A Blog For Virtual Teams - The Couch Manager

I’m Speaking at “International Project Management Day 2020” about Virtual Teams

The International Institute for Learning (IIL) is hosting an online conference called "International Project Management Day 2020" (IPM) and I'll be speaking about "Influencing Virtual Teams: 5 Best Practices for Success" to help project managers be more successful at their job. The live opening day with keynotes will be on Thursday, November 5, 2020. You can also watch all the on-demand videos between November 6, 2020, and February 7, 2021. If you're interested in attending, the great ... Read More

Three (More) Team Building Activities for Remote Teams

This is a guest post by Brian Thomas from Enlightened Digital, and covers a few additional team building activities for remote teams to the ones I’ve covered previously here. Remote work is becoming the new normal amongst companies with the capabilities to do so. Whether you have been with your company for a year or two months before quarantining, it can still get lonely in your home office without the constant bustle of office life happening around you. For new hires, it can be even more ... Read More

“Better Online Meetings” Book is Out! (Profits Donated)

I'm excited to share that my latest book "Better Online Meetings" is now published! It's listed for only 99 cents for a very limited time on Amazon. The book will help you facilitate virtual team meetings (on Zoom or Webex) in easy steps. It's a super-short book (less than a 30 minute read) about what to do before, during, and after your remote meetings so that they’re more effective Click here to grab it on Amazon for only $0.99 (limited time)100% of the ... Read More

Quick tips about Managing Remote Teams (plus other thoughts)

I usually publish random thoughts about managing remote teams, communication and leadership on LinkedIn. Those thoughts are usually based on an interesting experience or conversation I had, or on something I recently read. So I thought I'd consolidate the last few posts and share them here. On Sending Confidential Emails If you're sending a confidential email, it's a good idea to: Use an ambiguous subject line (and type "Confidential" as a prefix)Avoid referencing the topic ... Read More

4 Tips to Get Quiet Virtual Team Members to Speak Up during Remote Meetings

One question that I usually get is how to make virtual meetings more inclusive so that everyone's thoughts are heard. With leaders that manage large remote teams, what typically happens is that only a handful of team members actively participate, and several others stay silent. This happens due to several reasons, such as team members who are naturally quite or others who are naturally more vocal. Over time, it feels like the same few people are the only ones participating in the ... Read More

6 Advantages Of Virtual Teams

The freedom to work from anywhere while still having a full-time job is a perk that many employers use to draw the best talent. This is just one of the many advantages of virtual teams. To understand why remote teams are so desirable, here are a few more pros of moving out of a physical office. The Six Advantages of Virtual Teams 1) Potential Employees are Everywhere When an office is located in a specific city, employers and managers often have to convince their prospective ... Read More

6 Challenges Of Virtual Teams (and How to Avoid Them)

While some companies have built their organizations remotely, others are just starting to consider to make virtual teams and management work. From measuring productivity to building an “office” culture, many tasks are conducted differently when there is no physical office to work from. There are both pros and cons to having a virtual team, so let’s dive into some challenges of virtual teams that managers may face. The Six Challenges of Virtual Teams 1) Equipping Your Team With the ... Read More

14 Tips for Designing a Highly Productive Home Office (GTD Friendly)

Update June 2020: I published this post many years ago, and my home office setup has changed since then. However, most of the main design principles are still the same, and I think you'll find them helpful (I also updated some of the links to the products I currently use). ********** I recently moved to a new apartment where I (finally!) got my own room to set up as a home office. I’ve been a hardcore follower of GTD for quite a while, so I wanted to make sure I take the lessons learned over ... Read More

“Fun Virtual Team-Building Activities” Book is Out! (Profits go to COVID-19 efforts)

My latest book, "Fun Virtual Team-Building Activities" just launched today! You can check it out by clicking here. It is a short ebook about 18 easy games and activities that help your remote team stay connected while they work from home. You don't need to download any special software or applications to play the games. You only need Webex, Zoom, or any other collaboration tool. The book includes free downloadable templates (including "How to Play" slides, sample games, and ... Read More

Writing a Book About “Virtual Team Games” & Donating to COVID-19 Efforts

Note: I wrote this post on my "Writer on the Side" blog, but I'm cross-posting it here because it's relevant to the topic of virtual teams and working remotely. This is a fairly long post, so if you don’t have a lot of time to read, here is the TL;DR version. I’m writing a short book about remote teams (and how team members can play some fun and team-building games while they’re all working from home)100% of the profits (for a month after the book is available for preorder) will be donated ... Read More