Virtual teams are no longer a rarity in the business world. I should know– I’ve been on numerous entirely virtual and blended virtual teams over my work life. With a projected 1.3 billion people working virtually over the next few years, according to the Harvard Business Journal, if you haven’t already been a part of a virtual team, chances are you will be soon. That’s why I talked to a number of professionals who work in and lead virtual teams, and asked them to share their best tips on making the most of this new way to work.

When it comes to project management and tracking, we know that endless streams of email in your inbox every day bog down your time (and hurt your brain). Redbooth makes email your friend, not your enemy.

Stop me if this sounds familiar: The meeting neither starts on time nor are all the necessary members present when it does. One person dominates the conversation, while another clicks her pen furiously while staring blankly into middle-space. You’re there & attentive because a few of the agenda items impact your upcoming work — but you eyeball both the agenda and the clock, and wonder if it’ll even get that far before time runs out.

Don’t you just love it when you stumble across a group of people who “get you?” That’s why we love cool, unusual or fascinating online collaborative communities. Because when great minds come together with similar passions, it can be magic.

It’s easy to get bogged down in silos at work, with each employee isolated, working on their specific deliverables. This can leave your employees feeling disengaged and disconnected from your company’s mission, and their unique part in activating it. One effective way for reigniting your employees’ passion around the corporate mission, while getting them reacquainted with their colleagues, is to host some form of structured creative thinking activity.

Planning successful virtual team meetings doesn’t have to be rocket science. But you do need to plan ahead and pay special attention to detail. Here are six tips for running awesome virtual team meetings.

When American football coaching legend Vince Lombardi described his philosophy on teamwork, he certainly knew what he was talking about. But he couldn’t have imagined that in the new millennium, people from all over the world would be able to collaborate without being in the same room!