In person, I’m a fast talker and I use my hands to punctuate my points. Unfortunately, when holding an online meeting neither of these characteristics work in my favor.
Because much of the work that I do is visual, I hold many meetings via join.me so that I can share my screen and have a conversation at the same time. When it came time for questions I found that I was trying “fill the silence” as I formulated my respose, something that doesn’t occur as often when meeting with someone face-to-face.
The visual cues, body language, and natural conversation patterns that we rely on are absent in an online environment.
Result? I was filling some of those silences with the dreaded “um” — one of the worst two-letter words (sounds?) that I know.
I soon discovered two things:
- If I slow down, take a breath, and then respond, voila! no “um” is uttered.
- A brief, silent pause doesn’t cause discomfort on the listener’s part and it makes me sound more professional and as confident as I feel.
I keep this note taped to my desk lamp as a simple reminder.
What tricks do you use?
