A Blog For Virtual Teams - The Couch Manager

Clear Communication: The Key to Successfully Managing Virtual Teams

Managing a remote team requires a different set of skills than managing an in-person team. One of the biggest challenges of managing a virtual team is communication. Communication can be more difficult when team members are not physically in the same location, and this can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. In this article, we will explore the best tactics for managing virtual teams, specifically the importance of explaining tasks clearly. We will take inspiration from Thorkil Sonne, ... Read More

How to Avoid the Bystander Effect and Get Things Done in Virtual Teams

The story of Kitty Genovese is a tragic example of how the bystander effect can have devastating consequences. While this phenomenon has been studied in relation to emergency situations, it also has implications for virtual teams in the workplace. When responsibility is diffused among a group, it can create a situation where everyone assumes someone else will take care of a task, resulting in nothing being done at all. To avoid this, it's crucial to assign responsibility to specific ... Read More

3 Rules for Setting Effective Deadlines for Your Virtual Team

If you're managing a remote team, you understand that keeping everyone on track and productive can be a challenge. One of the most effective tactics to manage remote work is to set deadlines for every task. Why Deadlines Matter Deadlines are critical to the success of your remote team. Without them, projects can drag on for much longer than necessary. Parkinson's Law, the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion, can set in and slow your team's progress. ... Read More

The Impact of Language in Virtual Teams: The Surprising Results of the Xerox Study

In virtual teams, communication can be challenging, and getting people to comply with requests can be even more so. However, there is a simple but effective tactic that you can use to influence your virtual team and get them to comply with your requests. This tactic uses the word "because." The Xerox Study: The Power of "Because" The Xerox Study conducted in the late 1970s is a classic example of the power of the word "because." In the study, researchers wanted to find out the best ... Read More

Write Better & Faster Business Comms – Introducing “ChatGPT for Nonfiction Authors”

I'm excited to announce the release of my latest book, "ChatGPT for Nonfiction Authors!" If you're struggling to find the time and energy to write your next book, this is for you. The book shows you how to use ChatGPT (the revolutionary new chatbot) to write better, faster, and more effectively. Although the book is geared toward authors, the concepts in the book can be used by anyone who writes anything related to business communication. The tips can be applied to: The ... Read More

200+ Fun Ice Breaker Questions for Virtual Teams [The Ultimate List]

Ice breaker questions are a great way to help colleagues who work in virtual teams to get to know each other. They can be used in both remote and in-person settings, and they can help break the ice when meeting someone for the first time, or when trying to build relationships through team-building games. This post gives you a list of over 200 ice breaker questions that you can use with your team. The questions are categorized into different buckets, so you can find the questions that will ... Read More

Give Sun Tzu Type Directions to Communicate Better

In 500 BC, King Helü of Wu had a problem. He had a small army, and a neighboring enemy could invade his state. So he asked for help from one of the most famous military strategists at the time: Sun Tzu. When Sun Tzu assessed the situation, he assured King Helü that he could defeat the more powerful and larger invading army. King Helü was skeptical of Sun Tzu’s claim that he could turn anyone into a fighting soldier, so he challenged him with the task of turning the palace women (“those ... Read More

Use Stories to Sell Olives

“Try one. They taste great.” Or “You know how Italy is shaped like a boot? And the boot looks like it’s kicking an island? That’s Sicily. On the west side of Sicily is a small town called Castelvetrano that has the perfect climate conditions. Warm days. Cool nights. Humidity is just right. The town is blessed with the right combination of soil, elevation, heat, and water to make the perfect olives. The olives are so good that they named them after the town ... Read More

Mitigate D-Day’s Cliff-Climbing Risk

On D-Day, a group of U.S. Army Rangers focused their assault on Pointe du Hoc, a strategic position along the Normandy coast. They planned to arrive early on June 6, 1944, to secure the 100-foot cliffs before the Allied invasion started later that day. The mission was challenging for two reasons. First, the Germans knew the strategic importance of the cliffs. So they had installed a robust defense system with 155mm guns that could flood the surrounding beaches with artillery ... Read More

How to Lead a Hybrid Team [Podcast Interview with “Conquer Local”]

I was recently interviewed on the "Conquer Local" podcast about Hybrid Work Management and best practices on how to lead a hybrid team. Click play above to listen. Here are some takeaways from the episode with the host, George Leith (you can read the full transcript here). Selected Excerpts of the Episode George: We mentioned in the intro about the nine books and we wanna specifically talk about book number nine, which thank you for sending the manuscript through. I had to read ... Read More