Empowered JAPAN Webinar Report

Empowered JAPAN Executive Steering Committee was established in 2018, “To realize a world where everyone canwork and learn, from anywhere, at anytime.” To promote the true value of workstyle innovation including telework, the committee
has been coordinating symposiums in both Tokyo and regional cities. And in collaboration with various local governments,
Microsoft, and partners, the committee has been serving as an advisor to provide telework training for both corporate andindividuals. In response to the spread of infection of corona virus (COVID-19) and the government announcement on February 25,2020, which included the request to citizens to telework, the steering committee made the decision to launch a series of freewebinars starting from March 17, 2020, to provide practical information for individuals and organizations across the nation, totelework and/or practice online education.
Category：Mindset and Communication
Date：March, 17, 2020
Speaker：Motoaki Nishiwaki
Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.
Evangelist and Executive Officer"IT evangelist" introduced in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
newspaper. An evangelist who conveys and spreads themany products and services provided by Microsoft.
Nishiwaki also holds lectures and writes. In addition toIT corporations, he gives presentations at a wide range
of institutions including manufacturing companies,financial companies, government agencies, elementaryschools, junior high schools, high schools, anduniversities. From 2014, he has helped expand the Super
Science High School (SSH) program operated by theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science in various

Mindset and Technology Needed for Telework
Nishiwaki is an "evangelist" who spreads Microsoft products and services to society. Inaddition to lectures and writing activities, he also provides presentation courses using IT atcorporations and schools. Due to his work, Nishiwaki often travels to various places. "I havealways teleworked," he says.
So, what kind of mindset should be taken and what kind of equipment (technology) should
be prepared by corporations and individuals who will introduce telework? Let's begin byexplaining the mindset.
"According to Wikipedia, telework is a form that uses ICT to work flexibly without being
constrained by time or place," notes Nishiwaki. "The phrase 'without being constrained' isparticularly important."
Nishiwaki uses the term 3F (Fixed) to describe the conventional work style, and 3A (Any+)to describe the new work style. In other words, in the future, people will be able to work
anywhere and at anytime, even when their work styles are currently determined by time,place, and devices. Furthermore, the device is not limited to company computers.
"I don't have to commute, I wear whatever I want, and I can work wherever my production
is high," says Nishiwaki. "I like places where music is played, so I often work at cafes and thelike."

regions. Furthermore, he conducts IT-related classes andpresentation classes. For six years since 2014, Nishiwaki
has been conducting presentation classes at the Juniorand Senior High School at Komaba, University ofTsukuba. Also, for five years since 2015, he has beenteaching presentation classes at Ritsumeikan Primary
School. The contents of his classes have been made into the book "Presentation Drills." In 2017, his classes
were featured in "The AI Era: What Kind of Education isNeeded Now?," a TV symposium broadcast on NHK
Educational TV. Additionally, Nishiwaki has raised
awareness towards the importance of "communication
skills" by holding study sessions for teachers and events
organized by various boards of eduction. From 2015, hehas been a communication advisor to Shinya Yamanaka,
Director of the Center for iPS Cell Research andApplication, Kyoto University. His written works include"Evangelist Work Techniques," "How the 'Eyes' areEssential to Good Presentations," and "New Evangelist
Training Course."

Telework allows you to work efficiently and value your personal lifestyle. Nishiwaki
emphasizes that the most important thing is not to view telework as a special andextraordinary style of work.

Empowered JAPAN Webinar Report"There's no way for telework to be effective if it is viewed as being only
for people who are involved in childcare or nursing care, or only as a
special measure to combat COVID-19," says Nishiwaki. "Instead, it isnecessary to reform the corporate culture and consciousness. At
Microsoft, everyone works on a remote basis."
In the future, if it is possible to work anywhere (including at home),
online sales trips and online meetings will become normal. "In suchcases, rather than focusing only on conversation and presentationmaterials, it is important to share reactions and feelings," explains
Nishiwaki.
"For example, send other people messages like 'Looks great! Thanks
for your hard work. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?' Also, during video meetings, it's important to almost
overexaggerate your reactions. For example, make big gestures and nod vigorously.
Since participants are physically separated during telework, it is easy to feel a sense of isolation. Telework will succeed if we canshare our emotions and cultivate a sense of unity in the team."
We are already accustomed to using LINE, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in our private lives. These SNS apps are fun because
we can send Likes to each other, visualize our empathy, and share our emotions virtually. Nishiwaki says that the same ideas should
be applied in order to make teleworking effective and sustainable.
"At first, some people may feel reluctant to use the emoji heart mark," says Nishiwaki. "But you can get used to anything over time.
The important thing is to keep displaying positive reactions."
Next, Nishiwaki introduced the necessary equipment and gave tips for telework. Broadly speaking, three main tools are necessary
for telework: a communication tool for email and chat, an information sharing tool for uploading created materials, and a videoconferencing tool for face-to-face conversations on the screen.
While noting that he is biased from his position as a Microsoft employee, Nishiwaki recommends Teams, which contains all of thethree tools. Although platforms offered by other companies have their respective advantages, it is preferable to avoid thecomplexity of switching accounts, etc., during usage for work.
"It's important to try out the platform first," explains Nishiwaki. Get used to being online and sharing your reactions with others."
Most people are not familiar with video conferencing. One tip given by Nishiwaki is the importance of meeting organizers taking
responsibility to lead the start and end of the meetings.
"At the beginning of a meeting, the organizer should announce the names of participants, how many minutes the meeting will run,and the purpose of the meeting," says Nishiwaki. "It's also a good idea to mention other details such as 'since this meeting is being
recorded, we will not take minute.' At the end, the organizer should briefly summarize the decisions made at the meeting, confirm
the next schedule, and thank the participants."
It is unacceptable for the productivity of a meeting to decrease due to an unclear purpose. In order to foster a sense of unity
through informal communication, it is advisable to undertake voluntary activities such as having drinks or lunch together remotely.
While the ability to use any device for work is a feature of telework, Nishiwaki recommends that you have a headset for videoconferencing. This is because you can easily reach controls for muting, etc., in order to avoid picking up sounds in the surrounding
environment.
Finally, Nishiwaki discussed telework and evaluation systems. The Partial Amendment of the Industrial Safety and Health Act
requires an "objective assessment of working hours." Office365 has a function to assess and analyze the usage status, but Nishiwaki
explained a more interesting way of monitoring. He recommends creating a thread for everyone participating in Teams. Then, bywriting "Good morning!" when starting work and "I'm done working for today!" when finishing, the thread can be used as a timecard.
"I also reporting your start time by doing things such as posting a picture of your dog and saying 'I just got back from walking mydog. Now I'm starting work!'" explains Nishiwaki. "Since telework makes work a part of our daily lives, we should keep ourcommunication casual."
In a traditional work style, there is a clear divide between work time and private life. However, as noted by Nishiwaki, telework
make work a part of our daily lives." Instead of being bound by useless constraints and obligations, it is necessary to shift to asystem that evaluates people who work efficiently with a focus on results.