Handling Difficult Conversations Remotely

Roberta Matuson is the author of CAN WE TALK? Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work (Kogan Page, September 2021). She is a globally known thought leader who helps leaders achieve dramatic improvements in employee engagement, retention, productivity and profitability. She is the CEO and founder of Matuson Consulting, where she works with Fortune 500 companies and mid-sized, emerging companies to create teams that achieve extraordinary results. She is known as “The Talent Maximizer®.” She is a seasoned speaker; author of six books and blogs for Fast Company, Glassdoor, Forbes and Thrive Global; and frequently cited in national media. matusonconsulting.com

by Roberta Matuson

No one could have accurately predicted that one day just about the entire world would go remote. But that’s precisely what happened when the coronavirus hit and pretty much brought everyone to a standstill. Within days of the official announcement of a pandemic, employers shut down their offices and sent workers home, leaving no time to train leaders on how to best manage remote workers. As a result, managers were left to figure many things out on their own. This “experiment” went better for some managers than others.

Suddenly, it was no longer possible to meet someone face-to-face. We became experts on the use of Zoom and Microsoft Teams overnight. Video conferencing equipment, such as computer video cameras and ring lights, immediately sold out and were on backorder for months. People made do with what they had, which in some cases made it next to impossible to see someone’s face when speaking to them. This was unfortunate, as you can tell a lot about how well a conversation is going based on visual cues. But what happens when you can no longer read a person’s face because the lighting in their home office room isn’t quite ready for prime time? Or a bad internet connection has them turning their video camera off and going into audio mode only? You learn quickly how to adapt.

As experienced leaders of remote workers know, the need to have difficult conversations with employees doesn’t go away when employees are remote. The way you handle challenging remote interactions will ultimately reflect on you and the company. The last thing you want to do is be like Uber and make headlines for the wrong reasons. In May of 2020, Uber laid off over 3,000 employees in a three-minute Zoom call, which was recorded and shared globally by someone on the call. The backlash that occurred from this error in judgment was felt around the globe. I bring this up because learning what not to do in situations is just as important as learning best practices. Never lose sight of the fact that those you’re engaging in conversation with are people who deserve to be treated with respect and compassion.

Avoid mass firings via Zoom or any other platform, and you’ll be one step closer to doing things right. In fact, eliminate the practice of mass firings and you’ll be that much further ahead than the competition in terms of being the kind of organization where people love to come to work and customers love to do business.

Lots of leaders have been working remotely for years now, which means we can learn a thing or two from their experience. Here are some things to consider that may be different from those in-person meetings you’ve grown accustomed to.

CONSIDER THE PLACE AND TIME ZONES

be an awkward interaction, consider where the other person is located, and do your best to pick a time when they’ll be able to fully focus their attention on the matter at hand.

Also, consider where the employee maybe when you’re having the conversation. With so many people working from home now, privacy is at a premium. An employee may be distracted if they’ve got a young child running around their house or a spouse working nearby and may not fully take in your message. Give them a heads up that what you’re about to discuss is best said in privacy, so they can move to a quiet place if need be.

REQUEST THAT CAMERAS BE ON

Some people choose to leave their video cameras off, as they find looking at their own image to be distracting. However, there are certain situations where cameras on works best. When setting up a meeting, be sure to let the other person know that you’d like the video conferencing feature to be on. This will help to avoid what could be an embarrassing situation — being asked to turn your camera on when you’re not “camera ready.”

PUT YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON’S SHOES

While it may be easier for you to get things off your mind with a quick email, that may not be what’s best for the person on the receiving end. While you’re feeling relieved that you’ve gotten something off your chest, the other person is left to figure out what exactly your email means. Email can be easily misinterpreted. Think of all the wasted hours and undue stress that one email can cause. Then take your finger off the send button and, instead, schedule a time to speak or simply give the other person a call.

During the pandemic, many people picked up and moved some to different time zones. Companies quickly learned that a meeting normally set to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET no longer worked for folks on the West Coast. Before setting a time for what may [Editor’s note: This article is adapted from CAN WE TALK? Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work (Kogan Page, September 28, 2021) by Roberta Chinsky Matuson.]

WHY STEM?

• 15 of the fastestgrowing careers require a background in math or science. • 93 out of 100 STEM jobs pay above the national average. • 80% of all professions are expected to require

STEM skills in the next decade. • There has been a 17% increase in

STEM-related jobs as compared to 9.8% in other professions. stemsports.com

Tyler Butler is the chief social impact officer for the Weedmaps’ corporate portfolio where she leads programs that positively impact humanity. She is also the founder of 11.11CoLab and is often cited as a subject-matter expert by Forbes, SHRM, Entrepreneur, US News & World Report and more.

STEM Sports® Audible Aids Education

Teaching STEM literacy through the fun of sports and creative and strategic educational lessons

by Tyler Butler

STEM Sports® is committed to the educational enrichment of youth. Its focus on analog technology has empowered this commitment. Through a double-play combination of physical activity and cognitive thinking, the organization provides a comprehensive approach. Preparing students for future careers, STEM Sports is providing a turnkey, standards-aligned, K-8 supplemental curricula to enhance students’ STEM skills.

“My students had the opportunity to participate in the STEM Soccer program. I have spent two years with most of these students and this experience was the first time I have seen them truly invested and engaged in the learning process. My classroom became student-centered, where they were controlling the discussions, and inquiry that followed the modules, not me,” shared Haley Mercy, a teacher at Mesquite Junior High School.

By combining the fun of sports and creative and strategic educational lessons, STEM Sports has devised an entirely new way to teach STEM literacy, retention and passion. Lessons use various sports as the real-life applications to teach science, technology, engineering and math in classrooms, after-school programs and camps around the globe. And with the shortage of skilled workers qualified to fill STEM jobs, this curriculum will help children explore the occupations available to them, through a sports lens.

“STEM Sports uses sports for real-world application, strengthens 21st century skills and integrates the Engineering Design Process with its curriculum. This STEM.org Accredited™ Educational Experience accomplishment will serve as an inspiration to others who aspire to be the best and reaffirms your ability to captivate those who value STEM in their communities,” Andrew Raupp, shares founder and executive director of STEM.org.

In March 2020, the pandemic forced STEM Sports to critically review how it was able to help educators. With students leaving the classroom, parents were put into action to help continue education efforts at home. Teachers, too, were at a disadvantage. After all, their curriculum was designed to be delivered with students at their desks and not at the dining room table at home.

These unforeseen circumstances forced STEM Sports to call an audible. At which point, it pivoted and launched a nationwide public relations campaign offering lessons for free. STEM Sports recognized this would aid parents, the primary target for this campaign. However, the company’s leadership recognized its core customers were also in need. STEM Sports’ next objective was clear: Deliver content virtually for teachers.

The traditional curriculum offered by STEM Sports was intended to be delivered in a hands-on approach, where most of the learning occurs on the field or court of play. While some digital assets such as videos and assessments have always been available, the cause relies on play and physical activity as key components to the learning process. With students at home and being taught on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and the like, STEM Sports had to meet them where they were.

By developing and creating robust digital presentations for every single module, STEM Sports digitized its worksheets. This provided the option to share printed curriculum manuals to students, enabling a pass-through to share these valuable teachings. “Our focus is on ensuring elementary and middle school-aged students enjoy learning the science that is behind all sports,” said STEM Sports President and CEO Jeff Golner. “Our STEM curriculum creates an engagement with young students that will perpetuate their continued education and subsequent career potential in STEM fields.”

Expansion of these efforts will focus on curriculum kits to Title 1 Schools and scholarships to students to empower them to further their educations. In our own Valley, STEM Sports has been hard at work aiding causes in need. It has donated materials to Special Olympics Arizona. This collaboration will explore how the STEM Sports curriculum can meet the needs of its athlete populations. It looks to next partner with Boys and Girls Clubs of Arizona and Valley of the Sun United Way to explore additional ways that its curriculum can benefit youth.

STEM Sports has also served to usher in further innovation through its sponsorship of The Counting Bee™. The Counting Bee is an annual, fast-paced, exciting STEM competition that reveals the fastest human counters in different age categories around the world. Mathletes race to compute as many numeric answers as possible for each level within a 15-second window. Each level increases in difficulty and, once a cumulative total of all levels scores is assessed, state-by-state and countryby-country competitions will determine overall Counting Bee World Champions by age groups. Through these partnerships and others, STEM Sports will continue to support communities by aiding student learning with action and education.