The Importance of Rehearsal: Practice Makes Perfect
As with any important event, it is a good idea to practice your answers, anticipate questions, and be ready to give your best effort. Practice and preparation will benefit you at the time of the call. Most of these calls, both comprehensive and dissertation, go very smoothly, but you can certainly improve your chances for a good call with solid preparation.
Preparation for either a preliminary or final call is crucial. Anticipate questions that your mentor and/or committee may have, and prepare answers for them. You may also want to rehearse your call with friends or family. Even if they are not aware of the details, they can ask general questions to you about the content or purpose. Rehearsing gives you practice with your major talking points, and may suggest areas that need to be strengthened. Your listener can provide important feedback on your tone of voice, your confidence in your answer, and perhaps ask a relevant question or two for you. All in all, it is strongly encouraged and recommended that you rehearse your answers before the actual call.
Best Practices for Rehearsal and Preparation
Visit the Videoconferencing Cookbook Web site from the Video Development Initiative (ViDe) for some good suggestions on conference call etiquette.
- Know your strengths and limitations. Play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
- Know your audience: anticipate questions and potential topics of discussion. Use your information and knowledge from previous calls to anticipate patterns of questioning in the upcoming call.
- When in doubt, ask for clarification. Always!
- Get a good night's sleep and eat a balanced meal before the call.
- During the actual call, use a headset, have a private area, and inform others that you are not to be disturbed. Important: practice in the location where the call will take place.
- Practice with a partner before the call. Ask your partner to play the devil's advocate-to argue against your points on purpose as they ask questions of you.
- Do not stray from questions; answer them directly. Practice this with your partner.
- Rehearse your notes for the call. Never read a prepared statement. The more you rehearse aloud, the smoother and more professional your comments will be when they count.
- Compliment your committee, but do not over do it. For example, you might say, "Dr. X, that is a great point. I am going to remember and focus on that in my write up." Use this sparingly, however. A little goes a long way.
- Have confidence in yourself, and let your tone of voice, your manner of speaking and your overall presentation style reflect that you are proud of your accomplishments, aware of your goals, and appreciative of your mentor's and committee's assistance.
