How to manage virtual teams

- [Narrator] Have you ever been on the phone trying to tell someone how to put something together when neither of you can see what the other person is doing? Project teams spread across the country or globe present the same kinds of issues. Distance and lack of face to face communication makes managing virtual teams a challenge. When people aren't in the same location, it can be hard to understand what they're saying. It's easy to misinterpret their meanings, and unless you can video conference, you don't get the benefit of reading body language or facial expressions. That's why you need really good communication to manage virtual teams. It's tough but not impossible to build long distance relationships. The same interpersonal skills you use with office mates work with remote team members too. Be clear in your communication. Confirm understanding. Be supportive and respectful. Take care of your people and help them overcome obstacles. And don't forget to thank them and tell them when they do good work. Misunderstandings, communication issues, cultural differences, these all can create conflict. It's never easy to resolve conflict. It's even more challenging with virtual teams. Email is too impersonal for delicate discussions, plus it can lead to even more misunderstanding. Instead, use phone or video conferencing to work through conflict. Speaking of phone and video conferencing, figuring out when to hold a group session can be tough. Someone's usually up really late or much too early. Once you sort out the best time for calls, hold an initial session to talk about how communication will work on the team. Those are just a few of the challenges you might face with virtual teams and some tips on handling them. For practice, come up with a solution to the virtual team situation described in the exercise files.