American Idol continues to be a huge source of insight for the conference call leader invested in growing their skill set. This was the second week for the contestants to sing in front of 20 plus million viewers. This week, four more people will be cut because of one primary reason – they chose a song that did not allow them to shine.The translation here is that each of you is a unique leader.

You have to “find your leadership voice” and be true to that voice. Yes, this is an obtuse post and doesn’t tell you how. Instead, the intent is to give you the permission to fully be “you” when leading a conference call.

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Creator of Executive Conference Call Leadership
ConferenceCallTraining.com

Tweet This Post

American Idol continues to provide a wealth of content for aspiring conference call leaders! To stay current with the ongoing season, it is time to keep it short, sweet, and too the point. Here is a summary of gems for conference call leaders to think about when leading conference calls.

As always, thanks to Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell for “keeping it real.”

•Shtick equals Distraction
Contestants who ham it up, put on whacky costumes, etc. only end up creating a great distraction from the actual purpose of the contest (singing)! For conference call leaders, be funny yet know when it becomes distracting. Be creative in keeping everyone’s attention yet make sure your creativity SUPPORTS (from the participants perspective) the productivity of the call.

• Raw Talent + Years of Practice equals Perception that it is easy to do
I love the quote about it only taking 25 years to become an overnight sensation. With rare exception, the people who have made it big did so because of years of practice and training built upon lots of raw talent. Tiger Woods spends a huge portion of his time on the practice range to keep his skills sharp. Raise the bar and challenge yourself to consistently improve your distance communication skill set!

• Fake It ‘Till You Make It equals Loss of Trust
In short, no one loves a fake. The singers who do not have confidence show up as insincere and the performance is hollow. The same is true for conference call leaders who boldly follow the “fake it until you make it” strategy. Call participants see your ‘confidence’ as false bravado and begin to doubt all aspects of your leadership. Trust and productivity quickly decline. Making and owning your mistakes quickly is the key to earning both respect and trust.

•Audition Skill Set does NOT equal Performance Skill Set
Singing in the shower, alone, is not the same as being in front of 3 judges. Being in front of 3 judges is not the same as being on a stage in front of 180 plus people. The same is true in conference calls – the skill set for talking on the phone IS NOT the same skill set as leading a small team on a conference call. Leading a small team IS NOT the same skill set as leading150 people on a conference call.

The key to growing your distance communication skills is to look in the mirror each day and find one small thing you can improve upon. There are tons of tips, ideas, and strategies in this blog. If you love short cuts and want to substantially improve your meeting leadership, presentation, and sales skills over the phone, buy on of my audio CD products today. You will be amazed at how easy it is to lead a great conference call!

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Creator of Executive Conference Call Leadership
ConferenceCallTraining.com

Tweet This Post

The message of this blog is simple:

Conference calls exist for one purpose – to improve the productivity of the participants!

The challenge of this blog is make it easy for you to own this message as your own.

The easiest way to fully integrate new skills is through baby steps.

The fastest way to fail is to make too many changes all at once.

The choice is yours. What would you like to do?

Personal Note:
The picture is of Chris Gardner Jr. and I and was taken at the GMAC Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas one day after I’d written this post. Chris’s father is Chris Gardner Sr., the author of The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Sr. was a keynote speaker at the convention. He has an amazing story to tell and is a wonderful presenter. He can be reached here for speaking engagements.

Chris Jr. and I were selling books in the GMAC Conference Expo and we spent some time talking about his life experiences. He has a huge heart and is a delight to spend time with. When asked about what he remembers from that period of his life, Chris Jr. gave a powerful message – all I remember is that Dad and I were together every night (click on the Oprah link above to read more).

The tee shirt “Baby steps count too” was part of their package of products. Talk about a small world!!

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Creator of 6 Principles of Powerful Conference Calls
ConferenceCallTraining.com

Tweet This Post

For the past three weeks I’ve been watching the American Idol auditions as Paula, Randy, and Simon make their way across the United States looking for the next big star. If you take into account that this is a TV show and, as such, realize that ALL TV shows have one goal in mind –- to sell advertising through the vehicle of entertainment, then we can learn some interesting things about conference call leaders by watching American Idol. Here is the first of a number of posts.

•Tone Deaf equals Low EQ

EQ or emotional intelligence was popularized by Daniel Goleman’s international best-selling book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (1996) Bantam Books (Note: there is a 10th Anniversary Edition now out! Goleman’s Emotional Competencies model (click above EI link) has four components: Self-awareness, Self-management, Social awareness, and Relationship management. He ties these four competencies directly to managerial performance. Low EQ means you are less aware of your own behavior and how it impacts others. For leaders working with knowledge workers, this is the kiss of death.

People adept at reading body language report that it is difficult for them to get a good read of “where the group is” when working by phone. In most case, the lack of training in effectively working with groups over the phone is the challenge and NOT a low EQ. Working with groups over the phone and EQ are both learned traits that improve over time with the proper practice and training. Let’s get back to American Idol!

Watch enough American Idol auditions and you start to get a sense of what a good audition looks like. And a bad one! There is a big contrast between the people who can sing and those who cannot. The gem here for conference call leaders is to watch those people, though boldly confident, who can neither sing nor understand why the judges will not put them through to Hollywood! This group is priceless to watch.

Unlike singers, being tone deaf is not a major issue for conference call leaders. WHAT is crucial is your ability to quickly read the group and how your conference call leadership behavior impacts their productivity. Silence does not mean they agree with you. Imagine what would happen if every conference call leader had someone like Simon judging the call!

The next time someone offers feedback on how to improve your conference calls, listen deeply and look for the gem in what they are saying. Ignore the need to defend your leadership and definitely thank the person for being candid. If you want a faster way to learn, click on the training link above!

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Creator of 16 Secrets to a Great Conference Call
ConferenceCallTraining.com

Tweet This Post

Conference calls are a common and useful tool for teams to accomplish projects. Interestingly, not all project leaders take on the role of the conference call leader. If this is the case, you, as the conference call leader, must be able to recognize the difference between delegating a task and just telling others what to do. If you are curious on how to tell the difference between delegating and telling others what to do, it’s easy! Just follow these four clues.

•Length of time required
It takes little time to tell someone to do something. Delegation, on the other hand, takes time. You must specify the task, desired outcome, length of time to complete the task, and follow-up procedure.

•Need to have the task done the “right” way
The more time you spend telling someone exactly how to do the task, the higher the likelihood you are not delegating. Delegation requires that you give someone the authority and the responsibility to complete the task. Keep in mind that the “right” way may not be the best way to do something. This is a potential blind spot for every person within an organization!

•Tolerance for failure
Delegation assumes creativity in how to accomplish a task. Being creative includes the possibility of making mistakes and failure. The more attached you are to having a task done “right”, the more likely you have not delegated the task. 3M discovered a huge market segment when an engineer made a mistake that led to the creation of the Post-It(TM) brand!

•If you want something done right, then do it yourself!
To what level do you hold this thought to be true? Rest assured that no one would complete a task more “right” than you. There is a huge difference between doing a task “well” and doing it “right”. To successfully delegate a task, you must give someone both the responsibility and authority to complete the task! Furthermore, be sure to give that person full credit when the task is accomplished.

Delegation demands creativity and growth from you and your participants. It raises the bar and helps everyone develop new skills and competencies. If you want to accomplish more during your conference calls, establish a clear boundary between delegating a task and telling someone to do something. This will help your participants understand what is and is not required to complete a task.

Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Creator of 6 Principles of Powerful Conference Calls
ConferenceCallTraining.com

Tweet This Post