Exploring;cultures,;countries;and;comfort;zones
The Hype
About Skype
“The show must go n” is a famous entertainment industry adage. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible.
Even when the meeting planner is
gung-ho, the event is booked and the
audience is waiting, something can go
awry. Uncontrollable factors, such as
inclement weather, mechanical failure,
terrorist threats or natural disasters, can
throw a wrench into the best-laid plans.
Case in point: NSA and GSF members
were unable to reach their speaking
engagements due to flight cancellations
when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in
Iceland shut down air travel for several
days throughout most of Europe.
When times are tough and every
speech counts, what can professional
speakers do to ensure their presentations come off without a hitch?
Speakers can engage their audiences
through remote presentations using
technology such as Skype, a free audio
and video conferencing medium. In
most cases, Skype is designed for one-
technology triumphs and proves to
present effective ways to communicate
with and engage others.
Professional speakers must embrace
many communication tools to engage their
audiences in profound ways. They speak
in front of audiences, they record audio
and video, they write articles and books,
they blog, and they use social media.
Skype is just another useful tool that
speakers can keep in their hip pocket in
case something unforeseen thwarts their
ability to conduct an in-person presentation. Audiences are sure to appreciate
a speaker’s forethought in introducing
cutting-edge technology to engage them
on another level.
Tips for Success
•;Use;Ethernet,;not;Wi-Fi,;for;best
Skype connections.
•;Appoint;a;facilitator;at;the;other;end.
•;Start;with;small;audiences;and;build.
on-one communications, but a speaker
can use it to deliver a presentation and
still “be there”—but not in the physical sense. Skype video enables speakers
to use their skills as professional communicators to engage their audiences
on screen by showing they are real live
people “in the moment,” not just a
video presentation.
Tech guru Gina Schreck, CSP, and I
conducted NSA’s first-ever Skype video
presentation at the NSA Colorado
Chapter. We presented a three-hour
program to the NSA Michigan Chapter,
which went off brilliantly. The audience
not only was engaged, it was thrilled.
Skype also can be used for
coaching. Once you get past the perfunctory “How’s the weather where
you are?” and “Isn’t this great that
we can see each other?” type of talk,
you can elevate communication to
another level.
Some might say that using Skype
is not the same as making a presentation in person. There always will be
some naysayers who oppose every new
high-tech advancement (fax machines,
computers, e-mail), but eventually
Terry L. Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE, is a professional speaker and marketing coach. As a journalist, he writes about technology, marketing
and the Internet in his weekly column,
Succeeding Today. He has been in business
since 1983 helping business leaders and
professionals achieve success. Visit www.
terrybrock.com.
