~Carry a nametag in your glove compartment. Make one for personal use, another for business use. Then people will feel more comfortable walking up to you in meetings.

~Put your notes on back of duplicates of pictures (photography) you've taken. Then they won't stick out so much from podium (like white paper or index cards do.)

~Practice some opening lines and your handshake before you attend event. Practice using a mirror and ask your family to let you practice on them, too.

~Develop two a 30-second commercials (also called elevator speeches, USP - unique selling propositions). One is for personal use, and other would be for business use. On a recent telelclass I attended, provided by Jay Levinson of Guerilla Marketing fame, suggested creating a 7 word commercial, too.

~Remember that everyone in that room is a human being, too. Everyone has their own fears to deal with... and they might even be same as yours.

Find other ways to build your confidence, too. Let me know ones that work for you.

4) Distribute agenda at least a day before meeting. This allows everyone to think about your issues and prepare for their participation. If appropriate (e.g., for controversial or complex issues) call key participants to confirm that they received agenda and to check if they have comments on how meeting could be made more effective. Use this as an opportunity to listen their ideas, instead of to work on issues or argue with them.

5) Distribute any materials related to issues before meeting. This includes outlines, blueprints, schematics, product brochures, and data. Then, participants can use these tools to participate more effectively. For example, they can follow an outline, look at diagrams, or read data during meeting. This helps compensate for lack of visual contact in a teleconference.

6) Invite only those who can directly contribute to meeting. Ideally, this should be fewer than eight people. If you invite more people, it becomes very difficult to hold an effective meeting. With a larger group, some of attendees will become lost as silent listeners, which is a waste of their time. You can always send a copy of minutes to people who need to know about work accomplished during meeting.

A teleconference is more than a phone call. It is a meeting. And a meeting is a business activity that should be driven by a well thought out goal supported by a detailed plan. With proper planning, your teleconferences will distinguish you as an effective leader.