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Skills 360 – Managing Virtual Teams (2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Business English Skills 360 - Managing Virtual or Remote Teams (2)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on managing virtual teams.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of doubts about whether people could be truly productive working from home. Well, guess what we discovered when workplaces went virtual? People are not just as productive while working remotely, many are more productive. With no travel time, back-to-back meetings, and less time at the water cooler, many people get more done working from home.

That doesn’t mean we never have to worry about accountability for remote workers. But measures to ensure accountability have to be counterbalanced by systems that allow workers some autonomy and control over their workflow. Post-pandemic, many workers are simply unwilling to return to a rigid style of management. So we need to find the sweet spot between structure and flexibility. And we need to support that balance with the right technology and systems.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

Skills 360 – Managing Virtual Teams (1)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Business English Skills 360 - Managing Virtual or Remote Teams (1)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on managing virtual teams.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how and where we work. When the pandemic hit, many white-collar workplaces went virtual, and more people than ever found themselves working from home. Now, as most countries move into the endgame and lift restrictions, companies are faced with the choice about whether, and how, to head back to the office. Many are choosing not to return to in-person operations, or taking a hybrid approach, combining remote and in-person work.

Clearly, remote work in some form is here to stay. And as a manager, you shouldn’t be thinking about the virtual team as purely a stopgap measure. You need to consider ongoing management of virtual teams. And you need to figure out approaches that will ensure not only productivity and effectiveness but also employee wellness and job satisfaction.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

Skills 360 – Time Management 3: How to Delegate Effectively

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Management English - Time Management 3 - Delegating

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on time management and how to delegate effectively.

As a manager, have you ever felt bad about adding tasks to an employee’s workload? Or have you ever thought that it’s easier to do something yourself than explain how to do it? Or do you like the feeling of being indispensable because you’re the only one who knows how to do something?

If any of these things are true, then I’m sorry to say you’re setting yourself up for failure. And you need to check your ego. Great managers on great teams don’t try to do everything themselves. They build their team’s skills and confidence through effective delegation. And this frees up time for more strategic work.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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Skills 360 – Time Management 2: Learning to Say No

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Management English - Time Management 2: Learning to Say No

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on time management and the importance of saying “no.”

“No” is one of the most powerful words in the English language, and it’s one of the keys to good time management. It might be odd to think that saying “no” is a skill, since it sounds so simple. But it is a skill. Some people seem to have been born with it. Other people learn it. Either way, it’s a critical ability when it comes to managing a business and managing yourself.

Just to be clear, when I talk about saying “no,” I’m talking generally about not taking on something new. When we do this, we don’t simply say “no” to someone. In fact, we’ve done a two-part series just on how to say “no” the right way! And if you want some tips on how to say “no” effectively, those lessons are worth a look. Today, however, I want to focus on why we need to say “no.”

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

Skills 360 – Time Management 1: Prioritizing and Scheduling

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Business English Skills 360 - Time Management (1)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on time management.

When we talk about “management” and “managers,” we’re usually thinking about managing people. And that involves many different skills. But all these skills are useless if the manager can’t manage his or her own self. So good management starts with good self-management. And an essential part of self-management is managing your time effectively, which in turn depends on effective scheduling.

So, as a manager, how do you set a schedule that works? Well, that starts with prioritizing. You can think of tasks on two dimensions: importance and urgency. The first key to good time management is avoiding things that are neither urgent nor important. That includes daily distractions, trivial tasks, and anything minor that simply wastes time. The second key is to minimize things that seem urgent but are not important. A lot of meetings, emails, phone calls, and interruptions fall into this category.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3