I've spent most of my career as part of a team working in an office, making the web a little better each day. When starting my own company, however, one of my goals was to find ways to work with the people I looked up to… who had their own separate offices in different companies spread out all over the world. In order to get started, I had to think differently about a lot of things: my day, my network, my goals, and how I communicate. I've found that working together across the internets has a lot more to do with the ability to share a vision, and a lot less to do with which is the best digital video conference service.

1. Lessons Learned Working Apart
@kevinmhoffman
sevenheadsdesign.com
kevinmhoffman.com

2. What is a business?

3. Employees?

4. Incorporation?

5. A building?

6. CLICKHOLE.COM

7. CUSTOMERS MAKERS
IDEAS
This is a business.

9. Co-design
WIKICOMMONS

10. C.K. PRAHALAD AND V. RAMASWAMY, “THE FUTURE OF COMPETITION”
(Value) is rapidly shifting from a firm-
centric view to personalized consumer
experiences. Informed, networked,
empowered and active consumers are
increasingly co-creating value with the
firm.
“

12. We are all working remotely
to some degree.

13. @kevinmhoffman
TECHNOLOGY
IS NOT
COLLABORATION.

14. @kevinmhoffman
COLLABORATION
IS WHEN THE
OUTCOME IS BETTER
THAN INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS.

15.
SPEND TIME
ON OUTCOMES.
Virtual meetings lesson #1
@kevinmhoffman

17. The bottleneck is never
code or creativity. It’s
clarity.
“
SCOTT BERKUN, THE YEAR WITHOUT PANTS

18. When a group of
intelligent people
come together to
talk about issues
that matter, it is
both natural and
productive for
disagreement to
occur.
“
PATRICK LENCIONI,
DEATH BY MEETING

19. 2ITEMS
on
THE
AGENDA
My approach to
virtual meetings
6 lessons for
evaluating the
effectiveness
of your virtual
meetings
ONLY

20. Before a Meeting

21. USEPOWWOW.COMDOODLE.COM

22. Always lead with
attendee’s time zone,
followed by
your time zone.

23. Are you available at
7PM BST
which for me would be
2PM EST?

25.
YOU
ARE NOT
YOUR ATTENDEES.
Virtual meetings lesson #2
@kevinmhoffman

26. < This…
< AND this.

27. HBO.COM/SILICON-VALLEY

28.
TRUST
NO ONE THING.
Virtual meetings lesson #3
@kevinmhoffman

29. A true tale of disaster.
http://youtu.be/wPOgvzVOQig

30. < This.

32.
IS THIS MEETING
PRIMARILY VIRTUAL
OR IN PERSON?
Virtual meetings lesson #4
@kevinmhoffman

33. What about you?

34. During a Meeting

35. Fail back to text
Fail back to phone
Price is right (even
for business)
Audio and screen recording
(usability or co-browsing)
Custom URLs

37.
HOW WOULD
I DO THIS
IN PERSON?
Virtual meetings lesson #5
@kevinmhoffman

42. DANIELMALL.COM

44. DAVEGRAY.LOOPLOGIC.COM/BOARDTHING-TRAILR

45. Another tale of abject failure.

46. !
!
!
!
!
!
!
RECIPE
for
CHECK-INS
One weekly with
client and team
Open by collecting
expectations.
Contribute then
respond.
All attendees
optional, but…
Keep the hangout
open for 30 minutes

47. Ending a Meeting

48.
DON’T
CONCLUDE
AMBIGUOUSLY.
Virtual meetings lesson #6
@kevinmhoffman

49. One last bad idea.

50.
START
IN PERSON
WHEN POSSIBLE.
Virtual team super power!
@kevinmhoffman

51. 6LESSONS
of
VIRTUAL
MEETINGS
Spend time on
outcomes.
You are not your
attendees.
Trust no one thing.
Is this meeting
primarily virtual or
in person?
How would this
work in person?
Don’t conclude
ambiguously.

52. BOOKS.SIMONANDSCHUSTER.COM/
MOMENTS-OF-IMPACT
SCOTTBERKUN.COM/YEARWITHOUTPANTS37SIGNALS.COM/REMOTE

53. Meeting Design
For Makers, Managers, and Everyone
Coming in late 2015
rosenfeldmedia.com/books/meeting-design

54. You are a business.

55. Thank you! Questions?
@kevinmhoffman
sevenheadsdesign.com
kevinmhoffman.com

56. Resources: Books
Remote: Office Not Required (Fried &
Hansson)
The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun
Moments of Impact by Ertel & Solomon
The Future of Competition
(Pralahad & Ramaswamy)
Lean UX (Gothelf & Seiden)
Visual Leaders
Visual Teams
Visual Meetings (Sibbett)
A Facilitator's Guide to Participatory
Decision Making (Kaner, et al)
How to Make Meetings Work
(Doyle & Strauss)
The Rapid Vis Toolkit (Hanks)
Gamestorming (Gray, Macanufo & Brown)
The Connected Company
(Gray w/Vander Wal )
The Doodle Revolution (Sunni Brown)
The Back of the Napkin (Dan Roam)
Business Model Generation
(Alex Osterwalder, et al)
Collaboration (Hansen)
Collaborating Effectively
(Harvard Business Review)
Designing the Conversation
(Unger, Nunnally& Willis)
Designing Together (Brown)