This blog post is part of my Personal Coronavirus Challenge where I write about remote working and facilitation every day for as long as the imposed self-quarantine lasts with the intent to get into the habit of writing regularly and (hopefully) getting better at it.

In this new “everybody-works-remotely” world it is easy to lose the connection to your colleagues you’ve seen every day in the office. Keeping these connections alive is more important than ever.
Spend the first few minutes of your remote meeting simply connecting with each other. In these challenging times, people tend to have a small talk about the latest news of the coronavirus. While this is important, I would suggest keeping it to a minimum and instead ask a question to let people focus on something more positive and share something personal, for instance:

• What made you laugh [Today/Yesterday/This week] and why?
• What’s one positive experience you had this week?
• Who inspired you lately and why?
• What are you grateful for today?

Go around the room and let everybody share their answer.
A question like these allows participants to be present and connect on a human level. Every person speaks and everyone is listening to everybody else. Give it a try!