The teleconference is a convenient and practical way to communicate information; however, this venue presents unique challenges to any speaker relaying information. Teleconferences limit the presenter's delivery to auditory input only and thereby heighten the importance of the voice and the spoken word choice in any successful communication with the audience.

Here are a few helpful hints to running an effective teleconference:

Vary your voice
By varying the pacing, tone and pitch of your voice, you can generate interest and gain attention. To improve the variations in your voice:

• Stand up instead of sitting down
  The mechanics of voice production provide greater control and more natural variability if you are standing. Using a headset that frees your hands allows the added movement of gestures.
• Talk to one, not many - or yourself
  It is hard to imagine a crowd at the other end of the phone line when you are alone in your office. This can cause you as the moderator to feel like you are talking to yourself, and that can lead to content that rambles on and on. For more natural animation and to keep content concise, get a mental image of just one person you are trying to persuade. This approach will feel the most natural, since most telephone conversations are one-to-one.

• Tell stories using verbal pictures
  Since you can only use your voice to stimulate your audience, engage their attention through the words that you choose. Use stories and 'verbal pictures' to make content more accessible, leading the audience to the natural conclusions.
• Use inductive delivery of deductive content (Five-Point Plan) Inductive: Start with the whole, and then break into its pieces
  Deductive: Start with the pieces and build to a whole.

While most knowledge is gained through deductive approaches, it is best explained through an inductive approach:

1. Briefly summarize your top-line recommendations.
2. Describe the issue /case/problem and its importance.
3. Detail your problem-solving process and recommendations.
4. Describe the benefits of your approach.
5. Summarize your conclusions and open the floor for feedback or move on.

Prepare for the challenges
Anticipate the challenges you will face during the teleconference -- both those inherent in the technology and those that may presented by your audience -- and take these early steps to address them:

• Set expectations early
  This step includes reviewing the ground rules, the agenda, the timeline and the teleconference objectives.
  
• Prepare for interruptions
  It is often hard to complete a teleconference without interruption. Have a note handy explaining you are on a call, and when you will be free, so that you do not have to take attention away from the call to explain.
• Anticipate technical glitches
  Know how to get an operator back on the line to handle any technical problems, so that you can focus on your content.
• Work within the teleconference format
  Use notes and visual representations of each caller/center to help you focus on who is in your audience. Take notes during interactive portions so you can tie in all points in your summary.

Encourage participation
The format of the teleconference makes interaction more stilted and less spontaneous than that found in a live presentation. Nevertheless, interaction is essential to engage and focus your audience during the teleconference.

Here are some techniques that maximize interaction:

• Use group introductions to get topic-related information
  When using a roll call to confirm attendance on the call, have the respondents give more than just their name in response. Instead, ask them to answer a topic-related question, so that you can gain some feedback and facilitate interaction early in the teleconference.
• Use technology to ask questions
  If available on your conferencing system, ask 'close-ended' questions of the group. Have callers respond by pressing answers on their telephone key pad. The operator can summarize the results for the presenter.
• Break talk into several smaller segments, with more frequent Q&A
  This technique varies the pace of the call, provides different voices for variety and requires callers to 'tune back in' every time the format shifts from lecture to Q&A and back again.
• Give advance notice of a participation segment to avoid dead silences
  Callers often tune in and out, even in the best circumstances. Give advance warning of an interactive portion of the call approaching (such as Q&A) so everyone can 'tune in'.