Category Archives: Blog

Top Skills Needed for Working Remotely

Are you working from home more now than ever before?  Have you noticed a difference in how you need to organize your day to stay motivated?  Now that the newness is over, are you getting bored with your remote working arrangements?

Working from home demands different skills than working in a busy office.  While it can provide a quiet sanctuary conducive to completing tasks efficiently,  it can also take away some of the stimuli that helped us get our jobs done.  If you expect to be working remotely for a while, it’s helpful to brush up on three key skills that will help you excel from the home office such as Communicating, Influencing Others and Completing Tasks.

Communicating

It goes without saying, that it was easier to call across the office to your co-workers, or bump elbows at the coffee station when you worked onsite at the office.  Now that you are working remotely, it takes more effort to reach out and communicate with your colleagues.  However, communication with colleagues can pay off  by offering teamwork and collaboration that can boost your mood and your project’s success simultaneously, depending on the communication medium you choose.

Have you ever noticed that your go-to communication technique is email?  While email or texts are quick, they often leave something to be desired including the tone and back and forth of good communication.  Try picking up the phone more often to talk to a colleague, or plan a Zoom conversation so you can interact and see each other’s facial expression.  For it’s not just communication most of us are after; it’s connection, collaboration and teamwork too.

Influencing Others

Now that you’re working remotely, can you see how building your Influence Skills could be advantageous?   Influence helps you to position ideas and choices in a way that will help your listener draw logical conclusions and lean in the direction of certain actions.  Did you know that there are 6 Principles of Ethical Influence that you can bring to your conversations and communications?   Ask us about our interactive virtual training program Influencing For Business Results to learn how these principles can help you be more effective in your job.

Completing Tasks

While working remotely can bring advantages, we definitely miss out on some of the office stimuli that helped us feel good about our contributions.  It’s easy to get bored or lose interest in tasks that don’t seem to be part of a larger picture.  If you notice any of those negative feelings, try to see how your tasks fit together to accomplish a larger goal.  Break a project down into bite-sized tasks and plot them on a check-list so you can check them off one by one.  Celebrate tasks have been completed on a daily basis and make sure that you mark the completion of projects with a special event or treat.  Whether it’s having a virtual coffee break with a colleague, or going for a walk outside, celebrating your accomplishments helps you gain a sense of satisfaction even when working remotely.  Consider the use of whiteboard, zoom team meetings, and old fashioned bulletin boards in your home office to help you see how your progress on small tasks is getting you where you need to go.

Summary

Working remotely brings a host of different challenges when compared to working in the office.  Brushing up on the three skills of Communicating, Influencing Others, and Completing Tasks will help you and your team thrive in this new environment for months to come. Check out our program on Powerful Business Communications and contact us at 1-800-501-1245 to learn how to bring this powerful training to your Team.

Virtual Training & Online Tools

Since COVID, learning professionals have been busy figuring out the best way to help professionals grow their skills in the new remote landscape.  In-person training sessions turned out to be impractical as many employees were asked to work from home, or were spread out in the office due to social distancing measures.

It was time to try something new.  So as we turned to Virtual Platforms we learned a thing or two about how to make learning work best in the new normal.  One of the best options is to conduct a Blended Learning Program in small chunks of time that addresses your team’s learning needs.  This can be spread out over weeks to minimize fatigue and allow opportunity for reflection and homework between sessions.  For example, one of our clients wanted to improve their team’s Management Skills but the managers were are all working in different locations.

Here’s a new Blended Learning Package that worked successfully to schedule the training over a period of several weeks in small bites:

  1. Complete Pre-session Homework & Assessment Tools
  2. Attend Half Day Virtual Instructor Led Session
  3. Complete 2 Online Modules
  4. Complete Half Day Virtual Instructor Led Session
  5. Complete 2 Online Modules
  6. Participate in Group Coaching Session
  7. Get A Certificate of Completion

We can work with you to create a Blended Learning Package that incorporates several different tools such as Virtual Instructor Led Training, Online Tools, Assessments and even followup Coaching. Contact us to ask about various options for meeting your team’s learning needs by calling 1-800-501-1245 or hitting the Request A Free Quote button.

Virtual Training Grows Skills Needed During COVID 19

Are your employees working from home during the COVID Pandemic?  Are any of them experiencing social isolation while juggling new tasks and procedures remotely?  Have you noticed that some members of your team seem anxious or overwhelmed?

Help your team thrive by getting them together for virtual training and team building experiences, made possible by interactive learning platforms like Zoom.

According to recent news stories, Americans are experiencing record high levels of anxiety, stress and depression as they adjust to new norms at work and home. From fears about job loss, to struggles balancing home, school and parenting (while working), more than 60% of professionals report feeling stressed.  This statistic is not surprising as the routines and norms of just a few months ago have fallen by the wayside, with no real end to the pandemic in sight.

One way to combat isolation and stress is to engage your team in collaborative and interactive training experiences where they get to share what’s going on in their work life, while also building skills to boost your business.  Using online platforms, our expert facilitators lead interactive training sessions which build camaraderie, knowledge and skills – thereby improving overall feelings of wellness and effectiveness for your team members.  Ask us about the 5 virtual training programs that are in highest demand:

  • Resilience-Thriving in Times of Change
  • Leadership Success
  • Management Success
  • Influencing For Business Results
  • Negotiating Success

Help your team create new skills and new attitudes to help them bloom, rather than wilt, in this new era of change.  Call us at 1-800-501-1245 to ask about all the virtual training options we recommend.

How to Boost Your Resiliency

Are you feeling overwhelmed at work? Too many projects on your To-Do List? Or, are you feeling out of step with your workload and home tasks?

It’s easy to discover that the juggling act we often call “Work-Life Balance” gets out of wack. It may be that there are a lot of stresses in one or more areas of your life that are getting you down. Professionals who work full time and run a family or home life often report feeling stressed keeping it all together.

Do you need a jump-start for your Resiliency? Here are three tips that can help you feel better at work or at home.

  1. Focus on your Successes. Remember to take stock of all that you are accomplishing. This might be itemizing a list of actions or tasks you have taken toward a goal. Or even something simple like cleaning off your desk so you feel more organized. It is better to count your successes than your failures; you’ll feel more capable to move forward in a positive way.
  2. Find some Supporters. Surround yourself with friends and colleagues that you trust, and with whom you feel nurtured. Spend some time with them over lunch or coffee break to get a boost of their energy. Depending on the situation, ask them to let you chat for a few minutes about what’s stressful in your life, then brainstorm a few supportive steps in the right direction.
  3. Change your Scenery. If you are feeling overworked, or overwhelmed staring at your computer screen, get out for a walk. Pick a green park or waterfront trail; somewhere that you can be in nature. Take this opportunity to shift focus, breathe and appreciate the beauty of nature. Taking a 30 minute walk can change up your internal landscape enough that you will return to work with a renewed perspective.

It’s easy to find yourself feeling dissatisfied, or stressed or overwhelmed at work. Most of us experience these ups and downs from time to time. The real question though, is what are you going to do about it? Try these three tips to shake up the situation so that you can reclaim your innate resiliency at work, and at home.

Boost Your Resiliency

Are you or your colleagues feeling stressed? Would it be helpful to get a booster dose of Resilience Skills? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Over the past 6 months we have noticed an increase in the number of inquiries about Resilience Training – from health care workers, to large companies, to branches of government – it seems that everyone could do with a booster dose of resiliency. Ask us about how a One Day Resilience Training Session can help your team grow attitudes, skills and knowledge that impact your resilience at home and at work.