We talked recently about managerial communications, looking at the various ways you as a manager can deliver your message and the organization's messages to your team. There's more to talk about there, but we're going to tackle a different type of communication this time.

Mark's core skill is coaching managers and executives on their effectiveness. These efforts take many different forms, because different managers have different strengths and weaknesses. Some managers barely speak to their teams, are not personable, and are perceived (rightly) as not caring about their direct reports.

This week we recur to a theme we started a while ago, management communications. If you don't remember, we won't be surprised - it was September, and we barely scratched the surface of presenting with PowerPoint.

There are so many topics to cover, we're just now getting back to management communications. One of the reasons was our just concluded FOUR part series on performance reviews.

This week's podcast addresses a topic that many of you might be surprised about: your resume. Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave laying around on your desk (or on monster.com, for that matter), that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.

So, in this cast we'll teach you how to prepare it, and how to maintain it. We won't talk about cover letters, or how resumes are used in the job search, because job search is only one use of your resume.

The Sample Resume we refer to on the show is here.

Manager Tools also has a Resume Review Service. See how inexpensive it is to have one of the best resume reviews you'll ever see!

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We tackle a tough topic in this week's cast: Layoffs. We know it's not an upbeat topic, but it's highly likely you're going to be involved in one at some point. Professional managers know how to conduct layoffs efficiently, with candor and compassion. While this is the first time we address the topic, this cast is second in order of the three we plan on the subject. One is on preparation- what you need to do in advance. This is for more senior managers, and those who will be in in discussions with HR.

One of the most challenging aspects of being a manager is leading people who are remote to you. Sometimes it's one team member being offsite; sometimes entire teams are spread across the country or even the globe, or even just across a corporate campus. All these situations are examples of "virtual" teams...and managing a virtual team is notably harder than managing a group that are co-located. And, these suggestions work well for project teams that may be in the same location but are matrixed together.

This cast addresses the special difficulties virtual teams present. First, we briefly discuss teams in general, and then we outline the three specific steps a 'virtual' manager can take to turn her workgroup into a team:

1. Pay special attention to hiring and interviewing,
2. Spend money to have a face to face meeting, and
3. Special rigor about team communications.

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Got Email? Of course - what manager doesn't? We know managers who get 200 (or more!) emails every day. Email is a necessary evil in the corporate management world, and highly effective managers know how to get the most out of their email WITHOUT spending too much time on it. In our latest podcast, we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

Today we wrap-up our conversation on effective meetings, as well as answer some listener questions on meetings, one-on-ones, and feedback.

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Today we cover the second in our series on effective meetings. A detailed outline of this week's and last week's podcast is located here. Also, be sure to check out the Meeting Agenda Template. We think you'll find the template useful in improving the effectiveness of your meetings.

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How to do you feel about most of the meetings you attend? Are they productive, or generally considered a waste of time? Do you attend too many meetings? How do others value the meetings you run? If you are like most managers we know, your experience in running and participating in meetings is less than ideal.

In this week's podcast, Mike and Mark share a technique managers can use to give feedback to their team members.