Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California

Questioning Techniques for Teleconference Success

There are many ways to use questions to keep your audioconference interesting, flowing, effective, and informative. Here are some of them:

To open a discussion	To keep discussion to the point
To bring out reactions to films and other media	To direct attention to another phase of the subject
To bring out opinions and attitudes	To uncover causes or relationships
To suggest an action, idea, or decision	To achieve a conclusion or agreement
To get information	To test ideas
To call attention to a point, an idea, a fact, a problem, or a situation	To bring out reactions to a point made by a conferee
To develop new ideas	To summarize or end a discussion

Here are some techniques for keeping the distractions to a minimum, and helping participants stay focused and on track:

Conferee talks too much	Interrupt tactfully with a question or summarizing statement. When the talker pauses, rephrase one of his or her statements and pass on to another question. Seat this participant in your "blind spot" right next to you and ignore some of his or her comments. Allow the group to cut this participant off, which they probably will if the talking persists.
Conferee doesn't participate	When asking a question, make eye contact with this participant. Phrase questions in a way to stimulate this particular conferee's participation. Ask a direct question of this conferee.
Conferees engage in side conversations	Stop talking and wait for side conversation to end. Stand behind the conferees who are talking. Change the seating arrangement. Ask a direct question of one of the talkers.
One conferee adamantly disagrees with the group on a particular point.	Let the group handle this participant. Change the subject. Have the participant summarize the position he or she disagrees with. If all else fails, talk with this participant after the conference.