Business Management Skills

Managing A Conference Call

So you’ve set up an affordable conference call, now what? Here are some tips to make the most of the time you spend on the phone.

Pick a Leader – Weather in person or over the phone your meeting needs a leader. The leader does not necessarily need to be the boss, but rather someone who can moderate the meeting by controlling who has the floor and keeping things going smoothly and on schedule.

Identify Yourself – Although many of the callers may know your voice in person distortion in the telephone connection or bridge may render this difficult. Get in the habit of identifying yourself before you speak, at least until everyone says they know who is speaking.

Who’s Next? – When meeting in person it’s easy to use your eyes or body language to indicate who is expected to respond to a question or take the floor next. On the phone these tools are no longer available. When using conference calling you’ll need to cue the person you wish to respond or speak next, such as “Bob, what do you think of that plan?” or “Joan, please tell us about last quarter.”

Keep it Together – It’s a good idea to give out an agenda before a conference call, both so that everyone involved knows what will be discussed and can be prepared and so that nothing is forgotten.

Finding an affordable conference call is often the easiest part, but follow these tips and your conference skills will be up to par in no time.