide that check-ins are to be done by 12:00pm on Friday, they can be submitted at any point before that time that works best for the individual. This may also stagger responses to allow them to be better digested by the team. A mid day deadline gives the afternoon for responses or inquiries.

5. Less Meetings for Better Meetings

We know that meetings can be a time suck but they can also be absolutely necessary to your team so how can we make meetings better and more productive? First off, you need to ensure that you are prepared. Virtual meetings are full of distractions, most of them involving minor but common tech issues.

You are on mute.

Host a tutorial or a dry run to ensure that everyone is comfortable on your platform. Set the standards for how you expect people to interact. Do they…

Raise their hand?
Type in the chat?
Save questions in a shared document?
Take notes or is there a designated note taker?

This may seem basic but remember the K.I.S.S. principle? By setting the standard early and being clear, people will feel more confident when they participate. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Meetings as well as 15 Tips to Skyrocket Meeting Participation for some more great tips to design virtual meetings that your team will want to participate in.

6. Focus on Well-being

Well-being, which includes physical and mental health, were once seen as the sole responsibility of individuals. Thankfully, workplaces are starting to recognize that they also play a part in fostering a healthy environment for the people they employ. Not only is taking care of people the right thing to do, the kickback is mutually beneficial! Studies show that organizations that prioritize team well-being have:

Reduced costs associated with sick days
Increased revenue due to increase quality and pride in work
Higher public opinions of the organization, teams share positive reputation
Increased morale which directly correlated with motivation

Wellbeing is now on the radar of 68% of HR leaders according to The Future Workplace 2021 HR Sentiment survey. Though many businesses were late to the game and needed a global pandemic to initiate action, better late than never right?

7. Set Expectations

Some things go without saying… other things just need to be said.

The key to effectively leading a remote team is to be clear about your expectations, even if they may seem obvious to you. Setting expectations can be as simple as having regular office hours, a list of acceptable formats and fonts for documents, a shared calendar system, a standard response time for emails, or a list of processes and procedures for common workplace activities.

The last (almost) two years have been filled with uncertainty, fostering an environment where people feel they fully understand what is expected of them will offer a sense of security and comfort which will also help performance.

It is important that leadership demonstrate these expectations, “do as I say, not as I do” may work for toddlers, but not fully capable adults. Set your expectations and then be the active example of them in action. If you expect people to check in on a message board at the end of the day, you can start the thread.

8. Create a Culture of Accountability and Responsibility

Aside from ditching micromanaging habits, there are a number of ways to encourage accountability… though it may take some patience and practice.

We know from studies that people are more than capable of working independently but we often fail to recognize that working independently is a skill and some people have never had the chance to practise, let alone master it.

Start with leading by example. If you say you are going to do something, then do it! It is also helpful to announce via internal message board your intentions and to go back and update later with the results.

Mondays mark the beginning of the week for most workplaces and are a great time for a check in. Encourage people to use your project management platform (Teamly) to write down what they plan on accomplishing for the week.

This does not need to be an exhaustive list, it can be as simple as:

tying up loose ends of a project
completing and submitting a report
clearing out your inbox
finish the first draft of a proposal

Encourage your team to start small with 3 priorities, max. There will be more but start by writing down 3 things you wish to have done by the end of the week, chances are that these 3 things will be the items that people are looking for accountability on. When Friday rolls around, set a notification to draw attention back to the board. Life happens, not everything will get done all the time but offer encouragement when someone sets out to finish a task and it is actually completed. Take time to reflect on the ones that were not completed and why – was the deadline unreasonable? Did something else come up? Whatever the reason, learn from it and try again next week.

Try encouraging your team to include a personal item on this list like:

Finish reading a book
Check out the new trail
Take the kids for a bike ride
Walk the dog 4 out of 7 days this week

Not only will this help you get to know your team better, but it shows that you actually care about their personal goal and not just what they can invest in the organization.

9. Embrace an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Traditional employment often sets up an organizational hierarchy that can act as a barrier for good ideas. While there is certainly a place for management and upper management, fostering an environment where your team feels comfortable contributing no matter what their seniority is will work out for everyone.

Enter the entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs are known for their work ethic, motivation, and innovation. They tend to be creative people that see problems as a challenge worth tackling. While not every person is cut out to go it on their own, if you allow your team to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset within the security of a team, everyone wins.

Leave space for and encourage people to bring forward ideas for project improvements, everything from how we send emails, deal with clients, or solve a particular problem. People will be even more encouraged to speak up when they recognize that you truly value their thoughts and ideas and put them in action. They won’t all work out but there is value in experimentation.

10. Time Tracking for Outcomes

How you track time will greatly depend on your organization, the type of projects you take on, and your priorities. Let’s start by looking at time differently, focusing instead on outcomes as opposed to tracking every minute just for the sake of it.

Remember the harm of micromanagement? Tracking time just for the sake of it can be harmful for team morale and erode trust. Instead, tracking time as it relates to specific projects and tasks for billing clients or better understanding time commitments of specific projects to better account for them in future should be your goal.

11. Promote Community

When many people went online (willingly or not) at the start of the pandemic, perks such as at home food delivery or movie subscriptions were much appreciated and helped with productivity. Once the novelty of those types of perks wore off, people were left yearning for what they truly wanted… camaraderie.

We are social beings and we depend on one another, even introverts need community! You can foster a professional environment and recognize that your team is getting more than a paycheck out of you. People need to feel needed and that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.

Take the time to take an inventory of what your team cares about.

Maybe everyone has pets and you can encourage people to change their avatar picture to their pet once a week and 5$ will be donated to a local shelter, kind of like a virtual casual friday… but with fur. Maybe you have a lot of parents so you create a separate chat channel and offer drop in virtual games or kids movies once a month so that the kids are entertained and the parents can get to know each other.

There are a million ways to promote a sense of community among your team. You may be surprised by the suggestions if you just ask.

We know that people are capable of working productively from just about everywhere. Implementing any of these tips will serve to build trust and offer encouragement so that your remote team will feel supported and inspired to do their best work, wherever they are!

November 7, 2021October 3, 2023

4 Ways to Reduce Manual Work in Your Business

Nobody enjoys manual work. Teams would rather be working on high-value tasks instead of busywork. Things like data collection, data entry, and scrolling through emails can take up a lot of time and drain your employee’s motivation.

A good team leader will want to look for ways to reduce time spent on manual work to let their staff focus on bigger challenges. By freeing up your team so they can focus on creative and critical thinking, you can end up saving the business money.

Manual work can chip away at productivity levels so if you want to keep your business growing at a solid pace, eliminating repetitive tasks is a must.

Let’s take a look at how to reduce manual work in your business. Implement these techniques to ensure your employees can focus on the work that’s more rewarding for them.

Optimize Your Business

Take the time to assess your business and identify any areas that could be improved. Futureproof your business with a tech stack that’s cutting edge. Things move quickly in the digital space so you need to choose your technology carefully.

Here are some ways to optimize your business that can help to reduce manual work in your company:

Hire people with experience in modern technology. When hiring, look for new employees who have modern skillsets that can be a boon for your company.
Invest in new data analytics tools. Your customer’s data is an incredibly powerful resource. Make sure to invest in data analytics tools to understand the sentiments of your customers.
Upgrade your systems. If your software and hardware are outdated it could be running slow. Not only is this frustrating for your staff but it’s costing you a lot in man-hours.
Invest in cloud-based software. Using cloud solutions you can access your software from anywhere. This is a useful way to keep your business competitive and reduce wait times for people who are out of the office.

Once you’ve taken stock of your business and you’re sure things are fully optimized you can start to look at how automation can save time and money.

Templates

Templates are going to be your best friend. They are a big-time saver and templates help to keep your processes uniform. You can create templates for almost anything including emails, reports, and approvals. Team members need easy access to templates so consider creating a shared folder that everyone can access.

Start by looking at the documents you create the most frequently. Instead of creating something from scratch each time, make a blank copy you can fill out whenever you need to. If you send a lot of emails, it’s a good idea to try to create templates where possible to save you time with repetitive correspondence.

Automation

Automation can make a big difference to your business and help to reduce manual work. An added benefit of automation is the elimination of human error. Unfortunately, everyone makes a mistake eventually but if you can automate certain processes there won’t be room for errors.

Free your team up so they can work on bigger-picture goals instead of having them do all the manual work. Automation can be implemented for things like data collection, data entry, and emails. It’s been proven to improve team efficiency as busywork can be mentally exhausting. Look for new ways to use your employee’s time, or consider if you can reduce hours and save money.

Some employees might be skeptical about automation as it can be seen as the death of labor. However, most roles cannot be fully automated so your employees won’t have anything to worry about. The benefit of automation is to do the boring, repetitive stuff instead of them so they can focus on more rewarding endeavors.

Chatbots

Customer service is an important part of any business. You need people on hand to answer people’s questions and address any issues people have. In order to keep your team from being overwhelmed a simple Chatbot on your website can save a lot of time and money. A chatbot won’t be able to replace your customer service team but it will help ease their workload.

Chatbots are a great way for customers to find answers to questions they may have. They use artificial intelligence to identify what your customers are saying and they can offer solutions or redirect them to articles with more information. Chatbots are intuitive enough to locate orders and share tracking details.

They’re perfect for reducing repetitive tasks for your customer service team. Simple queries can be handled by the chatbot which frees your team up to focus on more difficult customer issues. You can also expect a reduction in emails and phone calls.

Conclusion

In order to stay competitive, you need to be innovating and making sure your business is fully optimized. You can bet that your competitors are already moving towards automation and looking at ways to reduce repetitive tasks. Highly skilled employees don’t want to be wasting time with things like data entry if this is something that can be automated.

People want to focus on the things that are more rewarding. When someone can focus on creative projects they’re more likely to enjoy their time at work. Any mundane processes you can automate will make things better for your employees. If your people can focus on challenging tasks instead of routine and boring ones, the more efficient they can be.

November 7, 2021October 2, 2023

25 Virtual and In-Person Rapport Activities to Build a Team With Moxie

Did it ever strike you as curious that Dorothy got along so well with a heartless Tin Man? Right from the start, she was enrapt—oiling him, fixing him up, attending to him. You’d almost think she was in character, putting on an act.
Come to think of it, it’s just as unlikely that a lion would ingratiate himself almost immediately with the motley trio.

Rapport, as a matter of course, generally doesn’t just happen. No, in the everyday world of teamwork and remote meetings, lions, young girls, scarecrows and tin men don’t effortlessly meld, lock arms and skip together down a yellow brick road.

Open communication, trust and esprit de corps within a team is the fruit of hard work and planning from a project manager.

Creating this rapport is the foundation for solid work relationships. It creates a culture of empathy and mutual respect. Plus, it boosts company and individual work performance from good to exceptional.

Many teams have lost the traditional framework for creating this camaraderie, as they have transitioned from in-person to remote working. Gone are the days of chatty repartee with the sports aficionados in the break room, or an impromptu coffee date with colleagues.

A massive reshuffling within the workforce has also weakened team bonds.
These changes call for leaders to double-down on their commitment to team building, and to creatively adjust traditional strategies.

Let’s look at the cornerstones of rapport, illustrate some techniques for building it, and explain how it benefits us all. Finally, we’ll get into rapport building activities, both for in-person and remote teams.

The Cornerstones of Rapport

Have you ever been really concerned about knowing the dress code for an event you were attending?

This is an effort to build rapport. We all know how jarring it feels to show up in a three piece suit to a gathering where everyone else has on t-shirts and sneakers.

What is rapport, exactly?

Rapport is about building connections with an individual or community. More than being friendly or getting on with another person, rapport seeks to break down barriers and enable fluid communication.

Forensic psychologists Laurence and Emily Alison, authors of Rapport: the Four Ways to Read People, stress that rapport is the opposite of force.

Rapport entails cooperation and acting out of freedom, while force compels action through fear, pressure, or enticement.

Statements like “eat your dinner or there won’t be any desert” from a parent don’t serve to build rapport with a child.

The Alisons have spent the past twenty years training the CIA and FBI to conduct interviews with criminals and terrorists.

Through this hands-on experience, they have discovered key approaches and techniques to facilitate open communication. They have distilled the fundamental components of rapport into four areas: honesty, empathy, autonomy, and reflection (HEAR).

Honesty

Have you ever had the experience where just after meeting someone, they say something you completely disagree with? Maybe they share a political opinion, or talk about loving a movie you absolutely loathe.

It’s hard to know how to react in such a scenario.

The honesty necessary for building rapport is like walking a tightrope. It entails not yielding your own position, while having flexibility for alternate perspectives.

Reacting with complete honesty is a bit harsh. Saying something like: “I completely disagree with you” may well shut the other person down, or create an argument. Lines of communication are lost.

Rather, the Alisons recommend softening the approach by pairing it with some empathy. Saying “I see what you’re saying. However, as I see it…” maintains honesty as well as a positive connection.

Within teams, members build rapport when they incorporate empathy into their point of view. “I know some people here don’t see it this way, but….”

Empathy

Empathy is integral to having rapport with someone. However, this quality doesn’t mean fluffy warmth or sentimental feelings.

Empathizing with another person goes beyond thinking “I know how I would feel if I were in their shoes”, to really trying to understand another person’s perspective.

This level of empathy is achieved through listening and an active imagination. It seeks to understand what really drives another person.

Teams, as we know, are made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds, ages, personalities, and previous experiences. Releasing our own perspective and deliberately listening to others in order to get where they’re coming from is key to bridging communication gaps.

Incorporating empathy into difficult messages or bad news is necessary for maintaining rapport: “I know the team feels overworked and needs a break, but this is a hard deadline we need to meet.”

Autonomy

Between these two statements, which do you think is more likely to get a four-year-old to cooperate: “Go brush your teeth” and “What would you like to do first? Put on your pajamas or brush your teeth?”

Or these two, when approaching a customer service employee: “I need you to fix this” and “What do you think you can do to fix this?”

Although each statement seeks the same end, there’s a world of difference between the approaches.

At any age, we all want to have some liberty and license as to how we go about doing things.

A work environment with lots of rigidity and protocol may well create totally unnecessary resistance from employees.

Opening someone up and creating channels for communication and cooperation means pushing the right levers. Allowing for autonomy doesn’t erase any obligations. Rather, in whatever way possible, it seeks to provide people with choices and options.

Giving people the flexibility as to what project to work on next, or when to do certain tasks, yields an obliging and cooperative team.

Reflection

Have you ever heard that what people say are the icebergs that sit above the water? To get at what they really mean requires exploring beyond surface statements.

In order to do this, the Alisons recommend a conversation technique of throwing back what a person has said. Statements like “So it sounds like what you’re saying”, “So yeah, you’re kind of feeling like…” and “Tell me what you mean by….” generally compel people to explain themselves further.

Rapport develops when a person feels they’re fully understood and listened to by another.

Making a habit of using reflection statements at meetings builds rapport, as it allows people to fully explain themselves and be understood.

Not So Easy as Pie

There’s quite a lot that goes into building rapport, as you can see. It’s much more than making friendly banter.

Fortunately, there are techniques to help facilitate an open, collaborative environment—both within teams and in our personal lives.

Eight Hacks for Building Rapport

Career counselor Susan Callender used to work up to seven days a week as the manager of a luxury hotel, completely immersed in a world of Persian rugs, velvet armchairs, and crystal chandeliers.

She found herself carrying the demeanor of a formal hotel manager outside of work, and it would turn people off. It’s no wonder—who wants to kick back and have a drink with someone who’s reserved, proper, and addresses you as “sir” or “madam?”

Rapport is deliberate engagement. In order to connect in her various environments, Callender assumed her buttoned-up persona at the hotel, then found she had to deliberately let her hair down in her day-to-day life. It requires taking on roles and playing different versions of ourselves.

It’s a skill we use anytime we interact with someone: our children, boss, coworkers, friends, and neighbors. Oftentimes we have only a small window to establish rapport, such as when we’re calling a customer service representative, talking to our mailman, or conducting interviews.

Whatever the context, the principles of rapport still apply. Here are eight techniques for building rapport in everyday interactions.

1. Speak with Body Language

You’ve probably heard that communication is 93% non-verbal.

When engaging with someone, subtly imitating their body language is a way to establish a connection. When they cross their arms, cross yours. If their legs are crossed, do likewise.

Similarly, it’s important to be mindful of where people sit or stand in relation to one another.

It feels casual to sit beside someone at a table, but more formal to sit across from them. Leaning forward in your chair, toward another, demonstrates interest and curiosity, while sitting back and taking up a lot of space communicates power.

2. Be the Host With the Most or a Gracious Guest

Rapport is a little like playing human chess. It requires reading a situation, then taking on a role.

Before going into a meeting or appointment, take some time understanding your relationship to everyone there.

Hosting entails being the director of everything that is going on. It’s necessary to be attentive, welcoming, interested, and to do things that put others at ease.

Playing the role of the guest, however, means showing up on time, being appreciative of the other person, and just generally going with the flow of whatever is happening.

Assuming an appropriate role in social encounters allows engagement to function with ease.

3. Create a Fostering Environment

How would you like to be interviewed by someone sitting across from you in a black swivel chair at an executive desk?

An environment creates or destroys rapport. In order to have someone talk candidly about themselves, it’s necessary to do things like graciously welcome them into the room, show them to the nicest chair, and ask about their day.

4. Modulate Voice Tone

We all know to change the tone of our voice when talking to a three-year-old.
However, tone alteration isn’t so intuitive in many other interactions. It may not occur to a manger, who’s accustomed to speaking decisively with employees, to alter his or her tone when the dynamic shifts.

However, this same tone of authority may not get them very far when asking to be upgraded to first class, or conducting an interview. A more diminutive tone is appropriate to these situations.

Voice inflection is also important to consider when communicating. Raising your voice slightly at the end of a sentence indicates enthusiasm, whereas ending in a monotone indicates a lack of interest.

5. Find Common Ground

When you have something in common with someone, it’s easy to chat away with them for hours.

Establishing rapport in relationships and within teams can be as simple as discovering similar experiences, interests, and pastimes.

6. Break Down Thin-Slicing

Sometimes we have just a small window to establish rapport and make the most of a situation.

In his book Blink, Malcom Gladwell introduces a concept he calls “thin-slicing”, which has to do with split second assumptions we make about each other that are based entirely on past experience.

Overcoming false impressions and establishing rapport entails immediately presenting the story of who we are and how we want to be seen.

Imagine a scenario where a woman is presenting to a group of people twice her age. In order to break down any assumptions they may have about her capabilities, she can immediately start with an anecdote that demonstrates her proficiency and knowledge with the subject at hand.

7. Be Agreeable

When you have only a few minutes to build rapport, making a conscious effort to be agreeable goes a long way.

If someone says they love tacos, go with it, even if you don’t. Mention the taco stand down the street, and your memories of eating tacos at tailgate parties in college. Congeniality generates a positive tone that allows conversation to flow.

8. Adjust the Thermostat

Have you ever been so cold you had to turn up the thermostat, and then 45 minutes later you were taking off your sweater?

Rapport develops through a variety of factors, all of which can be adjusted.
Building a friendly, open relationship requires constantly reading the temperature of a room and making tiny adjustments, if necessary.

If you sense that someone is intimidated at a meeting, try lowering your chair. If you’ve overdressed for the occasion, take off your coat and roll up your sleeves. If you’re sensing resistance from team members, offer them flexibility on a deadline.

Practice Makes Perfect

Of course sitting in the wrong chair at a meeting isn’t going to make or break an interaction.

However, fine tuning many details in concert creates an environment where enthusiasm builds, people feel heard, and communication flows.

Achieving this end can be exhausting. Rapport is a soft skill that’s no cinch to master.

But it’s well worth it, as the benefits play out both in our careers and personal lives as well.

Who Benefits from Rapport?

Teams with great rapport aren’t just having a lot of fun. Although there’s plenty of that to go around.

Here are the top reasons having a united team and strong rapport skills means a win—both for you personally and your team.

A Team With Drive

A study from the University of Florida found that teams who regularly engage in rapport building activities are more productive than those that don’t.

Teams with solidarity are more likely to think outside of the box, and innovation increases. Sales and revenue goals are more easily met. Not a bad outcome, that.

Company Culture Flourishes

Company culture includes all the norms around the office–behaviors that are implicit but never stated outright. These unwritten rules affect how we relate to coworkers, clients, and conduct our everyday work.

A team who’s built strong rapport naturally is full of empathy and enthusiasm. Habits of active listening, connecting, and supporting each other improve the everyday vibe of the office. People enjoy coming to work and being part of the team.

Recruits Jibe With the Team

People with strong rapport skills know how to conduct a fruitful interview, where a prospective employee candidly shares his or her experiences, work habits, values and goals.

Teams successfully identify candidates who align to the company’s core values and fit with the work ethic of the team.

The Influencer

Someone who’s good at building rapport has an easier time finding consensus from a team, and can effectively sway others to his or her vision.

Windfalls Abound

Rapport is about the long-game. When you’ve set up a practice of being empathetic and establishing strong ties with people, they’ll do you a good turn when you need it.

A Resume Skill

Your professional reputation, in large part, is the amount of social capital you amass–that is, the strength of the relationships you establish along the way.

When businesses look to promote or hire, they want someone who interacts well with others. Rapport is a soft skill that employers prize in prospective employees.

Bonds of Steel

When you know how to be empathetic and develop lines of communication, all of your relationships benefit.

Rapport skills improve interactions with your teenager, your spouse, and help you persuade your stylist to squeeze you into her busy schedule.

People Like You!

Last but certainly not least, anyone with strong rapport skills can gleefully squeal in unison with Sally Fields, “And I can’t deny the fact that you LIKE me!”
How could anyone not, when you’re habitually warm, attentive, and listen well?

A Bonafide Edge

As you can see, rapport not only improves a work environment, but is a life skill that lubricates all the relationships in our lives.

Now let’s get to the heart of the matter and look at activities for building rapport.

15 Virtual Rapport Building Activities

Virtual teams present a challenge to leaders. Gone are the days of water cooler banter and having a tête-à-tête with a colleague beside their desk. Creating cohesion and rapport requires thinking outside of the box.

Many of these activities seek to recreate the office environment. Others increase empathy between teammates, while many are simply about having fun!

Before the Meeting

The first five minutes of each meeting is usually spent waiting for everyone to show up, so why not use it for a little team building? Each of these activities takes five or ten minutes.

1. Word Scramble

Purpose: Fun

Time: 5 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Word Around Cards, video conference platform

Word Around Cards look like a bull’s eye, and inside each ring is a scrambled word. The words increase in difficulty with each outer circle.

The leader scans images of the cards beforehand, then presents them to the team, one by one. People either call out the answers, or enter them into chat.

One variation on this game is holiday-themed word scrambles. Just write scrambled words like “pumpkin” and “headless horseman” onto blank index cards, then scan them.

2. “I spy” With the Background

Purpose: Fun

Time: 5 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

This game allows the team to have fun with each other’s background. One person names a characteristic of something he or she sees in another’s video background without saying what it is: “I spy something that is green”, “reminds me of my childhood” or “smells like a rose.”

The other team members take turns guessing what it is. Everyone takes a turn being “it.”

3. Learn a Foreign Word

Purpose: Fun

Time: 5 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

This is a great activity for international teams. One designated participant teaches a word from their mother tongue to everyone else. Slang or holiday-themed words make fun selections.

4. Pre-Meeting Chat

Purpose: Fun

Time: 5-10 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

Simply designating the ten minutes before or after each meeting as a chat window allows members to catch up on one another’s lives.

When done regularly, it becomes routine and people habitually join in.

5. Trivia!

Purpose: Fun

Time: 10 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform and trivia questions

Who doesn’t like a good game of trivia? Asking questions on current events from the past week keeps everyone on their toes.

Answers can be shouted out or put into chat boxes.

6. Cribs

Purpose: Fun

Time: 15 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

Working remotely allows team members a glimpse into the “real” you.

At the beginning of a call, the leader asks one member to sign on with their phone, and provide the rest of the team with a selective tour of their domicile.

It’s on the participant to choose what to reveal.

This activity is an opportunity to show off the family’s refrigerator art, a collectible, or an heirloom they’re proud of.

The team gets a peek into the lives of their coworkers that they’d never get to have in the office—and probably discovers things they have in common, such as a passion for cooking or an LP record collection.

Getting to Know the Team

With an increase in resignations and subsequent onboarding, it’s important to facilitate opportunities for team members to get to know everyone they’re working with.

7. Manuel to Working With Me

Purpose: Get to know me

Time: 60 minutes

Frequency: Once

Tools: Video conference platform and Google docs

Working remotely makes it impossible to understand each other’s working habits like we could at the office. In this project, participants share their work personalities and set the stage for trust and teamwork.

For the first 30 minutes, participants answer questions related to their working style, preferences, and habits. Some questions might be:

What is the best way to work with me? (collaborative, extroverted)
What do I believe?
What am I working on? (speaking up at meetings, speaking less at meetings)
Fun personal information such as “favorite season” or “favorite smell.

The leader answers additional questions such as:

As a leader, what is your leadership style?
What do you expect from your team?

The team shares their answers during the second half of the hour. The files can be saved in an archive as an onboarding tool for new employees.

8. Weekly AMA

Purpose: Fun, get to know me

Time: Asynchronous

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Favorite messaging app

This is a fun way to get to know team members. On Monday, the leader posts a brief bio of someone on the team, including where they’ve travelled, a favorite sports team, and their hometown.

Team members over the week get to dive in and ask this person whatever they want.

Engagement is everything in this activity–it’s about asking good questions!

Questions like “What’s most surprised you?” and “What’s your first memory from childhood?” can spark intriguing, revealing answers.

It’s amazing what you learn about team members from this activity.

9. Personality Test

Purpose: Get to know me

Time: 60 minutes to take the test (asynchronous), 60 minutes to discuss it

Frequency: Once

Tools: Video conference platform and a personality test

Who doesn’t benefit from a little more self-knowledge? On their own time, everyone takes a personality test. A few options include 16Personalities,

CliftonStrengths Assessment, and Meyers-Briggs.

At a scheduled time, everyone shares and discusses the results.

This is a step-up from the Manual to Working With Me activity. The purpose is to gain empathy and insight into each other.

In-Person Office Simulation

Virtual teams have none of the opportunities to build camaraderie an in-person office offers: coffee, lunch, and repartee in the break room.

These activities seek to re-create the office environment, and so build some of the same cohesion.

10. Virtual Break Room

Purpose: Spend casual time with team members

Time: Real time

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

We all need to step away from the desk from time to time and shoot the breeze with whoever happens to be around.

This activity seeks to create the spontaneous break room environment. It consists of an open room on the conference platform that anyone can join at any time. All topics are open for discussion, so long as they’re not work-related.

This won’t feel natural at first. When the leader models and uses it deliberately, it becomes a part of the work day.

Another way to simulate the break room is through group chat. Topics can be set for each day, such as “humble brag” or “animal photos.”

The purpose is to get some fun, non-work related conversations going within the team.

11. Live Remote Co-working

Purpose: Re-create the office environment

Time: The entire day or a 2-3 hour window

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform

This activity seeks to create a communal, everyday work environment. The team works just as they normally would in their home office, but with the video playing.

People have casual conversations as they work, and are motivated by working together.

To shake off any initial awkwardness, the leader can start with an ice breaker and emphasize that no one is being supervised. Everyone is free to step away from the computer when they want and work as they normally do.

Depending on the preference of the team, this activity can be for the entire day, or just a part of it.

12. Communicate Using Video

Purpose: Speak to people, rather than message

Time: Asynchronous

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Volley or another asynchronous video-messaging app

So much is lost when team members only communicate via email and messages during the day. Tone, voice inflection, and non-verbal communications don’t come across.

This is an activity, or more of a daily practice really, of sending short videos to coworkers in lieu of messages.

A video brings the interaction to the level of a conversation. People recognize facial cues, and more meaningful communication takes place.

Sheer Enjoyment

Here are some virtual activities that are just about having a good time with each other.

13. Theme Days

Purpose: Fun

Time: Duration of video meeting

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference platform, Snap Camera app

This is a great activity to have on a weekly or monthly basis. Themes can be chosen around a season or holiday, or anything else. Some ideas include crazy-shirt day, tie day, or Halloween.

Members can either wear an actual t-shirt or tie, or conduct the activity using video filters. (Using video filters simply entails downloading the Snap Camera app, which makes all the filters from Snapchat available on the video conference platform.)

It adds a very fun element to a meeting when you’re talking to Anna from Frozen, the Headless Horseman, or a Pumpkin.

14. Name the Masterpiece

Purpose: Fun

Time: 10 minutes

Frequency: Recurring

Tools: Video conference app, pencil and paper

This is a fun Friday unwind activity that flexes the inner artist in team members!

With a pencil and a sheet of white paper, members re-create various masterpieces, such as the Mona Lisa, Girl With a Pearl Earring, or Christina’s World.

Everyone takes turns holding their “masterpiece” up to the camera and members guess what it represents.

15. Series Night!

Purpose: Fun

Time: 1-2 hours

Frequency: Recurring weekly

Tools: Streaming platform, video messaging app

Watching a series allows members to unwind and spend down time together on a recurring basis.

The team selects a series from a streaming platform, then watches it together at a regular time, such as Wednesday evenings. While watching, everyone interacts with each other on a video messaging app such as Volley. Optionally, the activity ends with a group chat or a video call.

Bake-offs and other challenges make good series selections: the first week everyone bets on who will win, and the suspension and momentum builds throughout the season.

It’s Virtually the Same

Even in the remote world, team building is still about creating spaces that generate trust and enable vulnerability.

It takes some time finding activities that work with your team, but with diligence, things catch on and become routine.

In-Person Rapport Building Activities

Most of these activities are fun icebreakers, while others focus on developing the techniques for building rapport.

A few can be done remotely as well, but most need to be in-person.

Openers

These activities make a great way to break the ice and build some rapport amongst people who don’t know each other.

1. Finding Common Ground

Purpose: Fun, identify things in common

Time: 5-10 minutes

Tools: Ubuntu Cards

Participants: 6-20

The leader passes out an Ubuntu card to everyone. The backside of an Ubuntu card has 8 small images of everyday items (hammers, calculators, dice), several of which match to other cards.

Participants find someone with a matching image, and the pair discovers one thing they have in common. In order to stimulate conversation, anything visible to the eye (e.g. both are wearing blue) doesn’t count.

The pair trade cards, then everyone finds a new partner. Repeat for 2-3 rounds.
Ubuntu (or “I am because we are”) cards make a good investment, as they provide a wealth of games to play. Here’s another:

2. Share Stories Through Image

Purpose: Break the ice, get to know each other

Time: 10 minutes

Tools: Ubuntu Cards

Participants: 5-20

The front side of an Ubuntu card has a single image. The leader lays the cards out near the entrance, face-side up. As people come in, they find an image that sparks a good memory or reminds them of an uplifting story from their past.

When everyone has arrived, participants find someone with a matching image, and they share their stories. With a smaller group, the stories can be shared all together.

This activity creates some strong connections from the get-go. It can be repeated in the same format using a different question, such as “Share how you’re feeling about the project.”

3. Name Scrabble

Purpose: Fun, to appreciate collaborative learning

Time: 10-15 minutes

Tools: Blank 4×6 index cards, cut in half

Participants: 5-20

Separate participants into groups of 4-6, and have everyone fill out a card for each letter in their first name.

The cards are pooled, and together the team plays Scrabble with the letters, creating words from top to bottom and left to right.

After using all the letters they can, each person looks to see where their name fits into the arrangement. It’s a metaphor for how we all blend our skills to work together.

4. Conversation Starter Buttons

Purpose: Fun, break the ice

Time: 5 minutes

Tools: Labeled pin-back buttons

Participants: 5 or more

The leader lays out an assortment of conversation starter buttons at the entrance to the meeting, and participants pin one to their shirts as they arrive.

During the first five minutes, members turn to their neighbors and discuss whatever the buttons bring to mind. The buttons include phrases such as “no whining,” “ungoogleable,” and “we can do it.”

Be sure to collect your buttons at the end to use on the next go-around.

5. Crayon Color-Label Game

Purpose: Fun

Time: 10 minutes

Tools: Box of crayons

Participants: 5-10

Each player receives a crayon, and immediately covers the manufacturer-given color with their finger (e.g. “maize” or “brick red.”) Next, they determine what they think the name of the color should be.

Everyone lines up alphabetically according to the name they’ve determined for the crayon, and then uncovers the manufacturer’s label.

In the debriefing, players discuss the difference between the name they chose and the manufacturer’s label. This is a way to create discussion around common misconceptions with labeling.

Rapport Technique Games

These activities develop techniques for building rapport.

6. Reflection Question

Purpose: Develop rapport reflection skills

Time: 5-10 minutes

Tools: Slips of paper and a jar

Participants: 6-10

Everyone writes a question onto a slip of paper, then drops it into a jar.

Participants divide into pairs, and each picks a question from the jar.

Pairs take turns answering each other’s question. Rather than simply accepting the answer at face value, the interviewer digs deeper by throwing back some of the response: “Tell me more about….” and “What is it about…..”

The question can add a level of hilarity to the conversation. Here are a few suggestions:

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be?
If you could be a fictional character for a day, which would you choose?
What car did you learn to drive on?
Coffee, tea or soda?
On a restaurant menu, which section do you look at first?

This activity develops reflection skills, one of the cornerstones of rapport.

7. Mirror, Mirror

Purpose: Develop rapport body language skills

Time: 10 minutes

Tools: None

Participants: 5-10 (two role play)

In this activity, two participants get to flex their improv skills. One participant is the leader and the other a follower. For the first few minutes, the follower mirrors all the movements of the leader.

In the second round, there is no leader, and the pair move in synchronicity.
This activity shows that it’s possible to match anyone in style and personality. It’s not about losing your own style, but building rapport with the other person.

8. Tone Matching

Purpose: Learn to adjust voice tone in various contexts

Time: 10 minutes

Tools: Index cards with phrases and questions (see below)

Participants: 5-10

One participant is given a simple phrase on an index card, such as “What did you have for lunch today?” or “What are your plans for the weekend?”

Then they’re given a stack of cards, face down, with various relationships, such as “interviewee,” “child, scolding,” “Child, comforting,” “boss,” “client,” “friend,” and “stranger.”

They pick a card, then speak the phrase as though talking to whomever is on the card. The other members guess who they’re talking to.

This activity demonstrates that it’s important to vary tone depending on who we’re speaking with. For example, we use a very different tone when addressing a boss than addressing a child.

9. Voice Inflection Exercise

Purpose: Listening for how voice inflection changes meaning

Time: 10 minutes

Tools: Index cards with phrases and emotions

Participants: 5-10

This is similar to the tone exercise, but it exercises voice inflection skills.

Participants are divided into groups of two, and are given two index cards, one with the phrase “I didn’t even hear what you were saying” and the other “Why would I listen to your conversation?”

Each speaks the phrase four times, using different emotions: anger, sadness, surprise, and worry. The other guesses which emotion is conveyed.

This exercise demonstrates how voice inflection can completely alter the meaning of words.

10. Exercise the Demon

Purpose: Fun, silencing the self-critic

Time: 15 Minutes

Tools: White board, markers

Participants: 3-5

This is a great pre-project exercise to get your creative synapses firing.
The leader chooses a topic to brainstorm, and the participants write the worst ideas they can think of. First prize and honorable mentions go to the very worst.

This activity is good for some laughs, and is also a great way to launch into a creative project. When the self-critic is purged, creative juices flow.

Spark Engagement

Oftentimes teams only need a little push to start connecting. Trial and error with your team is one way to gauge which activities build rapport and connection within the base.

In One Accord

Not to sound too dopey, but any team that marches in lockstep, is rarely grumpy, and whistles while they work is going to make any project manager more than happy. She’d almost have to prick herself to make sure she wasn’t caught up in a fairy tale.

But the fruits of rapport are no fantasy. Strong rapport means a culture imbued with empathy and trust, where everyone is appreciated for who they are. It improves the internal and external communications of a team.

What are you seeking to improve or develop within your team?

Rapport is a process. It takes time to build a company culture of enthusiasm and cohesion.

Although everyone’s contribution is critical, the leader’s dedication to consistent practices brings about a camaraderie where members may well find themselves interlocking arms and skipping off into the sunset.

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021

25 Best Business Blogs to Help You Crush Online Marketing

Starting out on your own as an entrepreneur or creating your first business can be confusing and a little scary. Luckily there are thousands of resources available online to help you sail the ship. Finding the right information can be tough, particularly when there are millions of blog posts being uploaded to the internet every day.

Most of this information is free and readily available if you know where to look. From CEOs’ personal blogs to business journals to niche-specific blogs, there’s advice on every aspect of business ownership.

The hard work has been done for you; below is a collection of the best blogs on business. You’ll learn about how to create and run a business, how to market your products, and how to connect with customers. Let’s take a look at exactly where you can find expert advice for free.

Blogs for Entrepreneurs & Business Owners

Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a hall-of-fame digital marketer. He shares information on his blog about marketing, the digital landscape, thought leadership, and much more. As a prolific writer, he has released 20 best seller novels.

Seth gives a lot of his wisdom away for free through his daily blog posts. He has his finger on the pulse of digital marketing so following his blog is bound to keep you up to date with changing trends.

Shopify Blog

Shopify is a platform that enables you to create a digital storefront. Many entrepreneurs use Shopify for dropshipping, to sell digital goods, or their homemade products. The Shopify blog is a goldmine of information on business growth, social media strategy, and marketing tips.

The eCommerce giant posts interviews with successful entrepreneurs which can provide added insight into owning an online shop. Shopify categorizes its articles to make it easier for you to find what’s relevant. If you’re considering a Shopify store, take a look at the Start Your Store section. The Sales & Marketing section contains pertinent information for anyone dealing online.

Intuit Quickbooks Resource Center

Money. It’s a big deal and learning how to manage your business’s income and expenditure is important from the get-go. Quickbooks is accountancy software, money is what they know. Their resource center has all the information you need on things like taxes, invoicing, and payroll.

In fact, their blog has articles to take you through the entire process of starting a business. Check out their starting out section if you’re at the early stages of your new business endeavor. Otherwise, their sections on taxes and growing your business are full to the brim of information for business owners.

Teens Mean Business Blog

Don’t be fooled by the name, they may be marketing towards teens but the articles on the blog are useful for anyone whether 15 or 55. Teens Mean Business takes intense business information and presents it in an easy-to-digest fashion.

The topics they cover include finance, technology, and marketing. It’s a great hub of information for entrepreneurs and the website is updated frequently with new articles.

Big Ideas for Small Businesses

The brains behind Big Ideas for Small Business have over 40 years of experience in the legal and business industries. All of their advice is geared towards small business owners and they can help at the very start of your venture.

Alongside their blog, they upload videos and podcasts so you can choose your preferred medium. The Wall Street Journal has crowned Barbara Waltham, the Big Ideas for Small Businesses owner, “the guru of small business taxes.” It’s safe to say you’ll be in good hands following her advice.

Blogs by Business Leaders

Richard Branson’s Blog

Richard Branson is the charismatic leader of the Virgin Group. Through the Virgin brand, he has created a lot of successful businesses as well as some not so successful. His personal blog contains deep dives into his businesses and what he’s learned from failure.

His blog is a masterclass in thought leadership and any CEO can learn from the way he connects with people. As one of the most successful billionaires in the world, he has unique insights into taking risks and business growth.

Blog Maverick

This is Mark Cuban’s personal blog. He may be a polarising figure to some but he’s a successful investor and knows a thing or two about business. Most people will recognize him as one of the sharks from Shark Tank. However, on his blog, Cuban shares his thoughts on things like crypto, business, and government.

For entrepreneurs, there’s a lot to learn about how he has become successful. He doesn’t mince his words but his sometimes controversial advice provides unique viewpoints on the tech industry as well as business strategy.

The Keyword by Google

The Keyword is Google’s blog where they share news and information about the company. What benefits entrepreneurs, however, is their articles about how to use their applications and how to make the most of the online space.

If you want to be at the forefront of emerging technologies, the Keyword can help you do that. By learning about what Google updates are incoming or new technologies they’re developing you can make sure you’re business is equipped for changes. Be sure to check out the Google for Creators section to learn how you can reach new audiences.

The Grassy Road by Penny Herscher

Penny Herscher is a successful former CEO who has taken to her blog, the Grassy Road, to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. She built her career in the heart of Silicon Valley with businesses in enterprise software and data analytics. One of her biggest passions is promoting equality in business.

Her blog details the personal journey she took to get to where she is. Entrepreneurs will also find a wealth of knowledge in leadership, business growth, and career advice. All of the information she shares is available for free.

Marriott on the Move

Bill Marriott is the executive chairman of the hotel chain Marriott International. His career started at 14 when he stapled invoices for his father, J. Willard Marriott. He worked his way up the company and masterminded the transition into the hotel business. Now he shares his thoughts with the internet and helps to teach entrepreneurs the way of business.

The blog has articles on leadership, operations, and his personal take on current affairs. There are many pearls of wisdom to be learned by taking a look through his blog. You could be brand new to entrepreneurship or a seasoned professional but Bill Marriott’s blog can help you grow as a leader.

Business Journalism Blogs

Business Insider

Business Insider launched online in 2007 and publishes articles on business and finance. The company has expanded to include new topics under its Insider brand but Business Insider remains the most notable resource. As a journalism blog, this website is useful for keeping up with current affairs and emerging technologies.

Entrepreneurs can use Business Insider to ensure they’re making the most out of new ideas and changing sentiments. As a news outlet, the rate of publication is intense with dozens of new articles every day. Some of its articles are locked behind a paywall but the majority of information is shared freely.

Forbes

Forbes is one of the most prominent magazines in the world, most notably is the Forbes Rich List. The website houses thousands of articles on topics ranging from billionaires, innovation, and lifestyle. There is a subscription you can sign up for and access premium articles but plenty of resources are free to view.

Business owners will find targeted articles under the “small business” tab. Forbes uploads articles on entrepreneurship and small business strategy that are worth looking at. They also conduct interviews with successful business leaders.

Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review magazine is released 6 times a year and is owned by Harvard University. Alternatively, you could check out the website which is constantly updated with articles on talent management, collaboration, negotiation, and much more. HBR offers different mailing lists so you can choose to sign up for the ones that are most relevant to you.

Many prominent leaders in business have written for HBR. In fact, many business terms and management ideas originate from their articles. If you’re looking for long-term growth, the Harvard Business Review is a great resource to help your career development.

Tech Crunch

Tech Crunch is an online magazine that focuses on startup culture and news. They conduct interviews with founders and help to inform the next generation of entrepreneurs. You can sign up for their newsletters to get the best articles sent directly to your inbox.

With a focus on startups, Tech Crunch is an incredibly useful resource for anyone building companies in the digital arena. They have articles on getting funded, how to choose the right technology, and initial public offerings (IPO).

HuffPost

HuffPost, previously known as The Huffington Post, is a news website that covers a wide range of topics. They have a dedicated business section that can be used to learn more about developments in the business world. It’s not as extensive as the other journalism blogs on this list but it’s less overwhelming as a result.

If you’re looking for a way to keep up to date then HuffPost has got you covered. They report on strikes, changes in laws, and climate change. As a leader, it’s important to know what’s going on in the world. HuffPost will keep you in the know as you work on growing your company.

Content Marketing and SEO

Copyblogger

If you’re dealing online you’re going to need a solid marketing strategy that focuses on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and content marketing. Copyblogger is one of the best websites to learn how to become an expert in your field and increase your domain authority. Their blog is a prime example of effective online marketing and they share all their tips for free.

It’s the ideal destination for solo entrepreneurs who can’t afford to outsource their content. You’ll learn all of the best practices to ensure that your blog ranks highly in search engines and drives sales. There is a lot of power in blogging and if you want to create a blog for your product or services, Copyblogger is a great way to learn new skills.

Neil Patel

Neil Patel is considered to be one of the most influential online marketers available. He is an expert in all things SEO and he gives away most of his advice for free. As well as learning how to craft excellent copy you can use his free tools to analyze your competitor’s websites and learn how to beat them.

If you don’t have a blog already, the Neil Patel blog can take you through the entire setup process. To ensure you’re always ranking high on results pages you’ll need to keep an eye out for updates from Google and other search engines. The team working for Neil Patel always has their eyes peeled for any changes. In order to keep your blog performing well, refer back to Neil’s website for new information.

Problogger

Problogger is another resource that’s great for your content marketing team to learn from. If you want to turn your blog into an additional revenue stream, they have all the information you need on how to do that.

Blogging is a great way to connect with your customers and developing a useful blog helps to establish you as a thought leader in your industry. Equally important is making sure your blog provides value to the reader. Problogger is a fantastic resource to learn how to make compelling content that can convert into sales, email signups, or increase brand awareness.

Moz Blog

Moz is one of the leading SEO platforms that have a lot of free and premium tools to increase your reach. Their blog is full of up-to-date information on all things SEO which makes it a great place to learn from. Whether you’re brand new or a seasoned professional, a resource like the Moz Blog is a great way to keep on top of changes and best practices.

Another great feature Moz has on offer is their training academy which is free to use. These courses will take a novice and turn them into an SEO pro. Any marketing team will benefit from the knowledge they’re sharing, even if you’re a one-person team.

The Content Strategist

Contently is a done-for-you content marketing platform but their blog, the Content Strategist, is a great place to learn how to develop a content marketing strategy. The advice shared is freely available and covers everything a business needs to know.

Creating an online marketing strategy from scratch can be difficult but referring to experts is the best way to learn. Take a look at their articles on storytelling to learn how to create content that flows well and engages your readers.

Crowdsourcing Blogs

Quora

Navigating blogs to find the answers to specific questions can be a pain. Instead, consider asking your question over on Quora to crowdsource blog-worthy answers from multiple sources. Quora is a question-and-answer platform that many experts use to share their knowledge.

There are two ways you can use Quora to learn from. The first is by searching through popular questions and reading the answers that have been submitted. Users can upvote helpful answers which will be displayed first. Alternatively, you can ask your own question and invite experts to submit answers.

LinkedIn has made its name as being the social media platform for professionals. One of its features lets you follow people in your industry which is a great way to learn from your peers. Many professionals use LinkedIn to post articles they’ve written and you can view these by searching for posts.

In order to get the most out of LinkedIn, you should search for specific industry hashtags and then filter the results by posts. This will let you see new articles as well as giving you a wealth of experts to follow.

Medium

Medium is a blogging platform that is used by thousands of professionals to share content on a variety of topics. Some publications such as DataDrivenInvestor and Start It Up are hosted on the platform and focus on quality storytelling in the business niches. Medium has a paid subscription at $5 per month but this gives you unlimited access to their articles.

If you want to get the most out of Medium you should follow specific tags, topics, publications, and authors. Medium will send you a daily digest newsletter with relevant articles. It’s a great way to read a lot of quality blog posts from a wide range of diverse voices.

Feedspot

Feedspot is a website aggregator that tracks new blog posts from across the web. If there are a range of blog posts you want to follow but don’t want to sign up for everyone’s newsletter, Feedspot is the perfect alternative. All you need to do is search for specific keywords and it will list recent blog posts.

If you’re looking to find quality articles you should filter according to engagement and domain authority. This will help you to find the best performing blog posts. Feedspot completely eliminates the need to sign up for individual newsletters as they will send an email daily with article suggestions relevant to your industry.

Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that is often overlooked when searching for quality content. Many business leaders and industry professionals use Twitter to share their thoughts. Since Twitter caps your tweets at 280 characters, any advice shared is condensed to be the most impactful.

Following your competitors or influential people in your niche can help you to develop your own marketing strategy. Thought leaders flock to Twitter to connect with their audience and even small tweets can contain a lot of value.

Conclusion

It’s unavoidable. Every business needs an online footprint. Whether the business started in 1921 or 2021, you need to be where your customers are and nowadays that’s online. Bill Marriott is in his 80s and understands the value of a blog.

Take a leaf out of his book and start creating your own platform to connect with your audience. It could be to drive more sales or to connect with people on a personal level. Whatever your goals are, a great blog is good news for any business.

October 27, 2021November 21, 2023

How Can Mindfulness Improve Your Time Management

Time is a highly scarce resource if you think of it. It’s something we always have, but we never have it under control. Our responsibilities often take up a huge amount of our time, making us leave the people and things we care about for later.

Managing time efficiently is something that would help us get the best of these two worlds. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t as good at this as other people.

But worry not—in today’s blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how mindfulness can help you manage your time better, become more efficient at work, and have more time for the things that really matter.

Let’s dive right in.

So, what is mindfulness?

The modern idea of mindfulness stems from Buddhism, where it’s called Satipatthana (the establishment of mindfulness or presence of mindfulness).

However, it’s also important to underline that many other religions have similar concepts that date back many thousands of years.

Fundamentally, mindfulness is a state defined by moment-by-moment awareness of a person’s thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Its main goal is to take control of the mind, remain grounded in the present moment, and not be judgmental about external and internal distractions (i.e., noises, discomfort, irritation, etc.).

As a result of practicing mindfulness, we can learn to stop our minds from wandering off and remain focussed for longer periods of time. It should be pointed out that the practice has a much broader spectrum of benefits, but we’ll focus on these ones for now.

1. Manage your attention

Managing time is most certainly a valuable skill to have but what most of us are missing is the ability to remain focused on and mindful of where we direct our attention. More importantly, if you think of it, “time management” is a very elusive concept. There is very little we can do about time—we can neither stop it nor make it go faster or slower. The thing we should care about most when it comes to productivity is managing attention.

In theory, if you decide to spend three hours on a particular task but your attention continuously drifts elsewhere, it is fair to assume that the whole idea of “time management” is pretty much pointless. That is not to say that carefully planning your time has no value—rather, in order to manage your time properly, we need to stay focused on the task at hand.

2. Do one thing at a time

You’ve probably heard hundreds of people glorifying multitasking by now. It’s always presented as some sort of gift that helps people tackle the overwhelming nature of life. Well, the truth is that multitasking is, in the vast majority of cases, unproductive and taxing on our brains, since we can’t really focus on multiple things at a time. What’s really happening is the alternation of tasks—which is the opposite of managing your attention.

To many, this may appear as a shocker, but there’s plenty of research that backs up the fact that you’re better off doing one thing at a time. Researchers at the University of Sussex published a study back in 2014 called “Higher media multitasking activity is associated with smaller gray-matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex.” The research indicates that people who tend to multitask on a regular basis have decreased brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex, which controls things like compassion and emotional control. You heard it right—we pretty much physically damage our brains by choosing to alternate between tasks.

But there’s more! Other studies suggest that aside from slowing you down and damaging your brain, multitasking can have a significant effect on your IQ. Research published by researchers at the University of London found subjects who alternated between tasks have experienced a decline in IQ of about 15 points, which is obviously undesirable if your job revolves around complex tasks.

Multitasking may appear efficient on the surface, but there’s very little real value to it. The only exception will be if you’re working on stuff that isn’t really demanding, like cleaning up or cooking.

Opt for a mindful approach towards your work and choose to do one thing at a time and remain mindful of what you’re doing. A good way out of the mindlessness of multitasking would be an effective prioritization of your tasks, which brings us to our next point.

3. Prioritize tasks

Just like multitasking, task prioritization has been very popular when it comes to enhancing your productivity. The big difference between them is that the latter actually works. Having a sense of clarity in regards to the things you have to do is something that will allow you to remain mindful throughout your workday. Lacking structure will only overwhelm and distract you in the long run, forcing your mind to split into different directions.

There are plenty of techniques that will help you structure your workday that range from a series of basic questions to things like the Eisenhower Matrix. Feel free to explore a variety of them to see what works best for you.

So, let’s start with a few basic questions you can ask yourself before you start your workday:

What are the critical and urgent tasks I need to address today?
What can wait until tomorrow?
What tasks are simply not worth my time?

Asking these questions will significantly impact your efficiency and mindfulness throughout the day.

For a more slightly structured approach you can use the Eisenhower Matrix, which is a really cool framework that will help you structure your tasks in four categories: Do, Decide, Delegate, and Delete. Here’s how it looks:

All you have to do to use this matrix is establish which tasks are urgent and important, not urgent and important, urgent but not important, not urgent and not important.

4. Minimize interruptions

While not mixing tasks up is beneficial for your mindfulness and focus, it’s also essential to eliminate distractions from your workflow and work environment. While it appears like a straightforward task, it’s fair to say that it’s not really that easy to do. Things just happen—calls, emails, meetings, chat messages, all of these can significantly impact your productivity.

Unfortunately, society has normalized being available all the time, and turning your notifications off sounds pretty scary at first—but you should definitely look into it. There are various degrees to which you can mute your notifications; you can do so temporarily and permanently. Typically, people start with the former and transition into the latter.

Start by just turning your “Do not disturb” mode on. Pretty much all modern smartphones have this feature, and many allow users to customize it extensively. You can tweak your phone settings so that only specific people can call and message you when this mode is on, giving you plenty of flexibility.

Another option would be just keeping your phone away—it does seem like a very simple thing to do, but it works wonders on your focus. When people see their phones, this on its own is enough to lure them into checking messages or scrolling feeds—we don’t want that. So consider keeping your phone away and checking it once in a few hours if there’s an actual need for it.

Another super important point is blocking access to certain sites on your computer, temporarily or permanently—that’s totally up to you. There’s plenty of software that can temporarily block your access to the sites of your choice, but you can also do that in any operating system on your own, although it does demand a bit of research and messing around with terminals and whatnot. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll definitely feel a significant change in your productivity and focus.

5. Start your day with meditation

Before we get into the topic of meditation, we need to mention that this is by no means a religious practice. Many mistakenly assume that to meditate, you’ll have to study Buddhist scripture and other things. While meditation does stem from religion (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, along with a variety of other religions that have had practices that resemble Buddhist mindfulness meditation), for many, it remains a secular activity—and it’s pretty easy to get into. This is exactly why guided meditation apps and recordings are so popular all over the world.

More importantly, people can meditate everywhere. Some choose to do it at home, and others prefer doing it during bus rides in the morning. This small 15-minute investment will make a huge difference. By meditating regularly, you’ll be able to:

Reduce stress: When we’re under pressure, our bodies produce a hormone called Cortisol, which is associated with states of anxiety, hostility, clouded thinking, high blood pressure, and more. Meditation helps reduce Cortisol levels, which in turn helps you be more grounded and calm throughout your workday, ensuring that you’ll remain focused and undistracted.
Boost your creativity: We mentioned that an important part of mindfulness meditation is leaving judgment behind. Creativity relies on a person’s openness to new thoughts and solutions that would otherwise be discarded.
Calm down the mind: By meditating regularly, a person learns to direct their attention and take control over their emotional impulses. A calm mind helps people remain concentrated and productive throughout the day.
Improve awareness of the self: Meditation is a great tool when it comes to sharpening self-awareness, as a result enabling us to be aware of our emotions and physical state. This enables us to gain better self-control, which in part promotes a sense of confidence and equanimity.

6. Be consistent

Mindfulness comes in degrees, and to reap most of its benefits, we need to practice it regularly—it’s what really makes it work. A good way to think of mindfulness-induced productivity and focus is that it’s like a muscle. You may enjoy some small benefits pretty quickly, but the longer you train your mind to stay concentrated, the better it will perform over time, making you more productive than you ever were.

Another truth about meditation is that it’s better to practice it five minutes a day than an hour once a week. For instance, Amy Blankson from the Institute of Applied Positive Research conducted a very interesting study with Google’s most recent hires. During the study, the people that had joined the company had to meditate for two minutes a day and write down messages of gratitudes in private journals. As a result of this seemingly small intervention, the new hires were more engaged and productive.

A few mindfulness exercises you can try

Now that we’ve explored the reasons why a mindful approach towards work and time management is worthwhile, let’s take a quick look at a few techniques you can start with.

1. The body scan

This is a fairly simple mindfulness exercise that requires no props or prior experience—perfect for beginners.

Step 1: Lie on your back and find a comfortable position. Ideally, your palms should be facing up, and your legs should be slightly apart, but that’s not essential—do whatever works for you. If you don’t feel like lying down or you want to do this while commuting, you can do this in a sitting position.
Step 2: It’s important to be still during the exercise. However, if you feel any unpleasant sensations due to your position, feel free to change them, but do it slowly and mindfully.
Step 3: Bring your attention to the breath. Notice the rhythm in which you breathe. Focus on the qualities of the breathing experience—like the fact that it’s cold when you inhale and warm when you exhale. Your breath should remain at the center of your attention. If you feel like your mind is wandering off, gently bring your focus back to your breath.
Step 4: Next, shift your attention to your body—observe the sensation in your body, focus on how your clothing feels against your skin, the temperature of your body, and so forth.
Step 5: Identify parts of your body that feel sore, tense, relaxed, or in any other way. You can do this exercise for as long as you please. Typically, 10 minutes should be enough to feel relaxed and aware.

2. The observer meditation

This mindfulness exercise helps us detach from our thoughts and feelings and is especially useful when we’re stressed, frustrated, or anxious. It’s very useful when you’re trying to put some distance between who you are and some unpleasant or problematic things in life that might be making you unhappy.

Step 1: Take a comfortable position seated or lying down.
Step 2: Let your attention rest on your body. Observe how you feel.
Step 3: Let go of any thoughts that have been bothering you throughout the day.
Step 4: Shift your attention towards the room you’re in. Imagine being an observer standing outside the room. Then shift your attention back to yourself sitting in the room.
Step 5: Alternate between these two states for a few minutes.

3. The 3-step mindfulness exercise

This is a very quick exercise you can do virtually anywhere to help you restore a sense of mindfulness. You don’t necessarily have to be seated or lying down for this exercise.

Step 1: Take a deep breath and bring your attention to what you’re doing right now. Be mindful of how you feel at this moment.
Step 2: Shift your focus towards your breath. Try to establish a continuous focus on every inhalation and exhalation. Be mindful of how your body is moving while you’re breathing—how your chest rises and falls, how your stomach compresses and expands.
Step 3: Shift your attention outward. Bring awareness to your entire body. Try to distinguish the sensations you’re feeling in various parts of the body—tightness, aches, lightness, whatever it is.

When you are ready to finish the exercise, open your eyes slowly and try to carry that mindfulness with you as you go about your day.

The bottom line

Managing time is a fairly complicated thing to do, and it’s possible that the problem stems from the misunderstanding that we can actually manage time to our liking. What we should do instead is achieve a certain element of control over our attention and awareness.

October 27, 2021January 7, 2022

Promoting Accountability and Trust in the Workplace

Trust and accountability are the essential components of a productive workplace that enables people to grow. Many companies underestimate the importance of the two, which ends up undermining the performance and satisfaction of employees.

Accountability in the workplace is what helps people to build meaningful relationships, establish a sense of ownership, and make them feel responsible for their actions, behavior, and success.

In this blog post, we will look at the importance of accountability and trust in the workplace and what employers can do to foster the two to ensure an open and proactive communication among colleagues.

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

The downsides of no accountability

Failing to establish a sense of accountability comes with a wide array of drawbacks. It creates an environment that erodes the team’s morale, leading to a lack of punctuality, responsibility, diligence, and so fort.

To understand the value of trust and accountability, we need to view a team or organization as a complex network. People interact with each other regularly.

Their work often relies on the work of their colleagues, which means that in order for this network to operate efficiently, all the participants need to have a sense of shared responsibility and respect for their peers.

Lack of accountability often has a snowball effect, causing the entire network of professional relationships to become increasingly inefficient and stressful. As a result, this may lead to a variety of problems like:

Low team morale
Lack of clarity in terms of priorities
Lack of employee engagement
The inability to meet individual and team goals
Lack of trust
High turnover

3 common issues that harm accountability

Okay, so if lack of accountability is so taxing to team’s morale and productivity, why not do something about it? The problem is that businesses are different—they have different organizational designs, processes, cultures, and backstories. Therefore, every business must find an individual solution to the lack of accountability.

On the bright side, there are numerous studies that can show us what the most common reasons for low accountability are. Let’s take a look.

1. Unclear expectations

A study published by Gallup suggests that about half of employees actually understand the full spectrum of their responsibilities and what their companies expect of them. Sounds pretty unsettling, doesn’t it?

This problem often lies at the root of an unaccountable environment. People simply can’t feel entirely responsible for what they do if they have little real understanding of what is expected of them.

And while some may assume that less clarity in terms of a person’s responsibilities at work may actually foster autonomy and independence, it’s also fair to say it may as well wipe out any inkling of ownership that they may have had.

2. Fear of failure

AMA Enterprise has recently surveyed the management and employees of 500 U.S. businesses. The study uncovered what appears to be the single biggest reason why people avoid taking extra responsibilities at work—it all has to do with the fear of being held accountable for mistakes and failures.

It appears that punishing employees for poor performance remains a common practice in way too many modern-day companies. It’s easy to see how this irresponsible attitude can seriously undermine people’s psychological safety at work. As a result, people avoid taking on extra responsibilities and challenges—there’s simply no real incentive for that.

3. Lack of engagement

Employee engagement has seen a serious nosedive in the last decade. Fortunately, we’ve seen a very moderate uptrend in the last few years, but the numbers are nowhere near what they should be. A recent study published by Gallup suggests that about a third of the workforce is engaged. However, if we switched our perspective for a second, it would appear that the other two-thirds of the workforce could be actively disengaged.

Using these numbers as context, it makes sense that a large number of employees have to reason to want to take extra ownership and step their responsibilities up, given that they feel unheard and disengaged.

To some, the idea that people don’t feel heard at work may sound like a non-issue, but this phenomenon is unfortunately much more widespread than it should be. Research suggests that approximately 34% of employees around the world feel like they are unheard at work, and their contributions are not taken into account. Naturally, this can seriously harm their engagement and the desire to be accountable at work.

What can you do about it?

Now that we’ve touched on the problems that cause low accountability and trust, let’s explore some solutions that can help fix the issue.

1. Define what people are accountable for

As we’ve discussed above, lack of clarity in terms of employee responsibility can be a huge issue for workers and can seriously harm their engagement and accountability. This is a great first step to take. People need to understand what they’re expected to do in order to deliver on these expectations.

Naturally, many businesses have so-called evergreen responsibilities—things that they’re focused on at all times. However, there’s still a great deal of diversity in terms of the individual responsibilities of every individual employee. It’s always a good idea to spend some time outlining and communicating them to the people that work in your company.

Doing this is an example of high-level accountability—when the organization takes on the responsibility of communicating its expectations to the people involved in order to make their lives at work better and stimulate engagement and ownership.

2. Give and receive feedback on a daily basis

The next important thing to do once you’ve ensured that your employees have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are, is providing them with continuous feedback.

People rarely have to be told to give their thoughts on things—we excel at that. The important thing about feedback is the way it’s provided. Simply cutting to the chase and telling people what you think about their performance point-blank isn’t going to be productive in most cases and in the long run.

The first and essential element of feedback is giving it in a mindful and empathetic manner. Start by acknowledging their effort and the things they’ve succeeded in. This will help the person understand that what they’re experiencing now isn’t straight criticism—it’s guidance.

In fact, a global survey conducted by Deloitte found that both Millennials and Gen-Z value learning at work at lot. Learning comes next after fair pay and advancement. Therefore, providing people with negative feedback in an unconstructive way will simply dissuade them, detracting them from actually learning.

Consider using a framework for providing feedback like the sandwich technique—the main idea behind it is to wrap your negative feedback in praise. Okay, but why is this necessary? Let’s take a bird’s-eye view of the reasons a person may have to receive some harsh feedback.

They’ve taken on extra responsibilities but couldn’t deal with them as expected.
They’ve started a new project, but fail to understand all of its intricacies, which made them not perform as well.
They’re stressed out, which makes it hard for them to focus on work, which makes them less motivated.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the reasons why people may be underperforming, but what it aims to underline is that employees very rarely choose to not deliver. There’s always an underlying reason—and it has to be both acknowledged and taken into account. So, to employ the sandwich technique, offer praise for their achievements. Next, slide in your criticism. Afterward, close it off with more praise to give them the motivation to do well in the future.

However, never forget to enable your colleagues to give you feedback as well. This will help them feel heard, which is extremely important in the modern workplace.

Providing people with regular and well-presented feedback will only encourage motivation, ownership, and accountability.

3. Encourage risk-taking in the workplace

Unfortunately, whenever an issue occurs, or a project is scrapped, it’s the employees that have to take the blame. This fear of being punished will eventually lead to people playing the blame game to avoid being criticized.
Finger-pointing isn’t really productive, neither is it conducive to a healthy work environment. Instead, consider building a culture that celebrates collaboration and transparency.

In fact, managers should promote calculated risk-taking. Responsible risks are at the foundation of out-of-the-box thinking. To do that, consider defining what smart risks are in your organization and reward smart failures.

4. Lead by example

To build a sense of accountability and trust in a company, everyone should be equally responsible for the success of the product and the organization as a whole. A manager should act as a pacesetter for the people he or she works with. They should lead as an example of performance and culture for the team. Lead by example by:

Having accountability in terms of deadlines and promises.
Being responsible for your colleagues’ success and ensuring that they have what they need at all times.
Respecting everyone’s time.
Coming to meetings prepared and on time.

5. Give employees clear roles in driving key results

It’s extremely common that organizations expect their employees to be accountable and passionate without actually providing them with the challenges and commitments to fuel accountability.

In fact, employees very rarely feel like their role contributes to the company’s goals in any way. Naturally, this makes them disengage from work. Often, this may lead to a sense of indifference towards their responsibilities since nobody really cares about the product of their work anyway.

Reassess your employees’ responsibilities and try to spot roles that have no real connection to the organization’s key performance indicators. If you happen to find such gaps, it’s essential to realign these employees’ tasks so that their actions can have a clear effect on the overall success of the company.

And in doing so, make sure to ditch micromanagement—it only defeats the purpose of helping your colleagues be more accountable and trust their colleagues more. So, fundamentally, you should learn to trust them first.

The bottom line

What many leaders fail to realize is that lack of trust and accountability is a behavior that tends to cascade from the top of the organization. Environments that rely on finger-pointing do very little to build a proactive corporate culture and motivate employees to deliver and take on extra ownership.

Lead by example, trust your colleagues, encourage intelligent risk-taking, and ensure that people have a clear understanding of what they’re responsible for. Last but not least, provide employees with regular feedback, but again, refrain from blaming them, instead celebrate their successes and provide them with valuable recommendations.

October 26, 2021October 28, 2021

These 5 Companies Embrace a Culture of Collaboration. Here’s What We Can Learn From Them.

“Well, we’re just like a big family.”

Have you ever gotten this answer in a job interview when you ask about the organization’s culture?

It’s not only cringe-worthy, but it’s also a sign that there isn’t a strong culture in the organization. If the hiring manager’s idea of great work culture is a ‘family’ who throws the occasional pizza party – run.

What you really want to hear is that the organization has a culture of collaboration. Why? Because a culture of collaboration is beneficial to your success and the goals of the workplace as well.

What is a culture of collaboration?

A culture of collaboration is when collaboration is persistent – it is integrated into how people regularly work. Employees at every level, in every department, are encouraged to work together to achieve the best outcomes.

Collaboration in the workplace is inevitable. Sooner or later, you will have to work with others – whether they’re in your department or not. Being able to effectively collaborate drives workplace performance and makes successful outcomes more likely. It’s essential to make sure that the work environment supports and promotes collaboration.

What does a collaborative organization look like in the real world?

To get a feel for what a culture of collaboration in the workplace looks like, let’s take a look at 5 companies that set a great example. Each company gives us a main takeaway that we can go on and implement in our own workplaces.

1. Udacity – Collaboration starts with connection.

Udacity is an online education platform that helps train people for the predicted career needs of the future. Despite the immense growth that Udacity has seen, they still understand the importance of setting aside time for employees to have fun together. Every week they make time for corporate team-building activities and events that help employees connect and engage through letting loose and putting work on the back burner.

The team that connects and bonds and actually likes each other, will work better together. Think back to your school days – how much better was it when you were put in a school project with classmates you actually liked vs. the annoying kids you didn’t? Not only was the process better, but the outcomes were probably a lot better too.

Help your organization achieve a culture of collaboration by encouraging them to connect on a personal level. Through team-building events such as weekly happy hours, movie nights, or game days, you can do this. If your team is virtual, check out our list of virtual team-building activities here.

2. Facebook – Participation at every level is key

You’ve probably heard of social media pioneer Facebook. Turns out, Zuckerberg has some insight into the benefits of a culture of collaboration in the workplace.

At Facebook, Hackathon events are held regularly. Employees throughout the organization come together to build something that they want to see on Facebook. Something that will believe would have a significant impact on Facebook and its users. The one rule – you can’t work on something related to your day job. Split into diverse teams, a mix of departments and levels, the team presents their outcome and everyone votes on which ideas are the best.

The Hackathon encourages team members who wouldn’t ordinarily interact to come together and collaborate in a meaningful way. At the Hackathon, interns who have only been there a few months will work with experienced engineers to put something together. It is evident that Facebook encourages new team members to engage with and participate in their culture of innovation and collaboration in a meaningful way.

By using the framework of Facebook’s Hackathon, you can develop industry-specific events for fun that also allow employees across the organization to get involved and indulge their passion for their field. Perhaps an advertising firm could host events where teams only have one hour to prepare for a pitch meeting for a product they were assigned an hour before?

There are a few takeaways from Facebook’s Hackathon events that you can incorporate into your organization:

- Improving relations between departments and levels is important. Organizations must know how to merge their talent, data, and resources to achieve outstanding outcomes. Some of Facebook’s most significant innovations have come from its Hackathons.
- Getting new team members immersed in the collaborative culture is crucial. Showing newbies how things are done helps them absorb the culture and know how to participate.

3. Pixar – Space matters

You might think that the rise in popularity of open-plan offices would be because of their ability to encourage collaboration and communication. A lot of research has been conducted on the open-plan workplace, and it isn’t as beneficial as one might think. One study conducted in 2018 found that increased distractions can impair a culture of collaboration and increase stress. The researchers determined that having a mix of quiet workspaces and open concept areas improves work conditions and encourages a culture of collaboration.

These findings have been backed up repeatedly. Another study found that there was a 70% decrease in collaborative face-to-face interaction in open-plan offices, with employees instead turning to email and instant messaging.

When Steve Jobs redesigned beloved computer animation studio Pixar’s office, collaboration was the main thing on his mind. Jobs brought everyone under the same roof – animators, executives, editors, etc. The idea was that random encounters and interactions would lead to great ideas being born. He also made room for solitude so that those who need it could have the time to themselves as required. There are plenty of open-space collaborative spaces that encourage people to meet up, chat and collaborate as well.

The takeaway here is that space affects an organization’s culture of collaboration. We need to design space in a way that caters to the needs of employees. Setting up an open-plan office and putting everyone in the same area may not be the best idea. Instead, think about how each team works, which teams work together more often, and their need for solitude. Humans are complicated, and we need options. An ideal office space should reflect this as well as encourage meaningful interactions.

4. Virgin Pulse – Aligning individual goals to company values.

Virgin Pulse is a digital health and engagement company. Through data, their goal is to help companies cultivate healthy lifestyle habits for their employees. With a mission to help other companies promote happy and healthy employees, it makes sense that they would want that for their own too.

One way Virgin Pulse promotes employee happiness is through cultivating a culture of collaboration. One of their company values is ‘One Team, One Dream.’ Virgin Pulse encourages employees to embrace the belief that they’re all in this together through consistent collaboration and communication. Each year the company has an event where employees worldwide attend to hear about the latest product news and the year’s business strategy. Employees get the chance to understand and get excited about the company’s vision, network, and build connections.

When employees are aligned with the company’s goals, they’re more likely to work together to achieve those goals. This is integral to a thriving culture of collaboration.

5. Greenhouse Software – Incentivize collaboration

Recruitment software giant Greenhouse Software knows a thing or two about what to look for in a great employee. At Greenhouse, collaboration is one of the main priorities and core values. Each year, Greenhouse hosts the “Gnomie Awards,” where they recognize employees who embody Greenhouse’s values.

It’s pretty simple – by rewarding employees for collaboration, they encourage employees to be collaborative. It becomes a goal to work towards and something to be proud of. Recognition for collaboration doesn’t have to be an awards ceremony; in fact, it should be a regular occurrence too.

Rewarding and applauding your employee’s teamwork will help them seek out opportunities to work across departments. This embeds further collaboration into the culture of the organization. Pepsi Co is another example of a company that incentivizes collaboration – they base 40% of an employee’s annual bonus on how well they’ve helped their peers better their careers.

Here are some bonus tips on how to reward and acknowledge collaboration:

Reward the whole team
Make collaboration an element of annual performance reviews
Don’t just thank and reward the team for collaborating when the outcome is good. Acknowledge the employees for their collaboration as they go. Make it persistent.
Find out what your team’s appreciation language is.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to driving a collaborative culture. From a local city council to a Fortune 500 giant, every organization will need to do things differently. However, by learning from practical examples, methods can be extracted and applied to your company.

October 26, 2021November 25, 2023

11 Useful Tips on How To Collaborate Effectively if Your Team Is Remote

Team leaders need to be prepared to deal with all manner of crises and changing circumstances. This could include the total upheaval of your operations and a transition to remote working. Leaders need to develop a business continuity plan in case they need to rely on remote work collaboration.

While some businesses have been offering remote and flexible solutions for years, this could be brand new territory for you. It’s not all doom and gloom, in fact, studies have shown that offering remote working attracts top talent and can increase productivity.

In order to get the most out of your employees, you’ll need to adjust the way you do things for remote teams. Effective communication becomes vital because you lose social cues from body language.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tips on how to collaborate effectively if your team is remote.

How To Collaborate Effectively If Your Team Is Remote

Whether you have a fully remote team or you offer flexible working solutions you’ll need a team that can collaborate well. By allowing your team the opportunity to work from home the talent pool increases and you’re more likely to attract top-tier applicants.

Remote working is one of the most sought-after benefits so it’s worth considering if you can offer this. In order to to get the most out of your team here are some tips for team leaders to implement.

1. Invest in the right software and hardware

If you’re expecting your team to use their own home setup you need to consider the limitations they may have. Not everyone has superfast broadband, 8GBs of ram, and two monitors, so how can you assist them? For added security, you may want to consider investing in a VPN to protect company data.

As a result of remote working, you’ll need to invest in software for your team to use. This could include a messaging system, a collaborative workspace, and project-specific software. For example, a design studio may need to provide access to Adobe Creative Cloud.

2. Implement the Agile framework for projects

To help combat the lack of office-based communications, the Agile framework can help to formalize processes and monitor progress. After all, being agile is key to success for remote work collaboration.

The Agile framework is great for large projects because it breaks things down into two-week “sprints.” Assign a “Scrum Master” to ensure Agile principles are adhered to and answer questions the team has.

As a result of Agile principles, your team can refine its processes to make future sprints more productive. It helps staff to work out their deliverables and their daily priorities.

3. Make use of daily standups and meetings…

Daily standups are quick meetings usually held at the start of the day. They’re named this way because typically staff stand up to increase the sense of urgency. Although your staff may not stand up while remote, the idea still remains. A short 15-minute daily meeting for employees to explain what they’re working on and ask any questions they have.

Pro tip: No question is too small.

Make sure any other meetings you hold have a clear purpose. Give them a strict start and end time and stick to it. Don’t let meetings overrun and if people are late to meetings – start them anyway.

4. … But don’t overdo it.

It can be easy to rely too heavily on meetings but holding too many can be overkill. People don’t tend to like meetings so limit how many you have. Before calling a meeting consider if one is necessary. Ask yourself what staff need to be included and if the input is needed from the whole team.

5. Avoid total control and encourage autonomy

Managers will need to let go of the reigns for a remote team to be productive. This will need a level of trust and faith in your team. The good news is productivity tends to improve with remote working because people don’t take it for granted.

It could be worth installing a work tracker if you want to monitor your team’s progress. However, this might not be a welcomed addition by all your employees. Consider using it when a team member’s productivity starts to decline. Otherwise, allow your team the autonomy to work how they want.

Communication for Remote Work Team Collaboration

Communication is at the heart of every team and this will be the biggest change a remote team has to face. When a team is remote there is greater reliance on online communication like instant messaging and emails.

Not only is there a lack of body language but also words can be easily misinterpreted over text. Employees need to consider how their words will be read and adapt accordingly. If someone takes something the wrong way it can lead to problems between staff members.

6. Create training resources for effective written communication

Put together some training resources to improve your team’s remote work collaboration. It may seem a little overkill but some simple training will ensure the entire team is on the same page. Some things to include in your training are:

Informal vs formal communications: Your people will differ in how they communicate. People’s tolerance for things like humor can vary widely. Establish communication preferences and encourage your team to adhere to them.
Clear instructions: When sharing instructions it will be better to overshare than under. Make sure that instructions are clear and leave little room for misunderstanding.
Ask questions: If anything is unclear your team needs to ask questions. Creating a culture of “no question is too small” will help.
Double-check: Ask staff to reread their communication to ensure that tone and intent are coming across correctly.
Body language: Describe how body language informs conversation and how things change without it. Focus on how to communicate clearly and avoid misinterpretations.

7. Communications need to be ultra-clear

A lot of things are lost when your team isn’t in the office. It’s not as easy to tap your colleague on their shoulder and ask for some advice. There can be a delay between asking a question and getting an answer. There is a loss of useful office tools like whiteboards, TVs, and information around the office.

With this in mind, it’s important to make sure any internal communication is clear. Staff also need to know where to go to get answers to any questions they have. You could consider investing in some online technology to create a knowledge hub or online whiteboard.

8. Create communications best practices

As remote work team collaboration relies on effective communication it will be worth creating a list of best practices. That way your team has something to refer back to and it will help develop the language your team uses. Here are some ideas of what to include:

Common phrases: Include company and team-specific phrases and what they mean.
Acronyms: Useful acronyms that the team uses. These could include NNTR (no need to respond), TAT (turnaround time), KPI (key performance indicator).
Communication channels: If the team has separate channels for particular projects or team subsets, make sure they know what each one is for.
Guidelines: Create guidelines on when emails should be sent, how long to wait for a response, and anything else relevant to keep things running smoothly.

Team Building for Remote Work Team Collaboration

Although team members who work remotely might not get to meet each other, it’s important that know each other. To that end, it’s worth focusing on team-building activities to help develop deeper collaboration and a social aspect of work.

If your team is fully remote and spread across timezones this becomes more difficult, but it’s still possible, and entirely necessary.

9. Virtual team building activities

There are lots of different things you can try to get your team connected and working together. From simple things like a quiz night or an art contest to larger-scale online escape rooms and remote work bingo.

Let your team members suggest ideas and even run the workshops if they have a good idea. Each week you could select someone to run the pub quiz and rotate team members so everyone has a chance to work together.

In the end, this sort of social collaboration helps your team to work better with each other. Productivity increases as your team become more comfortable with one another.

10. Celebrate personal and professional triumphs

Team leaders should take the time to share employees’ news with the wider team where appropriate. This can be great for team morale and it acknowledges people’s lives outside of work. Naturally, you’ll want to share news of someone’s promotion but it can be good to share smaller news as well.

In the event that a team member receives excellent feedback from a client, share this with the team in a specific celebration channel. Alternatively, you could include personal milestones such as someone completing a marathon. Use your best judgment with what people want to be shared and always double-check with them if unsure.

11. New hires may need additional help to connect with the team

When you bring a new member into a remote team it can be quite daunting especially if the role includes a lot of collaboration. The rest of the team will already have their communication norms and the new employee will have some catching up to do.

It could be worth asking one of your outgoing members of staff to take them under their wing. Run some get to know you team building activities and encourage the new hire to get involved.

Conclusion

Start by implementing these tips on how to collaborate effectively if your team is remote. You’ll learn as you go and develop routines that work well for your employees. Allow them the opportunity to suggest processes and refinements. As working from home will mean less in-person collaboration your staff will naturally work the way that works best for them.

Focus on getting the best out of each individual while sticking to company procedures. Some people will thrive under remote working conditions but others might struggle. Keep that in mind when conducting performance reviews and work together to create an effective remote work collaboration system.

October 23, 2021January 10, 2022

The 5 Perils of Multitasking

In the race to do more in less time, many people pride themselves on their ability to multitask. It is so common, in fact, that it is often listed as a skill on resumes.

But is multitasking really a skill?

There are some instances where you can actually multitask, consider the times that you have listened to a podcast while cleaning as an example. Chores are certainly more bearable with a true-crime podcast playing in the background. Pairing a repetitive or familiar task with something entertaining is a great way to pass the time doing simple or familiar tasks.

And then, there are situations where you really shouldn’t multitask. Here are 5 perils of multitasking:

1. Things Take Longer to Do

You are lying to yourself if you think that you are saving time by multitasking. The truth is, multitasking actually increases the amount of time spent on a single activity because there is a time cost of switching between tasks.

Have you ever been pulled away from a project only to come back and ask yourself “Okay, where was I again?”

The time it takes you to get back into your zone is the cost of switching between tasks and MIT neuroscientist Earl Miller explained that constant change of focus makes our brain less functional, not more.

If you want to see this in action, time yourself writing out your name on a piece of paper. Now, time yourself writing your name but writing every second letter on two separate lines, alternating between them. How long did that take you? Chances are that it took you at least double the time. You still wrote your name but switching between lines after each letter cost you time and focus.

2. Illusion of Satisfaction and Productivity

There is a certain satisfaction you get when you feel as though you are doing five things at once, like you are some sort of super human being. Some companies even reward people for their ability to take on multiple projects or clients at the same time and not realizing that the quality of work could drastically improve if employees were allowed to focus.

State University showed that multitasking actually met an emotional need of feeling as though you’re being productive and contributing, but the same cannot be said for meeting your cognitive needs. Spending less time focused on a task means less attention and thought is put into it, making multitasking less effective when it comes to completing a single task well.

Even spending 25 uninterrupted minutes on a task can significantly increase your productivity. Consider the “Pomodoro Method” as a way to focus. This method involves the use of a timer to focus for a set period of time with the promise of a short break as a reward. Knowing that there is a designated time that you can check your phone or scroll gives you permission to stay on task without the fear of missing out.

3. Less Invested in Tasks

When you multitask, both quantity and quality of your work will suffer. Ping-ponging between tasks is exhausting, research has shown that the additional energy required to do these extra tasks causes your brain to use more glucose (fuel) than would otherwise be needed to complete the task.

This is inefficient and your body knows it.

You’re never fully present in any one activity when you’re switching between tasks. That lack of presence tends to translate to lack of interest which further translates to lack of investment in the completion of the task at hand. What you are left with is less than interesting work on a task that you simply can’t wait to finish as opposed to feeling pride in a job well done.

4. Causes Stress

The science is in, multitasking causes additional stress. Neuroscientist, Dan Levitan, explains that when we multitask, we secrete more cortisol and adrenaline. A brain-scan study showed that, instead of information being processed in the hippocampus to be remembered, information is sent to the wrong parts of the brain.

It may not seem like it at the moment but you are working twice as hard and getting half as much done. There is a stress induced negative feedback loop where you realize that you’re not getting as much done even when taking on additional tasks so you feel the answer is to take on even more tasks to try and feel accomplished.

This is a recipe for burnout and unnecessary stress.

5. Hurts Your Brain

Yes, you read that right. Contrary to popular belief, you’re not exercising your brain by making it do more. Multitasking has actually been shown to lower your IQ! A University of London study compared the cognitive function of someone multitasking to someone who had stayed up all night.

The University of Sussex also performed an interesting study that reviewed the brain scans of people who regularly spent time on multiple devices at once, think of texting on your phone while in a video meeting. The studies were quite surprising and concluded that multitaskers had less brain density in the area of the brain responsible for empathy and cognitive and emotional control.

While it used to be a commonly held belief that this kind of damage was temporary, more studies are showing longer term effects of continuous multitasking.

Breaking the Habit – Managing Multitasking

Having your attention going back and forth between multiple tasks is a recipe for disaster and only creates the illusion of productivity. The continuous state partial attention will not allow you to focus on one thing to give it the attention it deserves.

How does one break the multitasking habit especially when it is so widely believed to be a good thing? The most obvious way to resist the urge to multitask in the first place. You can reduce opportunities that enable or tempt you to multitask by:

Turning off your cellphone for set times in the day or at least disable notifications.

Closing extra tabs in your browser when not actively working in them.
Consider using the Pomodoro technique and set a timer while you work.
Set a regular time to check your email to avoid checking throughout the day.

This is easier said than done, of course.

Implementing even just one of the suggestions will help you break your multitasking habits. As you gain momentum and watch your productivity levels increase, you will be even more encouraged to focus on your work… one task at a time.