I spent years honing my facilitation skills. I learned how people process information. I learned how to create an environment that enables groups to share information, discuss, think, and decide together. I then introduced a process for helping groups do just that, detailed in Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (2006). That book describes how teams can reflect, learn, and improve—when they are together.

However, remote meetings are a different animal. Over the years, I’ve adapted practices and come up with workarounds for remote meetings. Still, remote meetings often don’t have the oomph of in-person interactions.

As a participant, I’ve spent countless hours in remote meetings. While I am certain it hasn’t actually been an eternity, sometimes it feels that way. Faced with low participation, isolation, and lack of feedback, sometimes I check out. I’m not alone. People often take refuge in online solitaire, checking email, Twitter, Slack, or doing “real” work. Even when the tools allow for visual communication and screen sharing, the default is camera off—which makes it easier to disengage and hide out. It doesn’t feel like robust collaboration, no matter how much the participants and leaders wish it were so. Perhaps you’ve had this experience, too.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I had the pleasure to meet Jay-Allen and Kirsten at the Regional Scrum Gathering in Durban, South Africa in 2018. Their topic, “Hacking Remote Facilitation,” intrigued me. I figured that while I knew some things, it couldn’t hurt to see what other people were doing. I might pick up a tip or two.

Their session provided the best advice on the mechanics of remote facilitation I’ve seen. Anywhere.

Their lovely new book describes in detail how to make remote meetings more participative, engaging, and useful. It also makes clear that their ideas go deeper than mere mechanics.

Jay-Allen and Kirsten developed their methods based on a true appreciation for creating space for people to collaborate. Their values and experience show up in the six principles outlined in the book. The methods that implement each principle derive from the science of how our brains function. Throughout the book, an understanding of what people need to collaborate effectively shines though.

Jay-Allen and Kirsten don’t just tell you what to do. They explain why the methods work. After studying this book, you will have a starting set of methods. You’ll also gain the knowledge to adapt, modify, and create your own methods to fit your context.

Collaboration is the heart of creative work. But collaborative work isn’t always easy. Collaborative work requires hearing and harmonizing different viewpoints, harnessing constructive conflict, and reaching decisions that a group will own. Groups struggle through, sometimes with damaged relationships to uncertain results, even when they are face-to-face. Remoteness exacerbates the issue.

This costs organizations in wasted time and wasted money. Worse, the failure to overcome the challenge of remote collaboration drains engagement. People check out during meetings, and often stay checked out. People who might come up with creative solutions and market-changing innovation never feel the spark.

Collaboration and creativity across distance isn’t out of reach. Remote meetings can be engaging and productive. This book will show you how.

Esther Derby
Duluth, MN