Teleseminar Connections: What’s in a Name?
Our name is an important component of defining who we are. It’s how we are differentiated from and recognized by others. I love my name and still consider it my most favorite gift from my father. Our names give us an identity and when people use them, we feel validated on some level. Using someone’s name in a conversation with them can create deep-level connections that touch them at the heart-level.
Think about it. Who calls you buy your first name – typically your loved ones. Your parents were the first to call you by your name – the two people who loved you most dearly. When others use your name, you respond to them differently. It opens you up. You’re more receptive. It warms your heart.
As a teleseminar leader, recognizing participants by name is an important technique to building a stronger connection with them. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been one to use names when I talk to others. Not sure how that came to be, but I think it just goes back to the fact I want to honor others and show them that I am having a direct conversation, a meaningful interchange with them. Using one’s name in a conversation creates a more inviting and open environment to share.
If your teleseminar has a participative component to it, always ask contributors to state their name before they make their comments. Afterwards, thank them by name, and if the occasion presents itself, weave their name and/or names of other participants within the presentation as you reference their contributions or other important aspects of what they mentioned.
It’s all a part of respecting the participant and it really creates a more trusting, inclusive, and collaborative environment. Participants enjoy it as well because it gives them an identity when speaking – more of a platform to stand on once they’ve announced who they are. Try it during your next teleseminar and you’ll see immediate results. Not only will you feel differently by addressing people by name, but also the class will feel more connected.
About Tara Kachaturoff
Tara Kachaturoff provides coaching, consulting and implementation services related to teleseminar design, development and delivery. A professional speaker, writer, and television producer and host, she enjoys helping her clients to express themselves at their very best through using teleseminars and related technology.