7 Tips for Presenting in Teleconferences by Dianna Booher
Channel: Dianna Booher - Communication Strategist & Author
Date: 2014-01-02

http://www.booherresearch.com  1-817-283-2333
Executive Communication Expert Dianna Booher

7 Tips for Presenting in Teleconferences
You have face-to-face presentations down pat.  Webinars may work well now with so many good models weekly.  But what about those times that you have to present your ideas for 5, 15, or 50 minutes on a teleconference?  
Presenters can sound flat, frightened, or forced.   If you've done it, you know it can feel as though you're talking to the wall.  Consider these tips to increase your impact:
Stand up.  Standing, you will automatically adjust your presentation style:  better posture, deeper breathing, better vocal variety and control, increased energy.  All these things result in a more confident, credible delivery.
Speak to a photo across the room. Most people communicate better when they sense others listening.  In lieu of having a real person present, pull up someone's LinkedIn or Facebook photo on your computer or cell phone and direct your comments to that person.  Or sit a photo of a family member or friend across the room from you.  Visualizing a real person helps keep your comments conversational.
Pause periodically for input.  Rather than talking nonstop for 15 or 45 minutes, break your comments into small chucks of no more than 7 minutes.  Stop to interact with your listeners to make sure they are still engaged:  Ask them for feedback on what you've said so far.  Ask them to add ideas. Ask them for concerns about how "others might react" to implementing your ideas.  Ask about challenges they anticipate on what you're suggesting. Have them summarize the takeaways.  
Give a thought-provoking assignment before you open the phone lines for interaction.   "Let me stop here to get some reaction and see what questions you have" is for some listeners a mental recess—a time-out to check their inbox or respond to text messages.  Instead, of intrigue them with a personal challenge to consider during your "downtime" for questions.
Avoid sounding scripted.  Teleconferences tempt you to use notes because no one can see them.  Notes, fine.  Scripts, never.   Speak conversationally.  That's not to say you should ramble, repeat, and rush through long run-on sentences.  But speak naturally with simple words and short sentences.
Ask yourself questions when there are none.  Prime the pump and give listeners time to think:  "As we unmute the phone lines, I'll mention one question that several team members have already ask about this project:  Is it going to blah, blah, blah...." Or:  "Before I take your questions, I did want to address a question that I received earlier in email. Someone asked me about costs involved....  Or, you can have your moderator pose questions you've suggested ahead of time.  
Treat the logistics like any other presentation.  Call in early to make sure the technology is working properly.  I recently called in to do a teleconference, hosted by 3 moderators.  As the technician did mic checks before the scheduled call began, we had terrible static on the line. All four of us had to call back in individually for the technician to check each line one by one to see whose line was creating the problem. As it turned out, all call lines but one were creating havoc.  It took 20 minutes for the technical people to correct the issue.
In addition to technology concerns, you need to handle other issues: Names of moderators?  Back-up phone numbers in case of emergency?  Water nearby?  Plans to control unexpected background noise at your site?  Reference documents within easy reach?

Unlike few things in life, teleconferences can be as easy as they look—unless you forget the basics.