TeamEvery business in the world conducts conference calls to establish communication with their employees, teams, customers, partners, etc. They are effective in conducting meetings with people working remotely.
Successfully holding a conference call can be a challenge. It is not always easy to maintain interest and focus throughout the call. There are several do’s and don’ts that are vital for holding fruitful conference calls with other teams.
Tips For A Successful Conference Call
A conference call can go off rail pretty quickly if you are not careful. Here are a few tips that one should be familiar with and make the best of all the conference calls.
Organization and Preparation
Being organized and prepared is crucial to accomplish the agenda of the conference call. Before starting the conference call, write down an agenda or an outline. It will make sure that you stay on topic and do not wander off discussing topics that are not relevant.
Everything you need to follow and complete the agenda of the meeting must be neatly organized so you do not have to shuffle through documents during the meeting.
Prepare all the data related to the agenda for the meeting and must be prepared beforehand. Arrange the material according to the agenda and you will not have to frantically look for the required document during the meeting.
Use Calendar Invites
Sending invitations to the participants of the meeting is a vital part of setting up a conference call. Most of the conference call platforms have built-in integrations to Outlook and Google Calendar. It makes it easier to create and send invitations to the participants.
It is a waste of time when you arrange a meeting and fail to invite all the relevant people because then you end up calling the meeting and going through the agenda again. The outcome can be pretty exhausting and time-consuming.
Calendar invites also ensure that you do not miss a meeting and you will get a reminder.
A Conducive Environment
The purpose of conference calls is to share agendas and ideas. The participants must know that their opinions are valued.
People can often tune out during the meeting and asking for their input is the best way of making sure they stay attentive during the entire conference call.
Conference call apps do offer some great features that can help enhance engagement like surveying, Q & A, and polling.
Be On-Time
Punctuality is a crucial aspect of professionalism. When participants fail to show up on time it disturbs the entire thing. The time of the conference call is shared beforehand in the invitation, allowing people to clear their schedule so they are solely focused on it.
It is always smart to join the call a few minutes earlier because technology can be unreliable. It is possible to run into technical issues and by joining early you give yourself time to sort things out and ensure the call goes smoothly.
Select The Right Location
The location is important because there should be no unnecessary noise and interruptions during the conference calls. Conference rooms have microphones and speakerphones that ensure the audio and visual is clear and error-free.
If you are going from a remote location, make sure the acoustics of the location are good and the voice quality is crystal clear.
Stay With The Agenda
To make the best of the conference call and to accomplish the set goals it is essential to strictly follow the agenda. A conference call is no place for small talk. Try to go through all the points within the allocated time of the call because extending the meeting is not appreciated by most participants.
Keep A Record
Keeping notes during the call is helpful in maintaining focus and referencing. The feature of recording the meeting is highly useful. Recording the meeting makes it possible for participants to review the discussion and process the information.
Duration Of The Meeting
Do not drag the conference calls because it is the fastest way of losing the focus of the participants. Concise meetings save time and are way more productive than long, stretched-out meetings. If you stretch them out once or twice, the participants will start to expect that from you and start slacking off by joining late so they do not have to sit through lengthy meetings.
Conclusion
Communication is a crucial part of conducting business because it ensures agendas and ideas are shared. To ensure conference calls are effective it is vital to focus on advanced preparation and goals.
