Successfully conducting a conference call is an opportunity to demonstrate your organizational and management skills. Here are some tips to make sure your conference call is a success and to make the best impression of yourself.
Steps
Step 1. Set and plan a time
Consider other people's plans when setting the time. If there are attendees from other areas, businesses, or time zones, make sure you don't interfere with their plans. Avoid lunch breaks, early-day conferences, and those that require attendees to work outside their normal hours.
Step 2. Send a meeting invitation
As soon as you've decided on the time, send an invitation. This should include everything attendees need to enter the conference (meeting number and password) and the agenda with the topics that will be covered, including a list of responsibilities. The agenda should cover any questions or interests from the other attendees, which you can already anticipate. Focus on the positives first, then move on to the challenges and offer solutions or ideas to overcome any obstacles.
- Avoid using a customer or manager connection number, as signing in early could interrupt another call or present a cost to your customer.
- Any task you entrust to someone else should be discussed before sending the agenda. The last thing you want to do is tell a client or manager that someone else will take care of something, when you haven't asked that person to do the job yet.
Step 3. Make a list of attendees, including where they come from and general personal information
You can use this material to chat while you wait for all attendees to connect.
Step 4. Send an email reminder on the day of the conference if it is after lunch, or the day before if the conference is scheduled in the morning
This will help ensure everyone arrives on time. You can also use this opportunity to send reports or documents that will be needed during the conference. If someone else has created this material, be sure to give him credit (or avoid the blame on you) by forwarding the message he sent you containing the documents or saying “I have attached John's report, he will explain it to us step by step during the conference . It is your responsibility, as the conference leader, to make sure everyone is on the same page and that everyone has completed their assignments before the conference begins.
Step 5. Check any information you present
Step 6. Start the conference call
Be on time. Access the conference call 10 minutes early if possible. Some services will not let you log in until the designated start time and others will not let anyone communicate until a leader with a special password logs in. Make sure you try the connection number beforehand if you are not familiar with the service you will be using.
Step 7. Usually at least one person will be late, so you need to have some useful notes to start a conversation and avoid long silences at the beginning of the conference
Make sure you introduce all attendees (name, title, and role they occupy) to anyone who doesn't know them, especially your customers. Start the conference 3-5 minutes after the scheduled time whenever possible, even if not all participants are present.
Step 8. Follow the agenda - you've taken the time to do it, so stick to it
Be sure to keep an eye on the clock as some attendees may not stay past the scheduled session closing time. Be aware of the times your presenters need. It's your job to make sure everything is under control.
Step 9. Stay focused and take notes
If possible, avoid using the mute key while others are talking. People in the office will not interrupt you while you are in the conference if you seem busy and involved. This is your opportunity to demonstrate how much you know about the topic you are discussing. Don't promise too much, and feel free to say you'll get them answers to questions you didn't expect.
Step 10. At the end of the conference, ask if anyone has any questions to ask and make sure they are answered during or after the conference
If a later meeting is needed, schedule it before the conversation is closed. Thank everyone for their time and wish you a good day or a good weekend.
Step 11. Immediately after the conference call, create a summary document and send it to all participants
This summary serves two purposes: 1) To ensure that everyone understands and has a list of their responsibilities, and 2) to document the conversation in black and white in case there are any discrepancies later on. You may find that a good final relationship will save you more than once. Remember to ask for corrections or changes to the summary if necessary.
Step 12. After the conference call, keep working
Make sure you act on the decisions made and answer each question in a reasonable time. If deadlines have been set, stick to them. If other departments or other employees have promised to do some work, make sure they deliver it.
Advice
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Here is a list of things you will need for a successful conference call:
- Set a time that suits everyone, considering the time zone differences for international attendees.
- Agenda
- Invitation to the Meeting
- Mail memos with attached reports or documents
- Light topics to start the conversation
- Title, responsibility and name of whoever is to be presented
- Conference summary
- In a conference call, participants tend to sit "at the back of the class". It is very difficult to get them to participate. Be proactive and ask specific people questions. Instead of asking if anyone has any questions, ask a question of a person who is particularly important to the topic of discussion, for example "Bob, do you have all the information you need to create the topic text?"
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Don't forget to:
- Look at the clock
- Take notes
- Continue the work
Warnings
- This article is not titled "how to hold a successful conference call when you have no idea what you are talking about" or "how to deal with a sensitive topic during a conference call."
- Remind attendees that they can mute, but shouldn't put the call on hold during the meeting, as this would most likely trigger music or commercials that would disrupt the conference.
