Five Ways to Improve Your Conference Calls

Many executives and managers understand that the use of conferencing services is the best way to build more effective, coherent work teams. However, fewer people understand these important tips to improve the effectiveness of their conference calls. The following list was provided by an expert with over twenty five years of founding and growing world class Conference Service Provider (CSP) organizations.

1. Fixed Schedules — conduct conference Calls at regular, recurring intervals (weekly, monthly, etc.) so team members know their participation is routinely valued and their input is important to the overall success of the organization.
2. Limit Membership — whenever possible, limit the number of conference participants from seven to ten for optimal information sharing and discussion focused on a small set of key issues.
3. Pre Publish a Timed Agenda — a well-managed, timed agenda keeps everyone engaged and keeps your conference event from turning into a time wasting, “gripe session!”
4. Activate the Name Announce Feature — many CSPs offer a fixed or moderator activated name announce feature that allows all conference attendees to know which participants have joined or left the conference call. Use of this feature enhances the moderator's procedural control over the event.
5. Alert Participants in Advance of any Requests for Information — Surprising participants with questions can result in embarrassing delays as they search for an appropriate response. Avoid these time wasting gaps by alerting participants in advance of the information that is required so that they have their answer on hand at the moment it is required.

Utilizing these tips will allow executive level moderators to obtain the greatest possible value and information potential from their conference events. It will also create a positive role model and organizational standard for properly conducting conference calls. The resulting improvements in time utilization and decision making will be multiplied as other managers within the organization begin to replicate the use of conference events within their respective departments and sub organizations!