.webp)
If you’re looking for some best practices around communicating in today’s digital, virtual environments, this episode is for you. Today, we listen in on a conversation between David Ashcraft and digital body language expert Erica Dhawan. Together they explore how communication has changed, particularly over the past 5 years, and what leaders can do right now to communicate effectively with their teams to maximize collaboration and effectiveness.
IN THIS EPISODE
0:00 Intro
02:30 How was Erica’s first experience with the Global Leadership Summit?
04:10 How she got to where she is today.
07:50 What have we lost with today’s remote/virtual communication?
12:55 How to brainstorm in a remote or hybrid format.
15:15 What are some practical ways to manage putting information on a screen while still being able to see peoples’ faces?
17:10 What are the best ways to connect with others?
19:30 How to build connection between younger leaders and experienced leaders.
26:15 What is “Connectional Intelligence”?
27:45 How to practically show value to someone online.
33:00 How do you protect against people running with an idea that was just meant as a offhand comment?
35:45 Unwritten rules about communication formality.
41:00 How to limit the number of “meetings after the meetings.”
42:10 What are some specific tips to build trust during a digital conversation?
43:30 Two tips for someone who wants to improve immediately.
46:40 Outro
LISTEN
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS
- In this day and age, we are all immigrants in the world of digital body language.
- Up to 70% of our communication is non-verbal: pacing, posture, gestures, tone, eye contact, etc. However up to 70% of our connection time is now virtual.
- Today, we have a whole set of digital body language cues that we can use to foster connection, empathy and collaboration.
- In person settings have never a predictor of the most productive, high-performing groups.
- It’s not about physical proximity; it’s about affinity proximity.
- Remote work allows good ideas to come from anywhere, not just from the people in the office.
- Effective brainstorming should now include a-synchronous activities as well.
- Leaders should make explicit what used to be implicit in face-to-face office situations: it should be normal for people to have their cameras on in remote meetings.
- To choose which communication channel to use, consider issues of complexity, urgency and frequency.
- Executive “presence” looks different now: it now includes the quality of the emails you write and clearly setting expectations on video calls.
- When you are on camera, you should be thinking like the host of a television show who is trying to engage a studio audience.
- The four laws of Connectional Intelligence are: 1) Value Visibly; 2) Communicate Carefully; 3) Collaborate Confidently and 4) Trust Totally.
Related
Ep 222: How Great Leaders Develop People
In this quarterly “Best Of” episode, Whitney Putnam and Eric Case revisit four conversations that create a practical pathway for helping people reach their potential: see them, know them, grow them, and release them. You’ll hear Lori Hermann describe what happens when leaders recognize potential before someone sees it in themselves; Thasunda Brown Duckett explain why knowing the whole person is connected to excellence; David Ashcraft challenge leaders to develop people beyond their own expertise; and Julio Garcia wrestle with what happens when someone you’ve invested in chooses an opportunity elsewhere. Together, these conversations challenge leaders to move beyond good intentions and ask a more practical question: What does the person you’re developing need from you next?
Ep 221: Is Your Team Confused—or Just Unclear?
In this episode, Whitney Putnam talks with Global Leadership Network President and CEO David Ashcraft about a leader’s responsibility to create direction people can understand, remember and act on. David explains why leaders often need to repeat the vision more than they think, why collaboration and candor can sharpen direction, and how unclear communication from senior leaders can unintentionally send teams running in the wrong direction. He also shares a simple practice his teams use to distinguish between processing an idea and actually making a decision.
Ep 220: Earn the Right to Demand Excellence
In this episode, TIAA President and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett shares practical ways leaders can get closer to their people, uncover perspectives they might otherwise miss, and create a culture where honest feedback and high expectations can coexist. Thasunda explains why leaders need to “get proximate,” how she uses small-group conversations to hear directly from employees throughout the organization, and why asking for the “counter-narrative” can improve decision-making. She also explores how vulnerability creates permission for others to bring more of themselves to work, why job titles shouldn’t limit someone’s contribution, and how leaders can guide people through the uncertainty created by AI.
Leadership That Lasts
Team365 isn’t just a platform. It’s a commitment to grow, lead and live with purpose — every single day. Whether you’re here for content, community or clarity, you’re in the right place. Your leadership matters. Let’s keep going.
