{Note: This post was originally published on 10/25/11 on my old site, www.atrainerslife.com}
Here is a guest post by Charlotte Donaldson, a Senior Learning Strategist with Booz, Allen, Hamilton. I love her advice, and hope you enjoy it as well!
Charlotte writes,
“When I listened to my recorded sessions for feedback on doing better delivery, I found I said too many “uh’s” and was beating myself up over those, because I was sure folks were distracted from my message. Then I heard that when you are speaking in front of a group, it is almost impossible to say “uh” when you are looking directly into someone’s eyes. Well, that’s great in a face to face encounter, but how could I adapt that to my virtual delivery?
Here’s what I figured out, and it has really worked for me. I have a nice face-front photo of my dear, sweet husband right on my desk, in easy line of sight. When I am not specifically looking at the screen or the computer keyboard, I’ve trained myself to look at his photo and talk directly to him, looking into his eyes. Not only does it help significantly with eliminating the “uh’s,” it also gives me a little emotional boost, by always having someone who is “in my corner,” looking back at me with loving and supportive eyes. I even do this now on tough 1 to 1 calls!”
