by Gilda Bonanno
Presenting over the phone is a common occurrence in
business today, whether you are doing a sales call, conducting a meeting or
connecting with clients, partners or vendors.
The challenge with phone presentations is that your
voice is the only element of body language that you have to support your
words. So your voice becomes even more
important than when doing in-person presentations since it can broadcast your
lack of confidence to your audience.
Here are six strategies for how to sound confident
when presenting over the phone:
1. Breathe. When you take short, shallow breaths, there is not
enough oxygen to fuel your voice through the end of the sentence. You literally run out of air by
the end of the sentence and your voice trails off, which makes you sound less
confident. To prevent this from happening, take full, deep
breaths which will energize your voice. (And
keep your voice well hydrated).
2.
Speak
loudly enough to be heard clearly. How loudly
depends on the audience and the phone connection. And technology such as cell
phones or speaker phones can also make it harder for people to hear you.
3.
Confident
people don’t mumble. Enunciate
your words so each word can be understood easily. (Often this requires you to
slow down and pause more, how slowly is "slowly enough" depends on your audience).
4. Avoid using a monotone. Vary your volume, rate of speed, pausing,
tone, etc. to keep the audience’s attention and help communicate your exact
meaning. Variety also demonstrates that
you are confident about your content.
5. Energize your voice. Overall, your voice
is more important on the phone than it is in person, and so it must be more
energized than it would be in person. An
energized voice projects confidence and authority. Speak standing up, which gives you better
posture and energizes your voice automatically.
Also, remember to smile when presenting - yes, the audience will be able
to hear it in your voice.
6. Practice. Do a
practice presentation over the phone and record yourself (your phone or laptop
recorder will do). Listen to the
recording from your audience’s point of view.
And work with a coach to make rapid progress towards improving your
skills.
If you follow these six strategies, you will sound more confident when
presenting over the phone, which will help you connect to your audience
and communicate your message effectively.
For more help with this topic, check out my course Virtual Presentations: How to Develop and Deliver an Effective Presentation Over the Phone
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com