Best Practices For Webinar
Preparation A WEBinar constitutes a communication activity in which image and message will be combined. This is where is clear the importance of customizing the WEB page of the meeting room with your logo and screen where the title, the lead, of your WEBinar appears. You can even choose some music to make the waiting period more agreeable, before the beginning of the WEBinar. In order to interact with the participants, the voice broadcasting is made in parallel with an audioconference. In this regard, we offer a free audioconference service in which the participants make a regular long distance call with access points in Europe and America. The WEBinars' promotion is done via Internet. We have at your disposition, in our international page, a WEBinars's agenda for you to advertise.

IT Consultant: Do You Have These Personality Traits?
Sure, you need technical skills. But to be a successful IT consultant, you also need to be able to work well with people. In this article, you'll learn about some of the personality traits that make for a successful IT consultant.IT Consultant Traits: Are You Assertive?You need to be assertive, but not overly obnoxious. That is a fine line to walk. You need to make sure people don’t walk over you. You also need to be able to stick up for yourself without coming across as too aggressive. That really turns people off.IT Consultant Traits: Are You Business Focused?You need to put your business goals ahead of being perceived as being nice. Sometimes it will be impossible to always be the nice guy. You are going to have to ask yourself what is most important for your business.Whether you are an organization, or a professional responsible for facilitating the team building process of a team or group, the following tips are ensured to give you some new ideas on how to accelerate your team building initiatives:

1. Create a Common Vision

A common vision for all team members is essential for team building and organizational success. Spend time visioning as a team – what you want to create and where you want to go. This visioning time should also enable you to celebrate your current successes!

Ask Yourself: How clear is our vision? Do all team members hold the same vision?

2. Develop Common Goals

Ensure that your organizational/project and program goals are understood and supported by all team members. All team members need to understand how their efforts are feeding into the larger objectives.

Ask Yourself: Do all team members know what role they play in supporting our larger team/organizational goals? Is everyone clear on what those goals are?

3. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

One of the main challenges for organizations and groups to move ahead to where they really want to be is due to a lack of clarity on individual roles and responsibilities. Clarifying these roles can help in supporting and achieving your common vision and goals.

Ask yourself: “How clear is our staff in understanding their specific roles? Their specific responsibilities? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap between individual team members? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap with other departments.

4. Ensure Management Support

Supervisors and managers play a key role in “keeping the learning alive”. Ensure that supervisors, managers and owners are following up with staff regarding what their needs are, and how team building efforts can be enhanced. Managers also play a key role in ensuring that the learning from team building initiatives is brought back to the office.

Ask yourself: What systems do we currently have in place to ensure that the learning is sustained? Can we discuss this in staff meetings? Do we have a coaching program in place?

5. Use Engaging Exercises

Team building can be fun and challenging, supporting teams to reach their highest potential. Ensure that participants are engaged and challenged through the process. Consider bringing in an experienced external facilitator to support your efforts, and even run a train-the-trainer program with your staff.

Ask Yourself: What types of activities or exercises would work best for our team members? What are the topics of relevance for them?

6. Take it out of the office

Holding team building sessions in the office can be disruptive and distracting. The lure of email, voice mail and urgent items often t

our vision? Do all team members hold the same vision?

2. Develop Common Goals

Ensure that your organizational/project and program goals are understood and supported by all team members. All team members need to understand how their efforts are feeding into the larger objectives.

Ask Yourself: Do all team members know what role they play in supporting our larger team/organizational goals? Is everyone clear on what those goals are?

3. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

One of the main challenges for organizations and groups to move ahead to where they really want to be is due to a lack of clarity on individual roles and responsibilities. Clarifying these roles can help in supporting and achieving your common vision and goals.

Ask yourself: “How clear is our staff in understanding their specific roles? Their specific responsibilities? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap between individual team members? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap with other departments.

4. Ensure Management Support

Supervisors and managers play a key role in “keeping the learning alive”. Ensure that supervisors, managers and owners are following up with staff regarding what their needs are, and how team building efforts can be enhanced. Managers also play a key role in ensuring that the learning from team building initiatives is brought back to the office.

Ask yourself: What systems do we currently have in place to ensure that the learning is sustained? Can we discuss this in staff meetings? Do we have a coaching program in place?

5. Use Engaging Exercises

Team building can be fun and challenging, supporting teams to reach their highest potential. Ensure that participants are engaged and challenged through the process. Consider bringing in an experienced external facilitator to support your efforts, and even run a train-the-trainer program with your staff.

Ask Yourself: What types of activities or exercises would work best for our team members? What are the topics of relevance for them?

6. Take it out of the office

Holding team building sessions in the office can be disruptive and distracting. The lure of email, voice mail and urgent items often

to move ahead to where they really want to be is due to a lack of clarity on individual roles and responsibilities. Clarifying these roles can help in supporting and achieving your common vision and goals.

Ask yourself: “How clear is our staff in understanding their specific roles? Their specific responsibilities? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap between individual team members? Where do roles and responsibilities overlap with other departments.

4. Ensure Management Support

Supervisors and managers play a key role in “keeping the learning alive”. Ensure that supervisors, managers and owners are following up with staff regarding what their needs are, and how team building efforts can be enhanced. Managers also play a key role in ensuring that the learning from team building initiatives is brought back to the office.

Ask yourself: What systems do we currently have in place to ensure that the learning is sustained? Can we discuss this in staff meetings? Do we have a coaching program in place?

5. Use Engaging Exercises

Team building can be fun and challenging, supporting teams to reach their highest potential. Ensure that participants are engaged and challenged through the process. Consider bringing in an experienced external facilitator to support your efforts, and even run a train-the-trainer program with your staff.

Ask Yourself: What types of activities or exercises would work best for our team members? What are the topics of relevance for them?

6. Take it out of the office

Holding team building sessions in the office can be disruptive and distracting. The lure of email, voice mail and urgent items often

learning alive”. Ensure that supervisors, managers and owners are following up with staff regarding what their needs are, and how team building efforts can be enhanced. Managers also play a key role in ensuring that the learning from team building initiatives is brought back to the office.

Ask yourself: What systems do we currently have in place to ensure that the learning is sustained? Can we discuss this in staff meetings? Do we have a coaching program in place?

5. Use Engaging Exercises

Team building can be fun and challenging, supporting teams to reach their highest potential. Ensure that participants are engaged and challenged through the process. Consider bringing in an experienced external facilitator to support your efforts, and even run a train-the-trainer program with your staff.

Ask Yourself: What types of activities or exercises would work best for our team members? What are the topics of relevance for them?

6. Take it out of the office

Holding team building sessions in the office can be disruptive and distracting. The lure of email, voice mail and urgent items often

teams to reach their highest potential. Ensure that participants are engaged and challenged through the process. Consider bringing in an experienced external facilitator to support your efforts, and even run a train-the-trainer program with your staff.

Ask Yourself: What types of activities or exercises would work best for our team members? What are the topics of relevance for them?

6. Take it out of the office

Holding team building sessions in the office can be disruptive and distracting. The lure of email, voice mail and urgent items often take precedence to a full team in-office experience. Reduce everyday distractions by holding team building sessions outside of the office.

Ask Yourself: What type of environment would our staff team benefit from? Some organizations prefer a more “corporate” formal team building session, while others embrace nature and the outdoors.

7. Create An Action Plan

Create an action plan to make the team building part of your everyday work or life. Often retreat days or team building programs have few links with everyday business or organizational objectives. Ensure that when designing the program you create links to the organization or to everyday life so that participants can “bring the learning home”. This can be done by building into the program formal action planning time, and having managers follow up during regular staff meetings. Coaching can be leveraged to keep the “learning alive” after team building events. Research whether individual, team or group coaching will work best for your organization.

Ask Yourself: What can we do to support and sustain individual and team action planning? What current systems do we have to revisit the action plans? Some examples may include staff meetings, manager check-ins, internal/external coaching.

8. Spend time learning what your team members need

Creating a group or organizational context where communication is open, and individual team members feel comfortable bringing their needs up, will make teambuilding efforts more focused and productive.

Find out exactly what team members are looking for to enhance their work and efforts before the team building event. This can be done by the facilitator and/or the team building committee, through email questionnaires, focus groups, or individual meetings

One of the most common pitfalls of team building initiatives is that it does not match the needs of the team. Ensure you invest enough time before the event itself to assess what team members really want.

Ask Yourself: What are the top three priorities for our team members? What is the best way to find this out from individual members?

9. Keep it Regular

Once a year team building programs can do a lot for boosting morale on the short-term, but a