Hi there,
Quick note that Remote Octopus will be off next week for the holidays. We’ll return to your inbox on Thursday 11/30! 📬
Time flies when you’re having fun… and also when you’re trying to drive cross-functional collaboration on a remote video call.
How many times a week do you get to the very end of a call, in the middle of a conversation, and all of a sudden everyone has to jump into their next Zoom or Google Meet?
And no one wrote down any action items?
Let’s prevent that.
Today’s Supercharge of the Week pairs well with last week’s newsletter where we explored how to kick off a cross-functional conversation.
⚡ Supercharge of the Week
Whether it’s a 15 minute call or a 90 minute call, Remote Octopus recommends setting aside time to wrap up the conversation.
Effectively wrapping up the conversation ensures it is a positive use of personal and company time.
Without a wrap up, as everyone scatters into their subsequent Zoom and Google Meet calls, the action items often get lost along the way. All of a sudden it’s the end of the day and no one can remember the next steps from the conversation.
The wrap up takes place in the last 2-10 minutes of the call. For example, if you have a 1:30 - 2:00 pm call then the wrap up might be 1:55 - 2:00 pm. If you have an agenda for the conversation, then include the wrap up section on it.
Remote Octopus recommends:
15 minute calls spend 2 minutes wrapping up.
30 minute calls spend 3-5 minutes wrapping up.
60+ minute calls spend 5-10 minutes wrapping up.
⏰ Yes, this involves a bit of clock awareness. The facilitator of the call keeps an eye on the clock. The facilitator might say: “I notice we only have 5 minutes left, do you mind if we start to shift into our wrap up and action items?”
During the wrap up, the facilitator:
Confirms action items. Clarify as needed.
Thanks everyone for participating.
Ends on time.
Setting aside time to effectively wrap up cross-functional conversations is a quick strategy to drive operational excellence, streamline action items, and bring clarity to [sometimes] chaotic conversations.
🚀 Remote Octopus Resource of the Week
In today's dynamic environment, driving operational excellence with remote teams is essential. The Retro Playbook is a powerful tool to do just that. 🛠
Whether you're scaling retros 0-1 or looking for advanced strategies, The Retro Playbook is designed to meet the needs of multiple skill sets.
Best of all, it's FREE! 🎉
Let's boost productivity, drive continuous improvement, and make retrospectives a breeze for your remote team.
Check out The Retro Playbook!
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