When presenting over the phone or via
webinar to people who are not fluent in English, your voice and choice of words
become even more important than when delivering a presentation in person.
Here are 6 strategies to ensure that you
can be easily understood:
1.
Slow
down. Allow enough time for people to
hear and understand your words.
2.
Enunciate. Leave spaces between your words, so your
audience can figure out where one word ends and the next begins.
3.
Speak
louder than usual. Don’t shout, but make
sure you can easily be heard, especially over the phone connection (which could
be a cell phone, international landline or a voice-over-IP line).
4.
Reduce
your use of idioms, jargon and slang, such as “drag your feet” or “batting a
thousand.” Use commonly-used, literal words and simple sentence construction.
5.
Include
more words on your documents or slides than I usually recommend, since it is
often easier for people to read English than to comprehend spoken English.
6.
Consider
sending written material ahead of time so they have an opportunity to get
familiar with it before your presentation.