Preview

More of us are working more often in a location that’s different from our colleagues and business partners. Maybe you log in from your home office daily or work every now and then in the quiet car of a train, or some combination of sites. Regardless of where you park your laptop, you need to work well with others to meet your professional and organizational goals. But how do you build relationships through a computer screen? What if your boss suspects that “remote work” really means no work? What do you do when your computer dies in the middle of a sensitive-feedback video chat? How do you cope with the isolation that can build when you’re working on your own? This book will help you build productive relationships with colleagues while you foster your own sense of initiative—no matter where you are.

Virtual Collaboration walks you through these important basics:

• Working productively from any location

• Picking the right tools for wherever you’re working, at home or on the road

• Clarifying the roles, tasks, and processes that will govern your collaboration

• Communicating effectively over a variety of media

• Getting and keeping your colleagues’ attention when you’re not in the same place

• Setting—and sticking to—a schedule that works for both you and your dispersed collaborators

• Keeping isolation at bay by connecting with your coworkers

• Staying motivated when the only one to administer an in-person pep talk is you

• Navigating common challenges, such as technology glitches and conflicts, over the ether