Best Practices for Remote Team Meetings

Atlassian has been fully distributed for almost five years. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot about how to keep teams thriving across time zones—and we’re applying those insights every day.  ➡️ Asynchronous work: Async tools are at the core of how we operate. Confluence is our virtual hub where we share stories, celebrate new hires, and collaborate effortlessly. We also use Loom to share videos and give feedback on our own time—avoiding those dreaded “this could have been an email” moments. In fact, we’ve saved nearly half a million meetings using Loom! ➡️ Designing workdays: We’ve learned to structure workdays for focus, collaboration, and meetings (only when absolutely necessary). Teams work across no more than two time zones, ensuring at least four hours of overlap to get things done together. ➡️ Intentional connection: Data shows that real connection happens when teams meet regularly—not sporadically in an office. We provide Intentional Togetherness Gatherings (ITGs), curated experiences, and focused in-person time to collaborate. ➡️ Adapting for different needs: It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example, new hires and grads often benefit from more frequent in-person meetups, so we make sure to offer opportunities for them to connect early on. https://lnkd.in/g2sSbe3v

One of the most gratifying parts of my role is interacting with clients and the investors we serve - in addition to Capital Group associates - around the world. Both cohorts make me smarter, inform my outlook for the industry, and help influence where Capital is headed as an organization.    A colleague of mine recently asked me how I prepare for so many meetings, specifically for clients around the globe. I’ll share with you what I shared with him:   1. Over-prepare (and then prepare again): There is no substitute for doing the hard work before you ever step foot in the room. I want to know as much as I can about what our client truly cares about and what challenges they face. Whether it’s an advisor meeting or a large institutional client, thorough preparation opens the door for deeper conversations. I also think doing the prep work is showing respect for our clients’ valuable time. 2. Be present: My focus and attention are on the client and only the client. The definition of a good client meeting is whether or not they found the meeting to be valuable. 3. Be genuine: If you’re reading off a script, you’ve already lost the opportunity to build a real connection. Be open, transparent, genuine, and imperfect. Over-preparedness lets you leave the briefing document behind so you can be in the moment for the client. 4. Follow-Up: Easy to say, hard to do consistently if you’re not passionate and disciplined about doing it.   Everyone has their own process. I don’t claim mine is any better, but it works for me, and most importantly – it’s meant to be impactful for our clients. #CapGroupGlobal

AE's, here's a quick tip that'll go a long way for big calls: Send a 2nd invite alongside your calendar invite, with [PREP] on the title. With all need-to-know details for leaders / sales engineers / services team — whoever else is joining with your prospect — inside it. (They're likely back-to-back, and will forget things from prep calls.) This one comes directly from Brian LaManna, the 🦙, and it's too good. Here's a framework for prep outline I like: - Meeting Objectives: 1 Thing You Need from Them - Deal Threats & Customer's Alternatives - Customer's Problem Statement - Exec Project / Strategic Context - Customer's Outcomes / Target Impact - Key Attendees from Customer Side - Meeting Flow & Roles

A work-from-home meeting. A performance discussion. And then, a knife-point hostage situation. It sounds unbelievable, but this recent case explores the boundaries of when 'work' ends when your office is your home. Oh, and of course it centres around a failed cryptocurrency scheme. The situation? An employee was working from home when his manager asked to stop by and chat about their team's performance. After that chat, the manager launched into a conversation about a failed cryptocurrency scheme the pair had invested in. The manager asked the employee to loan him $120,000 to cover his losses, before holding the employee at knife point over a series of hours, causing psychological injury. The employee made a workers compensation claim alleging his injury arose 'out of, or, in the course of, his employment'. The employer argued the injury there was a 'deviation' from employment when the pair stopped talking about work and started talking about the cryptocurrency scheme, which was personal. The injury was found to be compensable as: - the purpose of the meeting provided to the employee was to discuss his team's performance - while the meeting ocurred at the employee's home, he was working from home and this was, at the time, his 'workplace' - although the conversation developed to a personal matter, the employee was unable to remove himself from 'the course of employment' even if he wanted to as he was being held captive at knife point It did not matter that the event arose from a personal matter as there is no requirement that the employment is the cause of an injury. Rather, the focus is on whether there is a connection between the employment and the injury. Here, the employee was in his workplace, working for his employer and interacting with his manager. The employee did not abandon his work or do anything that would indicate the connection to work was broken. It might not be as extreme as this example, but as working from home becomes the norm, we're likely to see more cases that explore where the boundaries of when 'work' ends. If you haven't already, it's probably time to revisit how you assess and manage risk in remote settings.

🛰️ Claudia thought hybrid-working schedules would save her: Two days at home for deep work and the invisible care work, wherever she could breathe. One day on-site to be seen. Although she kept over-delivering. She was seen less and remembered less. The promotions went to people whose jokes landed in hallways, not Slack. Her work traveled by email; their faces traveled by elevator. 🌓 Here’s the trap: working from home is both blessing and curse for women. The blessing is focus and flexibility for the invisible labor we carry. The curse is that we avoid the spotlight. We’d rather deliver quietly and trust merit to carry us, and we get passed over by people who were seen. 🧠 The truth is that people remember who they see, not just what they read. Being in a few key rooms still moves careers, even if it shouldn’t. The 9–6 badge-swipe culture punishes anyone doing school pickups, elder care, or real life. So don’t swing to either extreme, always on-site or always invisible online. Design your visibility like a workflow: pick the two moments each month when decisions get made, show your face there, and cover the rest with tight written receipts and short live updates. 🔧 So, how to design this now: 1. 🎯 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.    Forecast week and exec reviews.    Walk three specific people who need to know your work before the meeting with a one-minute “here’s the impact, here’s the ask.”     2. 🧾 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹.    For every major deliverable, ship a 6-sentence note: problem → action → business result → risk removed → next bet → what I need from you. CC two people not in the room. If it isn’t written and witnessed, it isn’t yours.     3. 🗓️ 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.    Publish your office rhythm: “Tuesdays I’m in for decisions; Thursdays I’m in for cross-team syncs; other days async, 2–4pm live window.” Leaders invest in what they can reliably find.     4. 🔁 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲.    Pre-brief an in-room ally with your two lines and your ask;    Post-brief them for the echoes.    Rotate proxies so you’re not indebted and return the favor when you’re on-site.     🚀 Today Uma and I are running a 90-minute working session, “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸.” Last chance to join us live and get the exact scripts, pre-wiring moves, and the one-page receipts template: https://lnkd.in/gte3PVrM 👊 Because remote can do the work, but only designed presence gets you the credit, the mic, and the raise.

Remote workers go quiet before they go. It starts with feeling unseen. The ones who run a remote team without a system lose people to silence. By the time you notice the distance, it's already weeks old. 9 habits that keep remote teams connected: 1/ Create presence, not just availability → Being online is not the same as being present → One intentional check-in beats ten Slack pings → Schedule presence. Don't leave it to chance 2/ Give your team the why behind the work → Remote workers can't read the room → Tell them why the work matters this week → Context is the closest thing to being there 3/ Make recognition visible to the whole team → Remote praise sent privately disappears → Post the win publicly. It takes 30 seconds. → Visibility is the currency remote teams run on 4/ Write your communication norms down → Remote teams break on ambiguous expectations → Write the rules: response times, async norms → Unwritten norms are just assumptions 5/ Build the relationship before you need it → Hard conversations are harder at a distance → Invest in small talk before the hard moment → Trust is built in the low-stakes interactions 6/ Give people control over their own time → Micromanaging remote workers costs you the best → Autonomy is the deal, not the perk → Measure output, not hours online 7/ Create a consistent weekly team anchor → A team anchor creates the week's shared rhythm → A 30-minute all-hands on Monday changes the week → Consistency is how remote culture gets built 8/ Know what belongs in a meeting vs. async → Status updates belong in writing, not calls → Reserve meetings for decisions and judgment → The distinction protects your team's deep work 9/ Check in on the person, not just the work → Remote workers carry stress your office can't see → Two minutes on "how are you?" is retention work → Operators who ask keep the people others lose Remote leadership is not in-person leadership over video. It's a different skill entirely.

The step between strategy and execution is alignment—and it’s often the biggest barrier to progress! Most people assume misalignment in teams comes from: 1. Lack of Clear Strategy – Thinking the big-picture vision isn’t clear enough. 2. Poor Leadership – Believing leaders aren’t providing direction or making decisions fast enough. 3. Skill Gaps – Assuming the team just doesn’t have the right expertise. 4. Resistance to Change – Thinking people just don’t want to adapt or improve. 5. Silos & Office Politics – Blaming departments not working together or personal agendas getting in the way. BUT... Misalignment in organizations is really the accumulation of small, daily disconnects.... ...small, unnoticed misinterpretations, unclear priorities, and assumptions that compound over time. HOWEVER... a short daily huddle can close those disconnects before they turn into real problems." Yep- a SHORT daily meeting a day with your staff team can make a BIG difference to communication, collaboration and productivity. To me, it is the most important of all meetings. It's an opportunity for the team to follow-up on yesterdays progress, today's priorities and potential roadblocks. Most companies will have their daily huddle at the start of the day- this is a great idea because it helps individuals to start the day with clarity and focus. (But do what works for you) A huddle a day also keeps waste at bay. It provides team members with the opportunity to highlight anything they need from someone else on the team, in order to do their work. It also allows them to understand the needs and priorities of other people on the team. So...it cuts out wastes like wastes like 💠 emailing back and forth 💠 waiting for answers 💠 producing work before it's needed and 💠 rework. It also reduces frustrations and unhealthy conflict! It works best when there is a short standard agenda and everyone adheres to the rules...including starting and ending on time. Another useful practice is to go around the room and ensure everyone speaks up and talks about their 'intentions and issues' - everyone gets one minute to speak. Actions can be agreed to follow up on any sticky issues after the huddle. All of this increases accountability and gives the team the opportunity to ensure that they are working productively together- even when they are not physically in the same space. Finally, make your huddle a positive, upbeat space. Don't overdo the formalities but do find ways to incorporate your vision and values into your daily huddle. Remind people what you are all here for....bring it back to the impact you have on people's lives. And of course...show appreciation for each other's efforts. If you want to learn more, here's a short micro-learning video on how to implement a daily huddle: https://lnkd.in/etzj6kC8 For best results, watch with your team and agree follow-up actions! (Don't forget to subscribe 😉🙏)

I have made and saved a lot of money using remote teams across all of my companies.  Here’s how you do it: Almost every business could use at least some remote talent. It’s a great way to access a broader talent pool than your local area. You can also lower overhead costs — less office space, lower bills, and even hire talent from other countries. So how do you get the most out of a team that you don’t see face to face? Step 1: Define your objectives and needs Nail down your biggest reason for building a remote team. Broaden your hiring pool? More flexibility? Lower costs? Your main goal guides your future decisions. Then, assess which of your positions are suitable for remote or hybrid work. — Step 2: Develop a remote work policy A solid policy sets the tone and expectations for your team. Try to answer all questions ahead of time. Clarify Scope and Purpose: •  Who is eligible to work remotely? • For hybrid, how many days? • Is there a distance requirement? Set Communication Standards: • When should people be online and available? • What communication tools should they use? Security Protocols: Password manager?  VPN? Are you providing work equipment or expecting BYOD? — Step 3: Update your hiring process Build remote-specific job descriptions: Highlight skills like self-discipline and communication. Use diverse recruitment channels: Remote-specific job boards and communities. Tailor interviews for remote readiness: Include video calls and assess their home office setup. — Step 4: Find the right tools & technology Equip your team with tools that support collaboration and productivity. You’ll probably need: • An async communication hub (like Slack) • A video call platform (Google Meet) • A project management tool (Asana or Trello) • Hardware/software support Provide equipment or offer a stipend. — Step 5: Establish clear communication guidelines Effective communication is the backbone of remote work. Do you need people to: • Set online statuses? • Post daily updates? • Follow a response time rule? • When do you need people available for video calls? Make sure to set regular meetings and check-ins. Weekly stand-ups and monthly all-hands help keep everyone aligned. — Step 6: Build a strong team culture Strong remote teams thrive on culture and connection. Start with thorough virtual onboarding. Set up meet and greets and mentoring sessions. Add regular team activities: • Virtual coffee breaks • Game time • Casual Slack channels Celebrate everything: • Individual and team wins • Holidays • Company milestones — Step 7: Keep tabs on performance Address concerns head-on with clear goals and regular feedback. Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Schedule quarterly reviews. Focus on outcomes — not hours worked. — If you’re interested in remote staff for your teams. Comment below or message me and I’ll get you connected.

Presenting with Confidence: My 3-Step Prep for Collaborative Sessions As someone who has delivered countless keynotes, webinars, and workshops, I’ve learned that great presentations don’t happen by accident—they’re built on purposeful preparation. Over the years, I’ve developed a three-step method that makes collaborative presentations feel seamless, well-paced, and engaging:   1. Align on the Outline: In a first meeting, we define our key messages, agree on what the title and abstract have promised, allocate time equitably, and choose a slide template to ensure a cohesive visual experience.   2. Share Drafts and Storylines: Next, we meet to present and review one another’s slides and talking points. This allows us to refine flow, avoid duplication, and align our messages to amplify each other’s contributions.   3. Rehearse Together: A dress rehearsal brings everything together. We practice as if it’s live, offering feedback, making final adjustments, and ensuring the overall presentation feels polished and connected. A tech check or second rehearsal may follow if needed. This week at NACCHO #PrepSummit25, I had the pleasure of co-presenting with Dr. Danielle Eiseman from Cornell University. She graciously accepted my presentation prep approach and I found her to be smart, proactive, communicative, and a total professional—making this collaboration a true joy. What are your favorite tips for delivering a great presentation? Let’s share ideas in the comments and keep learning from each other! #PresentationTips #Collaboration #PublicSpeaking #HealthGIS #Teamwork #PublicHealthPreparedness #LocationIntelligence #ClimateResilience #HealthEquity #PresentationSkills #ConferencePrep

⚡ Your seat - Your power The other day, I received a message from my mentee that she got her first invitation to attend a management meeting. I was so happy for her. And it brought me back to what I felt when I was first invited to join my manager to a meeting. When I got the opportunity to have a seat at the management table many years ago, I was nervous. Imposter syndrome whispered doubts in my ear, but deep down, I knew I belonged in that room. I was there for a reason: to do my job and to support my executive in the best way I could. That sense of purpose became my anchor, and it helped me focus on how to show up intentionally in this new space. Here are a few lessons I have learned about owning the room when you are new to the table: ❗ Know the room: Take time to understand the dynamics of the group. Who are the key players? What’s the decision-making style? Knowing these nuances will help you navigate discussions and align your contributions effectively. ❗ Know the profiles: Every person at the table brings unique strengths, priorities, and challenges. Research their roles, recent projects, or even common interests. It is all about connecting. ❗ Know where to sit: Don’t underestimate the power of where you position yourself. Choose a spot that shows you are ready to engage ideally where you are visible to most participants but not isolated. It’s a subtle signal of your readiness to contribute. ❗ Prepare your introduction: First impressions count. Craft a confident and concise introduction that highlights your purpose at the table, what you bring to the discussion, and your eagerness to collaborate. Preparation avoids rambling and sets the tone for how others perceive you. What I have learned is this: Confidence, respect, and preparation go hand in hand. Show them that you deserve this seat! 💡 If you have faced this transition, what strategies helped you own the room? Let’s share and grow together! #seatatthetable #meeting #belonging #executivesupport