November is National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO) and some of you may know that I've participated as a writer during 2016 and 2017. In fact Effective Virtual Conversations was written during last year's NANOWRIMO. I'm looking forward to participating again this year with a new writing project - more to come!

In my speaking engagements recently I've been asked for suggestions on good books on topics of virtual facilitation and teamwork. Yesterday I also found myself with a few minutes to spare on my way to a client's office, so I popped into the local bookstore. It got me thinking about the question of which books have I found useful this year as a coach and virtual facilitator, supporting teams, leaders and other facilitators.

Here are a few books you may want to check out if you have not yet already:

Gretchen Rubin's The Four Tendencies - I really enjoy Gretchen's podcast - Happier - and picked up her newest book, The Four Tendencies to add to my collection of her books (and calendars). If you have read it, What type are you?

Live Connections: Virtual Facilitation for High Engagement and Powerful Learning - Fredrik Fogelberg and Jude Tavanyar. One of the many books I researched while writing EVC last year, a practical book for virtual facilitation.

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay-Stanier. I really enjoyed Michael's latest book on coaching. An excellent read for leaders of all kinds, especially virtual leaders who need to listen more than speak.

Conversational Intelligence - by Judith Glaser - I was lucky to participate in Judith's Conversational Intelligence Enhanced Learning this past winter and spring. Her book is an excellent resource for teams and leaders who are looking to cultivate better conversations in their teams, and also learn more about the brain through the process.

A couple of books on my reading list for the next while are:
The Productivity Project - Chris Bailey
Spark - John Ratey
The Creativity Challenge - Tanner Christensen
Fusion Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Monday Morning Enthusiasts - Dudley Slater

What's been on your reading list this year and what you find yourself recommending?

Have a great week
Jennifer

PS - The next EVC Community Call will be held on Monday November 6th at 11:30 am ET. The topic is - A  Pre-program checklist for virtual events. Hope to see you there!

The final Five week virtual learning class - Virtual Facilitation Essentials starts again on Monday November 6th, running for 5 weeks (1:45 - 3pm ET). We'll be focusing on tips, tools and ideas for great virtual facilitation of meetings, coaching sessions and other virtual events. Get comfortable with the technology and spend time shaping your next virtual event. Click here to reserve your spot. Each participant gets a copy of my book.

Yesterday I was a guest speaker for the International Coach Federation's Team and Work Group Community of Practice, and spoke on 4 Essential Elements for Virtual Team Coaching. More than 325 people joined the call live, which I think speaks to how relevant this topic is right now.

​One of the areas I touched on was the importance of "mixing things up" or using different strategies for engagement over the course of a series of conversations with a team. Breakouts are often one of the most overlooked strategies you can employ in virtual calls.

​Breakouts that Sizzle! was the first of two October Virtual Community Calls this month. If you haven't joined me for one, I hope that you will pencil in the next date which will be Monday October 16th from 11:30-12 noon ET. The topic next week will be on Marketing Tips for Your Virtual Work, and will be of interest to external and internal practitioners. We're going to talk a bit more about the Business Case for Virtual Work, as well as ideas to let people know what you have to offer.

​For now, I hope that you will check out the Breakouts that Sizzle! call from Monday October 2nd (link to view it on YouTube is listed below).

​If you are not yet on the mailing list, now if the time to sign up:

Sign up to receive the monthly newsletter on Virtual Issues here.

​Looking forward to having you join us in a few weeks for the next call. If you have ideas for our 2018 calls, please let me know. Calls will be held monthly during 2018, but if you'd like more ongoing support, consider joining me for the 2018 Learning Lab and Design Studio.

Here's the October 2nd Breakouts that Sizzle! Session

Let us know what you found most useful and/or any action steps you are going to put into practice as a result of this call. Comment here at the blog or at the YouTube channel!

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326

​You can grab a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon. You can also purchase a copy direct from our site, signed by me!