workshops work 125 - A new way of thinking about hybrid work with Cliff Pollan
After a year and a half of panicked, rushed remote and hybrid work, we are long overdue a calm presence - a voice of reason. Someone to steer the ship and settle the stormy waters, to help us see sense and chart a path towards a more successful, enjoyable, and thriving hybrid work environment.
We need Cliff Pollan!
Cliff’s been navigating the depths of hybrid and remote work for decades – having penned articles about video calls before Zoom was even a noun and worked in hybrid-first companies before the internet even existed!
I invited Cliff to hold a conversation about hybrid work, what we need to take on (and leave behind) to make it succeed, and the role of facilitation in that success.
This conversation truly opened up a world of possibilities, perspectives, and positive ideas for me – I hope it will do the same for you!
Find out about:
- The deeper-than-expected roots of hybrid work
- Examining and overcoming the linguistic traps in “remote work”
- Why agency is at the heart of successful hybrid teams
- Understanding hybrid work as a space, rather than just a collection of tools
- Navigating the ‘laws’ of video calls, visibility, and presence
- Facilitation as an essential professional and life skill
- Why we need to abandon the idea that the physical space is ‘the centre of the universe’
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Questions and Answers
[01:02] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator, if you do?
[01:33] How would you describe the ‘craft’ of facilitation?
[03:15] What makes a workshop fail?
[05:41] Can you explain a little about Welo, the tool you’ve developed?
[11:00] How did you perceive and experience hybrid work pre-pandemic?
[16:29] What role does agency play in making hybrid work succeed?
[20:13] How do ‘office hours’ work in a virtual space?
[27:17] Do you have a favourite icebreaker or interaction-promoting exercise?
[32:27] What role does video play in hybrid work?
[35:58] Did we need to collectively experience ‘Zoom fatigue’ to find the right frequency for video calls?
[40:23] How important is it to share your reason for having your camera off?
[43:44] What does it take to equip people with the skills to facilitate better, more equitable discussions?
[46:31] Why have we not yet had the watershed moment of widespread facilitation training?
[52:22] What merit is there in having on-site staff share the same space in a hybrid meeting?
[55:48] What is it about sharing a physical space that feels special?
[58:28] If your team sits across time zones, how can you account for the impact on group dynamics?
[59:36] Wh
Share your thoughts about our conversation!
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