6 Guidelines for a Productive Teleconference Call

As a result of the financial realities of today, many companies are trying to reduce costs. One way is to schedule meetings using conferencing technology. Not only team members reduce expensive trips, but will also be able to maximize their effectiveness over time, and will not be driving or waiting in an airport. Conferences can be an excellent meeting format for employees and customers, but have a bit of work to be valuable and attractive to all participants. Tip 1: Eliminate background noise. One of the most important strategies to implement in any conference call is to eliminate any background noise. Participants must turn off all other phones, pagers, etc., as if in a face to face. Preferably they should be in a quiet room that will be without any distractions or interruptions. This will allow members to fully focus on the meeting. Tip 2: Establish ground rules. The decision must be made in advance as to whether the participants are not entitled to use their computers during the call. In favor of access is that attachments can be sent by mail to / from the group during the meeting. An important contribution is that attendees can try to multi-task and do other work while in the conference call, so their attention is not entirely in the discussion. For this reason, the decision must be made before the meeting and the expectation to communicate to all parties involved. TIP 3: Communicate the program. Another important strategy is to have an agenda for the meeting and circulated to all participants before the beginning of the meeting. This book needs to have the start time, call your number, and preparations necessary for the members of the call. In addition, all materials will be reviewed during the call should be connected. The program should also clearly communicate the expectations of the participants during the telephone call. TIP 4: Identify a facilitator. You should always be a facilitator for the conference call. This person will ensure that all participants have the opportunity to be heard, and keep the group on the task with the agenda. This person has to be the boss, but someone who can ensure order during the call. This person may be responsible for recording the call. Many services offer free calls conference recording functionality. After the call has ended, the tape can be transcribed for all members and everyone will know the decisions that were made and the assignments were given. Furthermore, the facilitator can keep track of ideas or issues that participants bring up that were not on the agenda. These additional elements can be discussed at the end of the conference if time permits, or can be submitted for the next conference call. When the call is complete, the facilitator should summarize the decisions and assignments made to ensure their proper captured. All participants must agree on the deadline for the meeting tape transcribed. Typically, this can be completed and distributed a few days or a week at the latest. TIP 5: Have participants identify. Every time a conference call participant speaks, he or she needs to identify who they are. . Since the group is not physically present together sometimes be difficult to determine who said what. If the speaker always identify themselves before speaking, this goes a long way to ensure that everyone knows who has the floor. Moreover, this will help the facilitator to know who has not stepped in, and that you may need to take in the conference call conversation. TIP 6: Consideration of what worked and what did not. Finally, it should be a discussion about what worked and what did not during the conference call. The formatting changes can be made to the next teleconference. After this debate has concluded, schedule the next meeting of the conference call. Building on these ideas and ensures effective participation for all conference participants.

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