The high cost associated with poor listening skills is estimated at 60% of all management problems and we misinterpret or change 70 to 90% of what we hear. Listening is the gateway to influencing collaboration, engagement, and trust in virtual sessions. With me on my show is Joel Silverstone (Effective Communication Expert, Podcast "This Feels Right") and we are going to discuss the intriguing questions on how listening for accuracy, and NOT your assumptions will change the flow of conversations and what we can do in a virtual setting?

Project managers are often posed with several challenges that can hinder the success of a project. The common challenges project managers are confronted with include keeping up with the pace of the project, managing resources and making sure the project is on track and within the desired budget. Besides, the project manager is also the leader of a team and therefore needs to have a set of soft skills. Now, as many project teams were or still are working remotely, project managers on top face the challenges of a remote team. I am discussing with a Project Management expert Adriana Girdler (Director CornerStone Dynamics) the secrets about project management in virtual teams.

Virtually all projections anticipate the post-pandemic workforce will be relatively more remote — that is, nearly all firms will experience an increase in remote work relative to their pre-pandemic baseline levels (HBR 2021). An estimated 55 million meetings occur a day. Sadly, research suggests only around 50% of meeting time is effective and engaging. Unfortunately, these effectiveness numbers drop lower when it comes to virtual meetings (Rogelberg 2020). Therefore, I am excited to discuss with Nancy Settle-Murphy in this episode how to prepare engaging virtual meetings.

Universities and organisations continue to transition learning and event operations to the virtual space, but often we do not consider inclusion as an element to be considered in our virtual activities. But, as I like to say this is of utmost importance, because "without inclusion no real impact in the virtual classroom" and this is my learning concept which I call IMPLUSION = IMPACT + INCLUSION. I am excited to discuss in this episode with Shilpa Subramaniam (Co-founder and Director at The Learning Gym Ltd.) how to design and facilitate an inclusive virtual training program? We focus on simple tips to ensure the training interventions you design and deliver, consider diversity and encourage inclusion.

Whether it is an online meeting, a presentation via webinar, or live online training, engagement is the main question on everyone’s mind. Will it be worth my time to attend or will it be an opportunity to check email instead? Interaction is the answer to successful engagement and using the features of the platform is the answer to interaction. However, the features alone do not engage the participants. It is what you choose to do with those features that will make the difference in your next virtual training, webinar, or meeting. Together with Kassy LaBorie (Virtual Classroom Master Trainer | Blog Virtual Hero Trainer Tips) we are going to discuss the intriguing questions on What are the ingredients for an interactive and engaging virtual LIVE training?

Many of us remote workers dream of a world in which no one must spend hours commuting to an office every single day and lose out on living life fully. While studies are showing that remote workers are an average of 35-40% more productive than their office counterparts and have measured an output increase of at least 4.4% (Forbes 2020), organizations still struggle to introduce flexible working policies. I am excited to discuss with Molood Ceccarelli (Founder of Remote Forever Summit) how to bring remote work to the agile world.

This year many of us needed to switch to an online setting with our training from one day to another and did not really have time to think in detail about didactics and/or tools. For many, moving from in-person to virtual live presentations brings a new set of challenges to overcome. At #virtualspacehero, our aim is to support you to go online tomorrow with as much confidence as possible! In this episode, I discuss with Matthew Richter (President at the Thiagi Group) how to design for the Live Online Experience.

Events are in the midst of a digital revolution. Since last year, everyone had to 'go virtual', but how do you do it - and what do you need to succeed? Hosting worldwide virtual events and connecting with participants through robust engagement solutions is an amazing way of increasing the outreach of your activities. I am thrilled to discuss with William Thomson (Gallus Events) how to choose the best online platform for your virtual event?

NO SIMULATION. NO GAMES. NO TRAVEL NEEDED.

600 students from 22 universities across the globe working together on case studies in global virtual teams? YES, possible! The Global Case Study Challenge (#GCSC) is an award-winning COIL (Cooperative Online International Learning) Teaching project where students experience real intercultural and virtual teamwork, which provides the participants with invaluable experience for their private and professional lives. Just real global virtual teams. I am excited to discuss on this episode with the #GCSC Team how to design and facilitate an EXTRAordinary and memorable virtual event for 600 participants from across the globe?

The #GCSC Team: Barbara Covarrubias, Eithne Knappitsch, Sveta Buko, Anna Zinenko. Visit globalcasestudychallenge.com

As learning professionals, we often fall into the trap of “getting through all our program content”. The focus tends to be less on creating learner-driven environments and more on just delivering content. It is about finding that balance between letting your learners create/discover knowledge and your inputs as subject matter experts – and that is not always an easy balance to find. And now, we are even more challenged by considering a totally different context, namely the virtual space. I am thrilled to discuss with Melanie Martinelli (Co-Founder & Director of The Learning Gym Ltd.) about the virtual space as an opportunity to bring learning journeys alive.