1.  Don’t do a conference call without first circulating an agenda to all involved parties. An agenda helps to structure the conference and helps members to prepare by providing in advance the type of information they will need in order to effectively participate in the discussion.
2. Have everyone in attendance introduce him or herself up front. In fact, make that the first thing on your agenda. It is important for people who don’t know each other’s voices especially well to become familiar as quickly as possible.
3. Make sure the conference call has a very specific theme. Don’t meander, for the road is costly and time-consuming and leads ultimately nowhere! Use the agenda to amplify the theme in question by explaining how it will be covered or explored in each section of the meeting.
4. Schedule a conference call only when it is needed. Many are unnecessary and could be avoided with either a one-on-one call or a focused e-mail exchange. Group calls should only be made when either in-depth dialogue or brainstorming is required.
5.  Establish when the meeting will begin, break and end ahead of time. Provide a time structure, which all participants must adhere to and matters will flow smoothly.
6. Do not under any circumstances, permit “electronic grazing” to occur during the conference call. Set it up like they did in the old frontier days at the saloon with all who enter checking their guns at the door!! The equipment is different; phones and laptops to be exact, but the attitude is the same. No multi tasking while the meeting is in session. This means no email, no phone calls and this means you! Attending the meeting is like being pregnant; one either is or one isn’t present at the meeting. If an emergency occurs and a call needs to be made, then the person should leave the room to make the call and not tie up the meeting.
7. Schedule guests and make the best use of everyone’s time. Use your agenda to indicate when people will be needed to present their arguments and avoid the traffic jam of having thirty people in a room for three hours, twenty of whom will have nothing at all to do or say until the last 15 minutes of the meeting. Tick off items on the agenda as they are covered.
8. Don’t wear too many hats at your own meeting. Employ someone to keep track of the time so that you as the leader are free to focus on the matters presented in the agenda and keep the meeting rolling along at an even pace.
9. Stay focused on your time element and subject matter. Not all issues require the same amount of time to settle and any issue that can be resolved offline or does not require the input of the majority of the group should be dismissed as quickly as possible and ticked off the mighty agenda.
10. If you join into a conference call after it has already begun, make sure that other people know you are there. If you are the organizer of the conference call and this happens, seek an opportunity to introduce that person and then quickly review any key decisions that have been made. (If the person being late is you the organizer, you probably should find someone else to head the conference call in the first place.)

So, like, why am I saying “um”?

Why do we use filler words? The simplest answer is that we have been conditioned to answer questions immediately from an early age. When our mother or father asked us a question, we were sure to answer right away—either because we wanted to show respect or because we were afraid of what would happen if we didn’t answer. Consequently, we feel the urge to speak when spoken to.

The next time you are asked a question, take a couple seconds to think about what you want to say. This pause serves two important purposes: it will help you begin powerfully, and it will help you avoid using a filler word. Pause, think, answer.

The same public speaking technique applies when you are transitioning from one idea to another. While you may be tempted to fill the silence between ideas with a filler word, remember to pause and give yourself a moment to think about what you want to say next. It is important that you don’t begin speaking until you are ready.Remember: Pause, think, answer.

It may feel unnatural to pause, especially since you have responded to questions right away for your entire life. I assure you that you will deliver more powerful responses and reduce your chance of using filler words if you give yourself time to think.

How many times have you listened to speakers and thought – what are they talking about? Or  - I have no idea what the are saying because they are talking in circles?  For me, it’s I can listen to this person for one more minute!  You can’t just get up in front of people and basically vomit what you are going to say – because people will just get covered in confusion.

Clarify your message by the rule of 3′s   Every message should have 3 basic points – if  you have more than 3 points then your message is confusing and painful to a listeners ears!  You need 3 bullets – key words that paint a picture for your audience.  Remember you audience has thousands of messages in their minds – so you have to be competitive for brain space.

Sometimes a speaker just stinks!   The talk is so boring that you think you are going to go out of y our mind.  You fidget, daydream, text, or just keep a constant frown on your face!

Yet, this is the time to learn and grow as a speaker because they are teaching you in real time all the things not to do!   Does the audience look board, what is the demographic of the audience.  Observe the speakers body language – what does that do to the reaction from the audience?  Figure out how you would speak better!

Sometimes speakers just stink – which can only make you smell like roses!

There are coaches for almost everything in this world!

You name it we can find a Coach for it.  Coaches do an excellent job of helping people achieve what they never thought possible.  I have the highest regard for coaches.  Yet, I don’t believe you need a coach for Public Speaking you need a specialist   If you are not feeling well you don’t typically go to a coach you go and see a doctor or specialist  to figure out what is wrong and set up follow up appointments to make sure you stay on a healthy path.  I have seem many clients who think they will “Heal” their communication issues in one session or they just want to be coached for the next event.  Developing a strong and healthy Public Speaking presence takes time, energy, and persistence

Who talks more, men or women? Take into consideration all interactions during the day, with family, work, friends and businesses. Would you guess women are more loquacious? A lot of people would. And a lot of people would be wrong.

Research indicates that there is no significant difference between women and men in the amount of words spoken, although, when they do talk, men tend to use more words at a time. The major difference appears to be when men and women do their talking. Women spend more talking time with family and close friends, expressing support and discussing experiences. Men tend to talk more at work and in formal and social settings, and their goal is the exchange of information, even when conversing with a buddy.

At home, women do talk more and become perturbed with less responsive partners. Women try to work on their relationships, while men see little need to speak unless there is a specific purpose — a problem to solve, a decision to make

Who talks more, men or women? Take into consideration all interactions during the day, with family, work, friends and businesses. Would you guess women are more loquacious? A lot of people would. And a lot of people would be wrong.

Research indicates that there is no significant difference between women and men in the amount of words spoken, although, when they do talk, men tend to use more words at a time. The major difference appears to be when men and women do their talking. Women spend more talking time with family and close friends, expressing support and discussing experiences. Men tend to talk more at work and in formal and social settings, and their goal is the exchange of information, even when conversing with a buddy.

At home, women do talk more and become perturbed with less responsive partners. Women try to work on their relationships, while men see little need to speak unless there is a specific purpose — a problem to solve, a decision to make

Do your board members have effective communication skills?  Do they have areas in which they could improve?  Do they utilize the behavior characteristics below?    If not, you may need a board training.

1. Eye Contact
2. Posture/Movement
3. Gestures/Facial Movement
4. Voice and Vocal Variety
5. Language – Non-words
6. Listener Involvement
7. Humor
8. The Natural Self – Authenticity

“F—ing sh-t,” he was heard whispering into his mic as an announcer introduced the show. It was Clemente’s very first moment on air, and also his last. He was firstsuspended for using profanity and his coanchor, Van Tieu, opened up the 10:00 p.m. news hour with an apology.

“We were caught off guard and [Clemente] didn’t realize his microphone was on. And while that was no excuse – we do train our reporters to always assume that any microphone is live at any time – unfortunately we cannot take back what was said. But, we do apologize and hope that you may forgive us and rest assured, that something like this will not happen again.,” she said.

Learning how to control your tongue is a skill that only develops with practice and experience.  Making just one mistake can have a dramatic effect on you career.   Understanding the right word choices can make or break a business relationship.   TALLspeaking can help you focus on the right words for the right situation.