A presentation given at the 2009 Academic Impressions "Phonathon Bootcamp" conference, on how to use pre-shift warm-up discussions to develop caller skillsets, motivate staff and set a productive tone for calling sessions.

1. Creating Warm-ups
Albert D. Melfo
Director of Annual Giving
Kent State University

2. Planning and Giving Warm-Ups
How to Tips for
Four basic
Plan Giving
Definition types of
Productive Effective
Warm-ups
Warm-ups Warm-ups

3. What is a Warm-Up?
Warm-ups
Warm-ups provide
set the tone callers with
for your a break in
shift their daily
routine

4. Effective Warm-ups…
Focus your
Create a forum
callers’
for you to
attention on
convey your
their roles as
program’s
representatives
objectives your
of your
callers.
organization.

5. Characteristics of Warm-Ups
Warm-
Warm-ups Warm-
ups are a
have a ups have
repeated
time-limit structure
task

6. Practical
4 Types
Motivational of Warm- Informational
ups
Conceptual

7. Practical Warm-ups reinforce training!
Daily opportunity to build upon critical,
basic skills and concepts covered in
training.
Enhance your callers’ understanding of
the theory behind the structure of the
call, objection handling, etc.

8. Practical Warm-up Topics
“Tips for a Stronger Introduction”
“Using Open-ended Questions”
“Handling Objections”
“What’s so Formal about the Formal Close?”

9. Informational Warm-up Topics
Forum for reviewing or conveying new
information
Reinforces your credibility
• Particularly important for new supervisors and managers

10. Informational Warm-ups
“New School of Public Health to Launch”
“College of Education Reorganizes & Changes Name”
“Impact of Wall Street Mess on Higher Ed Funding”
“What’s the Deal with the New President?”

11. Conceptual Warm-ups
Allows you a concentrated period of time to deepen callers’
understanding of underlying communication theory
Formal training : Handshake : : Warm-ups : Relationship
Provides you with an opportunity to reinforce your program
philosophy

12. Conceptual Warm-up Topics
“Conserving Your Energy on the Phones”
“The Many Roles you Play on the Phone”
“Why do we Set Goals?”
“Being Assertive vs being Aggressive’”

13. Motivational Warm-ups
Your “quality time” with your team
Use your knowledge and energy to build your callers’ skills and
enthusiasm; build team unity
Draws upon the energy of your best callers to benefit the group
Allows you to align the energy of your group and focus it on
achieving your shift objectives

14. Motivational Warm-up Topics
“My Favorite Caller”
“Role-playing: The Worst Call Ever!”
“Why Work at the PhoneCenter?”
“How do you Define Success in this Job?”

15. Planning
Effective
Warm-
Ups

16. • How will I present
this?
Strategy
Topic
• How can I illustrate my
subject material?
Objective
• What do I want this warm-up to
accomplish?

17. Warm-Up Structure
Introduction Body Conclusion

18. Introduction
• Always start on time!
• Greet your shift
• State your topic
• Develop a “hook”

19. Body
• Create tables and lists from the
responses that the group gives
you
• Categorize feedback that you
receive from your callers
• Use a whiteboard – use markers to
"color-code" notes on the
board, and add an additional level
of visual information
• Draw "pictures"-- use shapes and
flow-chart type images to expand
visually on your topics

20. Conclusion
• Wrap-up your warm-up
discussion and launch your
shift.
• Find an individual closing
style, and stick with it (“Let’s
get started,” or “Let’s get on
the phones!”)
• Build on the momentum of
your warm-up -- make sure
your callers get on the
phones immediately, and
don’t head off to the coffee
station or break room.

21. Tips for
Giving
Effective
Warm-
Ups

22. Think of your warm-up as “improv”
• You’re on stage! It’s your time to shine.
Switch up your presentation -- your
callers have different learning styles
• Aurally (hearing), visually (sight) and symbolically (more
conceptual)
Use your whiteboard!
• Be the “note-keeper”-- write down comments and
organize the discussion.

23. Move around!
• Never give a warm-up sitting down! Remember -- you’re
on stage.
Be precise with your use of language.
• Don't generalize answers and avoid oversimplifying
information.
Play the role of the interpreter.
• Your role is to pare down large chunks of information into
palatable pieces.

24. Clarify, clarify, clarify!
• Don’t assume that everyone understands what you’re
saying.
Repeat, repeat, repeat!
• On average, we need to hear something 7-11 times before
it sticks.
Critique yourself – be objective!
• The measure of a warm-up’s effectiveness is whether or
not your callers get something useful out of it
• Do they come away feeling more prepared to do their jobs
as fundraisers?

25. Summary

26. A manager- An open exchange of
directed information that reinforces
discussion, aimed basic training concepts and
at creating focus provides opportunity for
and enthusiasm in more in-depth discussion of
the callers. specific techniques and
elements of the call.
A supervisor’s
primary means of
conveying
A focused,
structured campaign
presentation. objectives and
priorities to the
A Warm- callers.
Up is…

27. “Free time” for
callers to get to Forums for trivial telefund-
know each other related “announcements”
better, trade (like “here’s-what-we-did-
stories about their yesterday-and-here’s-what-
weekends or we’re-going-to-do-today”).
discuss current
events.
A substitute for
supervisor one-
An ego trip on-one’s with
for callers.
supervisors.
Warm-
Ups are
not…

28. • Albert D. Melfo
•
Contact: amelfo@kent.edu
• 330-672-0458

29. • Albert D. Melfo
•
Contact: amelfo@kent.edu
• 330-672-0458