TelSpan

There are many free conferencing providers available, so why pay for something you can get for free?  For the past several years, our economy has forced us to review organizational budgets and make cuts where necessary.  Travel is an area that generally gets cut up front.  Conferencing is less expensive than the flight, car rental, and hotel stay, and saves the travel time.  With the introduction of video conferencing, you are able to still have “face-to-face” time with your clients at a fraction of the expense.  Now that there are free conferencing providers, you can save even more by facilitating these calls yourself right?

Not necessarily.  Depending on the type of call that you are having, you may need operator assistance at some point, a roll call taken, or an operator-assisted question and answer session.  These particular features are generally offered with a paid conferencing provider in addition to web options, branding, and the professionalism of a well-facilitated conference.

Large businesses usually prefer a paid provider who will offer training and assistance before and during their presentations, and will guarantee quality and reliability.  TelSpan’s operators are here to help you achieve a professional demeanor while reliably assisting the host and participants throughout the call to ensure success.

Today we'll finish up our series by examining how the host's presentation skills can dramatically impact the success of a conference call.

Tip #3

Improve your Presentation Skills

1. Open Strong. Immediately open with a friendly greeting. Speak loudly and clearly and designate yourself as the moderator for the call.

2. Outline Your Presentation. Start with the agenda for the call. This will not only inform your participants of what's to be covered in the call, it will also keep everyone on track as well.

3. Stay on Schedule. Try not to dwell on any certain issue too long to ensure you are able to complete your agenda within the desired time. One thing that will surely reduce attentiveness and participation is running over your scheduled time.

4. Provide Interactive Tools. Offering question and answer opportunities throughout your call will keep your audience engaged and will allow them to discuss any questions they may have during the call.  Poll your audience!  With a webinar, you can easily ask your audience multiple choice questions and have their feedback almost immediately.

5. Close Your Call Well. Clearly state when your presentation is concluding. Review the main points of the meeting, go over any goals or expectations you outlined earlier, and then formally end the call.

As you can see, it just takes a few simple proactive steps to help assist you with hosting successful conference calls in the future. Hosting successful calls can provide an environment where participants can be free from distraction and can focus on the message you are presenting.

Tip #2

Increase Participation and Engagement

1. Consider adding a visual element to your next conference. A web conferencing solution can add that missing visual piece which will keep your participants more engaged in the meeting.

2. Did you know TelSpan now offers video production services?  Talk to us about how a short professionally produced video can be used in your next meeting and as a marketing tool.

3. Use an online registration tool to increase registration and attendance while reducing your administrative burden. The tool automatically reminds participants of their meeting and provides codes and access information.

Next week we'll discuss some presentation pointers to improve your new conference.