Team Collaboration Techniques

These aren't just hacks. They show a deep appreciation for people's time, energy, focus, and the high cost of unnecessary mental context-switching. Each rule reflects respect for people. 1) The “empty chair” is more than symbolic. Keeping one seat open for the customer isn't just about empathy—it’s a design principle that keeps product and service discussions grounded in real-world value, not internal politics. 2) The use of AI tools isn't about novelty—it’s about reducing cognitive load. AI transcription allows participants to stay present instead of scrambling for notes, which improves both listening and memory. 3) The Maker-Manager distinction addresses a hidden source of organizational friction. Makers and managers operate on incompatible time scales. This rule doesn't just help meetings—it reduces burnout and increases satisfaction. 4) The “4-Bullet Update” is a thinking tool, not just a reporting one. It forces clarity: What’s done? What do I need? What’s blocking me? Where am I going? This structure improves performance even outside meetings. These rules reinforce psychological safety. A clear agenda, action memos, and small group sizes reduce ambiguity—one of the biggest killers of trust and productivity. Now read the list one more time with these insights in mind... 8 Rules to Run Effective Meetings 1. Follow the Two-Pizza Rule Keep meetings small enough to be fed by two pizzas (6–8 people). 2. Hold standing meetings Studies show standing meetings reduce duration by 34%. 3. Send a detailed agenda Before the meeting, state the purpose and desired outcomes for every attendee. No agenda means no meeting. 4. Keep one seat open At every meeting. This way, decisions will always consider the impact on the end user (h/t Amazon). 5. Use AI transcription tools Quickly capture key meeting points and action items. 6. Implement Maker-Manager Schedules Managers thrive on 30-minute blocks for decisions. Makers need 3–4 hour blocks for deep work—schedule afternoon meetings for makers to protect creative flow. 7. Use the 4-Bullet Update Update with 4 points: what was done, requested asks, current blockers, and future improvements. Save hours in recurring meetings. 8. Finish meetings with Action Memos Detailing decisions, owners, and deadlines. ----- ♻️ Like, follow, and repost if this resonates. Follow Travis Bradberry and sign up for my weekly newsletter. Thanks to Ben Meer for this excellent list. Do you want more like this? 👇 📖 My new book, "The New Emotional Intelligence" is now 10% off on Amazon and it's already a bestseller.

Not a lot of businesses are recognizing the power of Change Management as a vehicle for enhancing customer experience efforts. Here's how to unlock the power of change management principles in the context of CX. 🎯 Understanding Customer Needs Before initiating any change, you must have a deep understanding of what your customers really want. Utilize data analytics, behavioral data, operational and financial data, customer interviews, surveys, market dynamics, competitive information, and other signals to assess and understand needs. 🤝 Aligning Objectives Leadership Alignment: Ensure that your leadership is onboard and committed to customer experience improvement. Stakeholder Involvement: Involve the frontline employees who interact with customers daily to contribute to the decision-making process. 🗓️ Planning Identify Key Changes: Prioritize which areas require change based on customer feedback and business metrics. Set Targets: Establish measurable KPIs to gauge the success of the changes you plan to implement. These should be business- and customer-driven metrics. Don't make this a metric like "increase OSAT from X to Y." 📣 Communication Internal Communication: Clearly communicate the why and the how to all internal stakeholders. This should include executives, directly impacted employees, and the broader line of business. Tailor it to the stakeholder. Customer Communication: Be transparent with customers about what changes to expect and how they will benefit. Keep them up to date on progress. 🛠️ Implementation Pilot Testing: Conduct a small-scale test of the changes to assess their effectiveness. Feedback Loop: Gather continuous feedback from customers and employees throughout the implementation process. 📊 Evaluation and Adaptation Assess Impact: Examine metrics regularly to determine whether the changes are having the intended impact. Iterate: Use data-driven insights to make necessary adjustments. 🚀 Sustaining Changes Training: Continuously train your team to adapt to new changes. Feedback Mechanisms: Keep the dialogue open with customers and employees for sustainable improvements. 👩💻 Leveraging Technology 👨💻 Data Analytics: Use analytics to pinpoint improvement areas. Communication Platforms: Use tools like Slack or Teams for internal communication. Automation: Implement bots for routine tasks. CRM Systems: Manage customer relationships digitally to gain insights. 💡 Involve Employees Effectively Employees are the face of your customer service. Include them in planning, provide training opportunities, establish regular feedback forums, and reward those who contribute to customer experience improvements. Have you applied change management principles to enhance the customer experience in your organization? What worked for you? What didn't work for you? #ChangeManagement #CustomerExperience #Leadership #DataAnalytics #EmployeeEngagement #Technology

Are you part of a real team? Or do you sometimes feel isolated, unclear, and disconnected, even though you're surrounded by colleagues? Early in my career, I naively believed that assembling a group of high performers automatically equated to a high-performing team. But reality proved otherwise. Instead of synergy, I witnessed friction. The team wasn’t meshing; it was like gears grinding without proper lubrication. Each high performer, while brilliant on their own, seemed to have their own agenda, often pulling in different directions. The energy and time spent on internal friction was enormous, and the anticipated results? Well, they remained just that – anticipated. It was a stark realization that a team's effectiveness isn't just about individual brilliance—it's about harmony, alignment, and collaboration. With our workplace becoming increasingly diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic this is no easy feat. So, in my quest to understand the nuances of high performing teams, I reached out to my friend Daria Rudnik. Daria is a Team Architect - specializing in engineering remote teams for sustainable growth. She shared 5 key insights that can make all the difference: 1. Define a Shared Goal ↳Why? A team truly forms when united by a shared goal that can only be achieved together, not just by adding up individual efforts, ↳How? Involve the team in setting a clear, measurable goal at the project's start. Regularly revisit and communicate this goal to keep everyone aligned and motivated. 2. Cultivate Personal Connections ↳Why? Personal connections hold a team together, boosting trust, support, and understanding for a more productive environment. ↳How? Begin meetings with a social check-in. Let team members share updates or feelings, enhancing connection and understanding. 3. Clear Communication ↳Why? It’s the backbone of a successful team, preventing misunderstandings and building trust. ↳How? Hold regular team meetings and check-ins. Ensure a safe environment for expressing thoughts and concerns. 4. Defined Roles and Responsibilities ↳Why? Clear roles prevent overlap and ensure task coverage, giving a sense of ownership and accountability. ↳How? Outline everyone’s roles at the project's start, ensuring understanding of individual contributions to overall goals. 5. Provide Regular Feedback and Recognition ↳Why? Feedback clarifies strengths and areas for improvement. Recognition boosts morale and motivation. ↳How? Hold regular, constructive feedback sessions. Publicly recognize and reward achievements. Remember, 'team' isn't just a noun—it's a verb. It requires ongoing effort and commitment to work at it, refine it, and nurture it. 👉 Want to supercharge your team's performance? Comment “TEAM” below to grab your FREE e-book and learn how to 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 in just 90 days, courtesy of Daria.

In my 35+ years of experience, one key takeaway is clear: success in the business world hinges on effective communication. Clarity, simplicity and precision reduce misunderstandings, paving the way for streamlined collaboration. 👉 Active listening is paramount. Engage attentively in conversations, absorbing insights before responding. This cultivates a culture of respect within the team. 👉 Openness is key. Encourage an open-door policy, creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. This fuels innovation faster than you’d think. 👉 Leverage technology wisely. Embrace tools that facilitate seamless communication, from project management platforms to video conferencing. Consider the global context. Tailor your message to resonate with diverse audiences, understanding cultural nuances. At the end of the day, effective business communication is a strategic asset, fostering strong and collaborative connections. #effectivecommunication #tech #businesscommunication #smartData #collaboration

When onboarding a new team member, a recent experience with asynchronous collaboration brought a humbling revelation. As I was onboarding her to our tech stack, I uncovered a blind spot in communications within our project management software, Asana. 📝 In the meticulous notes I left for myself a while ago in one of the Asana projects, I had cut and pasted some language from an email to a client that included the word "YOU". 🤔 I failed to consider the potential confusion for my new team member. It hadn't occurred to me that she would interpret that "YOU" to be referencing her. ⚠️ What I had put in Asana as notes became unintended directives for the new Virtual Work Insider team member! The result? 📉 A cascade of actions on her end, each based on a misinterpretation of my notes. ⏳ This was an inefficient use of her time and effort that were invested in tasks that weren't needed or intended. The fix? 🔄 Once I realized what had happened we had a great discussion about how I would change my note-taking behavior in shared Asana projects to make the async communication clearer and we refined on our norms for how new requests would come through to her. My aha moment made we want to share some actionable insights for seamless onboarding in asynchronous settings. ✅ Precision in Messaging: Avoid vague language and ensure that your notes are explicitly for personal use and directives to others are clearly marked as tasks. ✅ Establish Communication Norms: Kickstart the collaboration by setting expectations on how tools like Asana are used. Establish a shared understanding of communication conventions to avoid misinterpretations. ✅ Feedback Loop: Create an open channel for feedback. Encourage your team to seek clarification if something seems ambiguous. This proactive approach can avoid potential misunderstandings. What would you add to this list? 👇 #virtualleadership #hybridleadership #hybridwork #async

We don't need more meetings, we need better ones. Here's how: Ever wonder what sets apart those game-changing meetings that leave everyone inspired and empowered? Here are 8 tried-and-tested rules straight from the playbook of Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, to transform your meetings into powerful moments of collaboration and innovation. Let's dive in: 1️⃣ Start with a Purpose: ↳ Every meeting should have a clear objective. ↳ What do you aim to achieve? ↳ Define your purpose upfront to ensure everyone's aligned and focused. 2️⃣ Keep it Lean & Mean: ↳ Respect everyone's time. ↳ Stick to the essentials and avoid unnecessary tangents. ↳ Efficiency breeds productivity! 3️⃣ Invite Only the Essentials: ↳ Less is more. Only invite individuals who truly contribute to the agenda. ↳ Quality over quantity leads to more impactful discussions. 4️⃣ Encourage Open Dialogue: ↳ Create a safe space for diverse perspectives. ↳ Encourage everyone to speak up and share their insights without fear of judgment. 5️⃣ Embrace Disagreement: ↳ Healthy debates spark innovation. ↳ Don't shy away from differing opinions; instead, leverage them to uncover new insights and solutions. 6️⃣ Set Actionable Takeaways: ↳ Ensure every meeting concludes with actionable next steps. ↳ Who's responsible for what? ↳ Clarify roles and responsibilities to drive progress. 7️⃣ Stay Flexible & Adapt: ↳ Be prepared to pivot if needed. ↳ Circumstances change, and so should your approach. ↳ Stay agile to keep moving forward. 8️⃣ Lead with Empathy: ↳ Above all, remember that behind every idea is a person. ↳ Show empathy, listen actively, and foster a culture of respect and understanding. 📌 PS...Remember, the true mark of a successful meeting isn't just in the notes you take or the tasks you assign—it's in the relationships you build and the impact you make. *** 👉 Want a high-res PDF of this cheat sheet? Try The Extra Mile Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gaewRGyj You'll get this cheat sheet + more for free.

Over the years, I've discovered the truth: Game-changing products won't succeed unless they have a unified vision across sales, marketing, and product teams. When these key functions pull in different directions, it's a death knell for go-to-market execution. Without alignment on positioning and buyer messaging, we fail to communicate value and create disjointed experiences. So, how do I foster collaboration across these functions? 1) Set shared goals and incentivize unity towards that North Star metric, be it revenue, activations, or retention. 2) Encourage team members to work closely together, building empathy rather than skepticism of other groups' intentions and contributions. 3) Regularly conduct cross-functional roadmapping sessions to cascade priorities across departments and highlight dependencies. 4) Create an environment where teams can constructively debate assumptions and strategies without politics or blame. 5) Provide clarity for sales on target personas and value propositions to equip them for deal conversations. 6) Involve all functions early in establishing positioning and messaging frameworks. Co-create when possible. By rallying together around customers’ needs, we block and tackle as one team towards product-market fit. The magic truly happens when teams unite towards a shared mission to delight users!

START WITH THE END IN MIND Everyone’s schedules have changed, and they have new norms in their professional and personal lives. Understand what those norms are and plan your team’s work around these commitments for both in-person and virtual work. In our hybrid workplace, reading carefully is the new listening and writing and speaking clearly is the new empathy. Further, thriving at work will be much easier if you communicate your expectations and needs with your team and leaders. Create communication norms around collaboration. Here are some examples: -For smaller meetings, leaders should review the employees’ availability on their calendar before scheduling a call as a sign of respect. -If someone can’t do a call on Friday afternoons, make sure that is noted in yours or the team’s calendar and respected. -If you need the daily 15 min touchpoint at 10am ET instead of 4pm ET because you are picking your kids up from school, make that known! -If you want a response to an urgent message after hours, agree on using a phone call or labeling an email with URGENT to align. But if it’s really urgent, then text and let them know who you are (texts don’t have caller ID) instead of leaving a voicemail. -If you have 3 reply all emails and haven’t resolved an issue, switch to a phone call.

High-performing teams argue purposefully. I’ve seen this over and over in my career. While others get over-emotional and reactive during disagreements, the best teams disagree 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺. There are 6 steps to having effective “arguments” at work: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 In any debate, it's vital for participants to understand their roles. Are you there to make the final decision, offer fresh ideas, or passionately defend your viewpoint? Clear roles ensure everyone knows their purpose and contributes constructively to the discussion. 𝟮. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 Rather than fixating on individual positions, effective arguments focus on common interests. Identify shared goals and objectives that can guide the conversation toward a collaborative solution rather than a divisive one. 𝟯. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 Before challenging an idea, strive to enhance it. Encourage team members to develop and strengthen an argument before attempting to deconstruct others' viewpoints. This approach promotes a more robust and constructive debate. 𝟰. 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Strong arguments are supported by data and intuition. It's essential to justify your stance and how you arrived at that conclusion. At the same time, you’re a human being. Combining factual evidence with your intuitive insights adds depth and credibility to your argument. 𝟱. 𝗕𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 This may seem obvious, but: Effective debate requires a willingness to have your mind changed. Enter the discussion with an open mind, ready to consider and allow yourself to be moved by the better argument if it arises. This demonstrates intellectual humility and promotes a culture of continuous learning. 𝟲. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 Effective arguments need constraints. They keep them on track and prevent them from becoming unproductive or overly emotional. These constraints could include: • time limits • sticking to certain topics • not allowing the conversation to become too personal The goal is to enter with many ideas and emerge with the best one. – Remember: iron sharpens iron. Strong teams don’t shy away from arguments. They embrace them, stay in them, and ultimately push each other to higher ground and bigger possibilities.

How Sam leads a Marketing team: Communication. During one of my college classes, many moons ago, a guest presenter visited our group one day. They were from a big strategy consulting firm (either McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, or Bain). During the presentation from a consultant, they spoke about a project ranking hundreds of business skills. Hard skills. Soft skills. Quantifiable skills. Unquantifiable skills. All ranked together in a single survey responded to by thousands of people. And you know what the number one skill they found that impacted professionals across every industry, job function, and level - and what leaders valued the most? ⚡ Communication. ⚡ Not strategy. Not management. Not finance. Not [insert software program title]. Not being a savant. It was all about communication, start to finish, top to bottom, bottom to top, and everywhere in between. That lesson has stuck with me, influences my own engagement strategy today, and how I lead teams in marketing. Here are a few examples: ✔ Collaboration: use asynchronous approach where folks can add ideas whenever creative inspiration strikes (think Slack, Discord, Teams), never call someone on the phone randomly to sync ✔ Email: update subject line to actual topic whenever it changes to make later searches more effective, respond directly to sender, start with Why to add context ✔ Live Conversations: practice active listening, where I repeat back key points to ensure clarity ✔ Onboarding: ask how a person likes to receive recognition (group setting, one-one-one setting, via email), share separate timelines for HR onboarding and team onboarding ✔ Presentations: focus on common language, skip using confusing jargon and acronyms wherever possible ✔ Social Media: use a Prolific Engagement Strategy on posts, comments, DMs, and profile viewers ✔ Timing: proactively get back to people without being asked, provide interim updates even if no final answer available ✔ Underperformance: clarify if I communicated goals clearly, and the strategy/tactics to reach them “But isn’t it a super basic bucket, where we all communicate every day - text, calls, meetings, etc. - and it’s simply standard operating procedure to communicate at a decent level?” Negative ghostrider. If we were to think about amazing acts of communications in the past, and then put them side-by-side with poor ones, they would look - and feel - quite a bit different. Communication is one of those buckets that I like to classify as: simple, but not easy. If the audience doesn’t “get it,” many folks are quick to point fingers out the window. Instead, let’s look in the mirror on how to be better at communication - and be patient with results. When I went on a tangent explaining something to my mom, she said: “Sam, I asked for your two cents, not your two dollars worth!” 😂 So, I’m working on being more succinct as well. (And I still somehow speak in 3rd person perspective occasionally. 😊)