How to project leadership presence in a virtual environment

How to project leadership presence in a virtual environmentHow to project leadership presence in a virtual environmentBeing perceived as a leader is the essence of leadership presence. While most of my coaching focuses on helping leaders enhance their presence in face-to-face encounters, I also realize that a different set of skills is required for projecting leadership presence when communicating virtually.Communication mediums run a spectrum from purple drank to rich. A lean medium transmits less information than a rich medium. If you are emailleing, texting or typing in a chat window (lean mediums), there is notlagehing that gives added clues to the meaning of what you write. A communication channel becomes richer as you add human elements. Telephone calls and teleconferences give listeners access to vocal clues. Videoconferencing allows participants to view facial expressions and hand gestures.Whether in an email, over the telephone, or on a video conference, you can project lead ership presence.EmailA recent report estimated that the average business person gets over 100 emails a day. Here are four ways to break through the clutterStart with a specific subject lineUsing a generic subject line like What do you think? or Checking in has much less impact than a specific Need suggestions for the meeting agenda by end of the day.Make your message clear and conciseBrevity makes a positive impact. People are more likely to read short, concise emails than long, rambling ones, so make sure that your emails are as short as possible and try adding details in bullet points.Proofread your messageBefore you hit send, take a moment to review your email for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Your email messages are as much a part of your professional image as your body language. Dont diminish your leadership presence by sending out a message that contains typos.Wait 24 hours when youre upsetIts never a good idea to send an email when youre angry or in the throes of any strong negative emotion although weve all done this. If you compose an email in anger (or frustration or disappointment), wait a day before sending it. Then read it over and see if its reflective of how you want to be perceived. (Does it enhance or deplete your leadership presence?) In almost all cases, youll either re-write or delete the original.Telephone callsOn a telephone call its all in your voice. The words you choose, your speaking pace, volume, tone, inflection, pauses all communicate their own messages. When you want to sound like a leader, here are my top four tipsLower your vocal pitchThe quality of your voice can be a deciding factor in how you are perceived. Speakers with higher-pitched voices are judged to be less empathetic, less powerful and more nervous than speakers with lower pitched voices.One easy technique to use before joining the conference call involves putting your lips together and say, Um hum, um hum, um hum. Doing so relaxes your voice into its optimal lower pitch.Stay focusedYou may think you are fooling people when you check your messages or file your fingernails during a teleconference, but you are not. People can hear the disconnect in your voice and it reduces your leadership presence.Sit up and smileSitting up, squaring your shoulders, and keeping your head straight gives you vocal energy and smiling puts warmth in your voice.Build virtual trustUse inclusive language we, us, together as much as possible.Take a few minutes for small talk at the beginning of the call. The more you and your caller get to know one another on a personal level, the more likely you are to trust each other.Instead of just reacting to what someone says, acknowledge her first by saying Thats an interesting point you just made , or What you said reminds me of . . . or Building on your idea about Video conferencingIn video meetings, you project leadership presence visually. And what people see is often more impactful than anything you say. Here are for things to remember when on cameraLook like a leaderIt takes less than seven seconds for people to make judgments about your confidence, competence, professional status, and warmth. While a face-to-face meeting gives you added opportunities to create a positive impression (the way you enter the meeting room, shake hands, and so on), on the screen, its all about your visual presence. So be sure your grooming and wardrobe send the right message.Start off with the right attitudeRegardless of how tiring or frustrating your day may have been, before you go on camera pull your shoulders back, hold your head high, take a deep breath, and smile. Think about showing up as your best self - exuding ease, confidence and warmth.Make eye contactEye contact is hugely important in nonverbal communication. If a speaker actively seeks out eye contact, she is judged to be more believable, confident and competent. In person this involves looking directly in someones eyes. In a video meetin g, you have to maintain eye contact by looking into the camera when you talk and at the screen when others are speaking. Its a good idea to lower the monitor camera a little so that you dont have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. (And if you use notes, attach them at camera-eye level.)Watch your gesturesIf you use open gestures, youll be perceived more positively. But be aware that too much hand movement can look jerky on screen so slow your gestures down for the best effect. Gestures that are so large that your hands go out of view are useless, so keep your hands in the frame.Remember, too, that regardless of how comfortable you may be crossing your arms, this gesture is almost always perceived as a sign of resistance. And, since the human brain pays more attention to negative messages than it does to positive ones, people are unconsciously on the alert for signs that something is wrong.One final thought As important and pervasive as virtual communication is, when it comes to projecting leadership presence, nothing beats the impact you can make in person. Massari is a Vice President at Ceasars Entertainment. His advice If its not that important, send an email. If its important but not mission critical, pick up the phone. If its critically important to the success of your organization, go see someone.Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is an international keynote speaker and leadership presence coach. Shes the author of The Silent Language of Leaders and creator of LinkedInLearnings video series Body Language for Leaders. For more information, visitCarolKinseyGoman.com.

5 Reasons Your Feedback Is Hurting, Not Helping

5 Reasons Your Feedback Is Hurting, Not Helping5 Reasons Your Feedback Is Hurting, Not Helping Feedback is an important tool for managers and leaders to help employees grow. Its also something employee want. A 2016 Clutch survey found that 68 percent of employees who receive accurate and consistent feedback feel fulfilled in their jobs. There are two important words in that statement accurate and consistent. Not all feedback can be described as such, which is just one of the many reasons it often hurts, rather than helps. When giving feedback to your employees, keep the following tips in mind to enkoranvers its both heard and helpful.Dont take it personally doesnt take away the sting of critical feedback . Why? Thats because hearing critical feedback strikes at the heart of two core human needs- the need to learn and grow, and the need to be accepted just the way we are. Consequently, even a gentle suggestion to do something differently can leave us feeling wounded , explains Margie Warrell, leadership expert for Forbes .To avoid being too critical, use these tips from Emma Seppala , Ph.DYour feedback needs to be specific for it to be effective. This notlage only helps the person on the receiving end, giving them a clear idea of what they need to do to improve, but allows you to be thorough and better prepared. Are you trying to acknowledge someones good work? Identify behaviors youd like the person to change? Or share how he or she ranks compared to the rest of the team? When you know the why behind your feedback, youll be able to better organize your thoughts, your message, and the conversation, says Lea McLeod, with The Muse .Create a templated a pre-feedback sheet. This can be used by leaders and managers, even employees doing peer reviews, to structure the information and meeting. With an outline and a plan, its easier to stay focused in both preparation and execution.Instead of assuming everyone wants to get feedback face-to-face , s urvey the employees you manage to get an idea of how theyd like to receive the information. For introverted people, feedback via online chat or schmelzglas may be easier to take than in person. If the person is too nervous, theyll have a hard time digesting and absorbing the information, rendering it useless. If you have too many employees to learn and remember each of their preferences, poll your team about what format they prefer. Give the top two group preferences as an option for every feedback meeting. For example, if you need to speak with someone, you might email and say, I want to give some feedback on your last project. Would you prefer via email or in-person? This extra step may take time, but your feedback will resonate better with each employee when its received in a way thats most impactful for them.For feedback to be effective, it needs to be given in a timely fashion- when it makes sense for the employee If its not delivered at the right time, the value of the message depreciates. Think of praise and encouragement. Even they lose their effect, if delayed. So, when is the right time? Its simple when people need to hear it, says Emilia Bratu, COO and Co-Founder of Hubgets .One way to ensure feedback is timely, is to keep it consistent with weekly feedback meetings with all employees that you manage. This ensures that theres an opportunity to provide timely feedback each week. It also gives employees a chance to ask for feedback and advice on a regular basis, despite your busy schedule. Feedback without an action is just criticism. If you want employees to improve based on feedback, there needs to be two things accountability and support. The two work hand-in-hand to make your feedback effective and useful. For example, when the meeting is done, ask how the employee believes he or she can improve to get back on track and make a plan together. The plan can be as simple as, I will ask you if Im uncertain about giving a discount, rather than making the judgement myself. By letting them come up with the plan, theyre empowered to hold themselves accountable. You then need to support their plan by providing further accountability and offering to help as needed. You can provide that support in a number of ways, the easiest being a weekly check-in to make sure your employee is sticking with it.Feedback is important, so make it effective . When you have a plan, a why and a way to support the employee while holding them accountable, you help employees grow- rather than simply hurting their feelings. Use these tips next time you need to provide an employee with feedback to be sure youre heard and they find value in it.

Preventing Workplace Violence

Preventing Workplace ViolencePreventing Workplace ViolenceGovernment employees must remain alert to workplace violence, particularly those employees who perform work away from government office buildings. Because of this and of the potentially volatile situations they find themselves in, police officers and social workers must always be on the lookout for potential violence. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines workplace violence as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It is not limited to employee-on-employee altercations. Workplace violence includes all forms of violence in the workplace, such as a criminal robbing a convenience store at gunpoint or a belligerent drunk threatening a bartender who refuses to serve him more alcohol. Workplace violence can be fatal. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), homicides accounted for more than 11 percent of workplace injuries in 2010. Homicide is the biggest killer of women in the workplace. OSHAs Role in Preventing Workplace Violence OSHA is the U.S. governments oversight agency for workplace issues. It is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. OHSA inspects workplaces and provides feedback to employers about what they can do to prevent workplace injuries. This includes inspecting for and providing information on workplace violence. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA provides workers with several rights To request an inspection of the workplaceTo obtain inspection resultsTo exercise their legal rights without retaliation and discrimination by the employerTo receive training about OSHA regulations and how they apply to their particular workplaceTo see records on work-related injuries and illnessesTo see their own medical records Generally speaking, private employers and governments fall under OSHAs jurisdiction. According to OSHA, the Act does not cover the self-employed, immediate family members of farm employers that do not employ outside employees, and workplace hazards regulated by another federal agency. Adopting a Workplace Violence Policy OSHA recommends that employers adopt a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence that covers employees, contractors, customers, and anyone else who may come in contact with the organization. Such a policy not only protects employees from violence, but it also protects the employer if violence occurs. Employees should be trained on the organizations policy, ways to mitigate the risk of violence, methods for spotting violence about to occur, and ways to handle violent situations. Depending on the company and the position a particular employee holds, the appropriate course of action may differ in handhabung violent situations. For example, a retail clerk and a police officer would follow very different protocols when faced with a violent situation in the course of performi ng their job duties. While the retail employee would be expected to avoid violence at all cost, the police officer would likely confront a violent situation. Examples of Workplace Violence in U.S. Government Workplace violence has had dire consequences in relation to the U.S. Government The American idiom going postal was coined in reference to a string of incidents beginning in 1983 wherein United States Postal Service employees went on killing sprees at post office locations.Los Angeles police officers faced the task of quelling riots in 1992 after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers accused of beating African-American truck driver Rodney King.Terrorist attacks on government properties, such as the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, and the September 11 airline hijackings and subsequent crashes in 2001, can all be classified as workplace violence. The September 11 attacks constituted workplace violence for airline employees, business travelers, Pentagon staff, and World Trade Center employees.