Working online and impact on projects

We are looking at introducing online presentations in our Toastmasters meetings for two reasons. First, we may have to hold totally virtual meetings in the very near future. Second, it's a great way for people to develop their remote leadership skills.

Dear Luis,

I think in this moment more problematic that only projects. Is affecting operations also, always menacing closing all that produce value and make the economy grow.
I think that must be weighted a balance between the danger of spreading a disease and the danger of collapsing the global economy, what is worst.

About projects, a big part of projects can be conducted online, and i am aware of the effort that companies are making to transform the live activities in virtual or online activities, however a lot of areas are not prepared to that sudden transformation like construction, mechatronics,etc.. and certainly the investment to make this activities independent from human presence for now is to high to be supportable specially in this economical moment.

Alexandre

We did our first on line Toastmaster meeting this week. A great success due to the effort to prepare and set up ; the briefing of participants and the enthusiasm of the members to try. A great learning experience.

Dear Stéphane
Thank you for participating in this reflection and for your opinion

I once had the opportunity to participate in a Toastmaster club with only virtual sessions (online)

Unfortunately, after some time, we had to suspend the activity for two reasons:
- Few people in the sessions and, consequently, concentration of several roles in the same person
- Few speakers in the different sessions

It was a very rewarding experience.
Was it premature?

On the other hand, what leadership skills do we focus on to be able to lead strictly online?

Challenging, no doubt

Absolutely, Luis. It's a fine balance between offering a supportive environment and offering new growth opportunities.

Dear Luis,

To some extent the remote worker and working online is about discipline. Not needing someone looking over your shoulder checking how productive you are out of the office and in a unstructured and unmonitored environments with plenty of distractions.

I think working online is just using cloud technologies in your work, not a big difference expected from that end.

The big challenge is not in the implementation phase of the project but in the requirements gathering and capturing phase as face to face interaction is I believe essential for this aspect of the project. A lot of detail can be missed by only and exclusively conducting your project remotely and online.

Also by everybody responding the same way to a situation means their is very little room to manoeuvre and daily routines and project plans are disrupted.

Daire