Improving Conference Calls

Do you find yourself frustrated by long and unproductive conference calls? What reputation do you have for managing conference calls? Establish expectations and a reputation for short and effective conference calls. Get your time back for other activities.

ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS UP FRONT

If you are the moderator scheduling the conference call, send out a list in advance with pertinent information. This information should contain the Purpose of the call, dial number with PIN code if necessary, the moderator, the start time, the end time, list of participants and specific agenda items. Attached relevant documents to email invitations for the conference call so the participants can prepare in advance. If documents are required from other participants to review on the call, make sure that these are coordinated and completed in advance. The more prepared you are for the call, the productive the time can be and the better able that you will be to stay on schedule.

PURPOSE

List the purpose or topic of the call clearly and succinctly. This should be the goal or objective of the call. Typically a conference call should be limited to one or two specific goals. This enables you to keep the conference call focused and succinct.

In some cases it may be more difficult to keep a conference call focused on a specific topic. For example, when reviewing the schedule for a large project there may be multiple topics that are relevant to time milestones in the project. If this is the case, keep the call focused on specific milestones that are due or relative to the point in the schedule.

Sometimes conference calls are used to gather information from many people in the field. These group calls can be effective if the purpose is for a moderator or manager to disperse information to several people simultaneously. However, if the call is used to gather information from several different individuals as a weekly update to management, is it really an effective use of time for anyone other than the manager? Is it really a good use of time to interrupt the schedules of many people to conduct a social town hall discussion in which each person waits in silent anticipation for peers to give a weekly update? Consider how much more effective it would be to obtain a written weekly report in lieu of a conference call. A written report can be read at convenience, creates a reference document for discussion if necessary, and enables the manager to work with priority or confidential communications in an appropriate manner. If you are already using both weekly reports and conference calls, then it is time to do some soul searching to determine if any of the communication is being treated with value or if it has just become a meaningless routine.

DIAL IN and PIN NUMBER

Always include the conference call Dial In Number and PIN Number on the invitation and any scheduled reminders. Make it easy to find the number. It can be a distraction to have people dial into the conference call late because they could not find the phone number.

MODERATOR

Every conference call should have one identified and assigned moderator. If there is a group of peers, it may be appropriate to rotate the role of moderator from time to time with repeating calls, Typically, the individual creating the invitation is the moderator. The moderator is responsible for making sure that the call starts and stops on time. The moderator is responsible for keeping the call on track and gently guiding individuals back on track in the event that conversation begins to run away on a tangent. The moderator may also be responsible for controlling emotional responses or maintaining a professional level of courteous communications. It may be necessary to encourage some individuals to participate, or discourage some individuals who may have a tendency to filibuster. It is the responsibility of the moderator to keep the call on schedule and focused on the purpose of the call.

It is the role of the moderator to reduce or eliminate distractions or interruptions. It is the role of the participants to remain quiet and respectful unless there is something useful and relevant to add to the conversation. Distractions may sometimes appear as opinions, jokes, anecdotes or personal stories that contribute very little to the progress of the conversation. It is the responsibility of the moderator to control the call and keep it focused.

START TIME and END TIME

Schedule the call to start five minutes past the hour. Most calls are scheduled to start precisely on the hour and the first five minutes of the call are wasted while waiting for some individuals to dial into the call. Sometimes it is difficult to start on the hour because a previous call or meeting may be ending precisely on the hour. Schedule your call to start five minutes past the hour and start precisely at the scheduled time. If you always start at the scheduled time, you will develop a reputation for being precise and the participants will plan accordingly. If you always start late or consistently spend the first five minutes waiting for participants to join the call, then the other participants will become accustomed to this delay. Schedule the call to start five minutes past the hour and start the call on time every time.

Schedule a precise End Time for the call and stick to it. Develop a reputation for ending your calls on time. It will create a sense of urgency and a rhythm for the conference calls as people realize that the purpose of the call must be met in a designated amount of time. It will enable the participants to schedule other activities after the call with confidence. It will keep the call focused. Complete the call with a summary of highlights and action items. If there are follow-up items, or if additional time is required, schedule the next phone call and use the summary highlights and action items as the agenda for the next conference call. Every action item should have name or names of associated owners to complete, or there is no purpose for the list of action items.

ROLL CALL

Conduct a time check near the end of the call and reserve the last few minutes for summary wrap-up and roll call. What, roll call at the end of the call? Yes, do your roll call at the end of the call, not at the beginning. It is inevitable that some individuals may join the call late. Avoid the temptation to wait for participants to join or to introduce distractions and interruptions by late arrivals. Start the call on time and get right to the purpose of the call. Conduct your roll call at the end when everyone has had a chance to join.

YOUR NEXT CALL

Example: Schedule a conference call to start five minutes past the hour and start precisely on time. Schedule the call for 40 minutes, unlike most calls that are scheduled for one hour. The shorter period of time and specific start and stop times will get the attention of the participants. There will be a sense of urgency since the call will not consume an entire hour, regardless of the topic. Do a time check at 30 minutes into the call, reminding participants that the call will have a hard stop at 40 minutes. At 35 minutes begin the wrap-up of the call, restate the highlights or commitments and use this to establish the agenda for the next call. Finish your call with a roll call of attendees and terminate the call at 40 minutes as planned. If you this consistently, the other participants will prepare appropriately in advance of the call for the fast paced rhythm of the call and focus on purpose. Side conversations and distractions will diminish, participants will be timely, and everyone will benefit from better use of time.

INVITATION

The following is an example of a format that can be used for conference call invitations. It is designed to establish the expectations and character of the conference call. Apply structure to your conference calls and earn a reputation for consistent focused punctuality. That is a good reputation to have if you want to have more productive conference calls and more time back to yourself.

Conference Call Purpose: ______________________________

Dial In Number: ____________________ PIN: ____________________

Moderator: ______________________________

Start Time: __(Example: 10:05 AM)__________ End Time: __(Example: 10:45 AM)__________

Participants: ___(Name)___________________________

___(Name)___________________________

___(Name)___________________________

Agenda Topics: ___(First Priority)___________________________

___(Second Priority)_________________________

___(Third Priority)___________________________

* This call will start precisely at the Start Time and end at the designated time. Please be on time. There will be a roll call at the end of the conference call, so it will not be necessary to announce yourself if you dial in late. The last five minutes of the call will be reserved for summary wrap-up and assignment of action items for the next scheduled call if necessary. Please prepare or review any relevant materials prior to the call. In the event that the agenda items are not fully covered in the allotted time for this conference call, another call will be scheduled. Thank you for your cooperation. Let's get ready for productive and focused communication.

______________________________________________________

Words of Wisdom

"A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done."
- Fred Allen

"The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence."
- Robert J. Shiller

"Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus."
- Oprah Winfrey

______________________________________________________

About the Author:

John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital

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Conference Calls - Choosing the Best Conference Phone

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First of all don't just go out and buy the cheapest conference phone you can find. Do your research and make sure the phone you choose has everything required to meet your conference calling needs.

A conference phone is so much more than a phone with a speakerphone on it. You will find that speakerphones don't offer anywhere near the same clarity that you get from a conference phone. For example, if there is going to be more than two people taking part in your conference calls you will want to make sure that the phone you choose provides 360-degree coverage to make sure everyone can be heard. Another important detail that you are likely to want is an echo/noise suppression feature to ensure background noise or feedback is kept to a minimum. Wireless is another option that is likely to be important for you to ensure maximum flexibility and range, although most decent conference phones will have the wireless feature.

One of the most important factors to consider for larger scale conference calls is the range of the conference phone. Many of the top end models will have coverage of anything up to 20ft or more. If you need more coverage than your phone offers you can look into a number of other options, such as extension microphones or two phones with the ability to sync together to increase coverage. If you want to have a natural two way conversation where you don't have to wait for the other person to stop talking completely before you can chip in then make sure the conference phone you choose has full duplex technology, although these days most will have this feature.

So do your research and make sure all your conference calling needs are covered before choosing your conference phone. It's not worth trying to save a little money by choosing a phone that doesn't have every possible feature that's needed, you will only regret it. You will be much better off in the long term by spending the money on a phone that meets all your requirements.

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Web Conference Calls - How To Set Up Web Conference Calls

Effective communication between people has been a concern for humankind since the early days of its evolution. With the coming of the Internet, chatting and conferencing on the net has taken the center stage. Web conference calls have revolutionized the way that people communicate with each other, and are increasingly being used by people as well as businesses.

The importance of web conferencing can be gauged if we look at the fact that it has not only helped many businesses to prosper by enabling timely and effective communication between the different parties involved, there have also been case of miraculous surgeries being performed by doctors communicating through web conferencing calls. Using web conferencing eliminates the need to travel and saves a lot of time and money, and helps in knowledge sharing and distribution.

How To Set Up Web Conference Calls?

Though it may seem complicated, setting up conference calls are easy. A web conference call can be placed from any location to any location in the world and the communication can be audio or video or both.

A simple web conference needs a computer, input and output devices such as web cams, speakers and monitors and an Internet connection. Another method, which is gaining ground, is the method called webcasting in which only one-way communication is done. A person gives a speech or presentation to the listeners on the other end. Large-scale web conferencing may require professional help to be set up.

How To Ensure That The Web Conference Call Is Successful?

Ensuring that the participants are well prepared while attending conference calls is a must if you want the objectives of web conferencing to be met. It is also important to coordinate between the participants and make sure that they log in at the same time. The objectives of the web conferencing must be given well in advance to the participants and the agenda of the meeting should be made clear beforehand.

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How Can Webinar Software Help Your Business?

Gone are the days where seminars have to be held in conference rooms of a hotel. Gone are the days when only certain people within a local vicinity can attend. Now, with webinar software, you can reach millions at once, all across the world. If you live in Washington state and you have potential attendees in New York, you have no problems in displaying your message throughout the country thanks to webinar software.

This type of software is taking its place or even replacing traditional conferences and meetings. Any person wishing to reach their targeted audience in the best possible manner makes use of webinars and its software programs. The great thing about this software is that it is not hard to learn and use, nor does it have to cost a fortune, which makes it really easy on your initial budget.

There are many software programs out there that are easy to use and affordable. Many of these programs offer everything you need for a successful webinar. For example, the software program might include:

o Registration Plans

o Delivery of the Webinar

o Recording of The Webinar

o Email Templates

o Toll-Free options for conference calls

o Practice Sessions

o Branding

These are just some of the features that you can enjoy with software for webinars. All of these are essential elements to a successful webinar. With this software, you can enjoy an all in one interface that takes you from registration and down the road towards delivery. All of this with one, easy to use, easy to understand software program.

The great thing about webinar programs is that it saves your business a great deal of money, time, and hassles. Let's look at some of the hassles of having to organize a traditional seminar:

o Handouts

o Travel

o Accommodations For Organizers and Employees that Attend

o Booking The Conference Room

o Accommodations For Speakers

o Manual Registration

Now all of this is just the hassles, it does not include the time and money spent:

o Time it takes to Travel

o Costs of Travel

o Costs of Rentals

o Time it takes to set up the conference room

o Cost of multiple Employees Time

With a web conferencing software , these are almost obsolete hassles, time consumption, and costs. Webinars can be held right from your office, no travel is necessary for anyone, and all for so much less money than traditional methods.

If you are considering a webinar, you should definitely be considering a webinar program. It can save your business a great deal of worry and hassle by making everything seamless and easy.

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Free Conference Calls on Offer As Part of Business Telecoms Software Upgrade

In addition to the existing conference call facility, which allows a user to start a conference call from a third-party client - for example through an instant messaging service - by inviting other users and clients, version 4.4.12 lets them also set up a conference bridge. This feature gives the user the capability to set up a virtual meeting room at a pre-determined date and time.

During the allotted time slot, anyone accessing the meeting room can obtain an automatically generated code from the system, will allow them to participate in the conference call.

Non-VOIspeed users can also get access to the meeting room, by entering an access code via the software's existing interactive voice response facility. Users of St Albans, Hertfordshire-based VOIspeed voice over internet phones now also have the option of an online soft client application which has been claimed to enhance the usability of their phones. VOIP phone users can now access a web-based application, which lets them view lists of their calls and texts sent via the service.

Another new feature in VOIspeed 4.4.12 which the company has designed to appeal to the more technically minded, is the inclusion of G729 codec, the voice compression algorithm which is becoming widely seen in the telecoms industry as a way of enhancing VoIP sound quality and optimising bandwidth usage on VOIP calls.

Launching the latest version of his company's flagship software product, Giuseppe Venturini, Managing Director of VOIspeed said that he hoped users would enjoy the enhanced facilities of the new package, which had largely come about as a result of discussions with VOIspeed users over what new features would best meet their requirements.

The company would continue its quest to incorporate its knowledge of cutting-edge technical developments in its software releases planned for the future, he added. VOIspeed was established in 2003, and develops and sells its own IP PBX software package and proprietary telephony hardware, via distributors and third-party sellers. Its products are in use in businesses and call centres of all sizes worldwide.

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The Business Advantages of Conference Calling Using the Internet

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The Internet provides a practical venue for the conference call. With its low cost and ability to accomodate many listeners it is now practical to open a conference call to almost anyone (at least to listen). Many firms now do. For example, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal related how IOMEGA does this as an efficient way to control the irresponsible babble on Internet bulletin boards. People posting idle chatter now attract accurate responces from others who have heard the actual story on a conference call. As a result, the irresponsible postings are controlled.
Naturally, investment professionals complain that this allows the novice to access raw information that needs interpretation by someone more knowledgable - namely such a professional.

However, companies like the ability to make one public statement, and then be free from goverment limitations on how investment information must be released. And individual investors like it too, as access to this information gets them access to information that once only slowly reached the average investor. Even Chairman Levitt of the SEC sides with the theory of greater access for the masses. According to an article in the 24 May 1999 issue of the Wall Street Journal, the NASDAQ has even funded a pilot program to pay for public access to conference calls. Firms such as DELL and Cosco are early participants.

Using the Internet has many advantages besides the instantaneous international release that results. It is possible to save the audio files so that the call can be accessed later at a more convenient time. Plus it would be possible to edit out meaningless portions to provide sort of a "Cliff Notes" of each conference. Naturally, there are some limitations. If everyone could ask a question, real brawls could result as the conferences became uncontrolled. So most Internet systems limit who can ask a question.
An outstanding advantage for the average investor is to witness directly a firm's management in action. While the information might be the same, an investor gains confidence in management that presents a virtuoso performane over one that is defensive, hesitant, and obfuscative. The details aside, the speed of responce and other items that don't get incorporated in an analyst's report can add a lot to one's understanding. Previously, a small investor's only such access might have been at a company's annual meeting.

Several firms have opened to provide investment-related conference-call services in one form or another over the Internet. Some require membership and user fees, but the trend seems to be toward company funding of the low cost service, and free or very low cost access by the public. According to the WSJ article mentioned above, firms now providing some for of access include: Vcall (Philadelphia), broadcast.com (Dallas), c-call.com (Street Fusion, (San Fransisco), and CCBN.com (Boston). Expect that more and more firms will offer the public Internet conference call. Encourage firms you are interested in to do so. This form of communication is yet another form of ultimate corporate democracy.

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Conference Calls - Choosing the Best Conference Phone

Image : http://www.flickr.com

First of all don't just go out and buy the cheapest conference phone you can find. Do your research and make sure the phone you choose has everything required to meet your conference calling needs.

A conference phone is so much more than a phone with a speakerphone on it. You will find that speakerphones don't offer anywhere near the same clarity that you get from a conference phone. For example, if there is going to be more than two people taking part in your conference calls you will want to make sure that the phone you choose provides 360-degree coverage to make sure everyone can be heard. Another important detail that you are likely to want is an echo/noise suppression feature to ensure background noise or feedback is kept to a minimum. Wireless is another option that is likely to be important for you to ensure maximum flexibility and range, although most decent conference phones will have the wireless feature.

One of the most important factors to consider for larger scale conference calls is the range of the conference phone. Many of the top end models will have coverage of anything up to 20ft or more. If you need more coverage than your phone offers you can look into a number of other options, such as extension microphones or two phones with the ability to sync together to increase coverage. If you want to have a natural two way conversation where you don't have to wait for the other person to stop talking completely before you can chip in then make sure the conference phone you choose has full duplex technology, although these days most will have this feature.

So do your research and make sure all your conference calling needs are covered before choosing your conference phone. It's not worth trying to save a little money by choosing a phone that doesn't have every possible feature that's needed, you will only regret it. You will be much better off in the long term by spending the money on a phone that meets all your requirements.

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