Gannett News Service
Increasing numbers of businesses are using videoconferencing for interviews or meetings.
"Use common sense and conduct yourself as if you were being interviewed in person, or as if you were having an on-site group meeting," said chairman Peter Guliano and president Frank Carillo of Executive Communications Group of Englewood, N.J. "Maintain eye contact by looking straight into the camera lens and speak slowly and deliberately."
Other tips:
Send out reports or charts to all participants before the conference and keep your message simple; no more than three key points.
Get to the conference ahead of schedule. Make sure there are no technical glitches and that you have all your material (PowerPoint presentation, graphs, etc.).
At the beginning of the conference, allow all participants to introduce themselves.
Don’t sit like a stone, but don’t be overly animated, either. Lean slightly forward in your chair.
Look confident. Smile and gesture with your hands.
Be cognizant of your quirks. Avoid fiddling with your glasses or tapping your pen on the table.
Don’t be mesmerized by your own image on the monitor.
Don’t move around while someone else is speaking. Avoid side conversations and don’t get up and walk around the room during a presentation.
