• Home
• About SMB Tech Tips
• About the Author
• Sponsoring
• The E-Book

Tips for a successful conference calls

1) Reserve the conference facilities to begin about 5 minutes before the scheduled time and hold it for 30 minutes longer than the estimated time required. The leader of the call (this does not have to be the one running the meeting) should arrive first to welcome the participants as they arrive.

2) Begin the conference at the announced time. It’s alright to wait for a minute for everyone to get on, but don’t wait for those who have not arrived. It’s not fair to those who did arrive at the scheduled time.

3) Have an agenda for the call if more than one particular item is to be discussed. If there is someone invited for just one discussion item, have that item as one of the first item on the agenda. Also if you are aware that someone will need to leave early or arrive late, and there is an item to be discussed which requires their presence, have that item placed on the agenda to meet their needs.

4) Depending on the length of the call, it may be wise to use a headset. To keep background noise to a minimum you may want to have your telephone on mute. Be sure if your telephone system employs background music on hold that you do not put the call on hold.

5) Unless using video conferencing people can’t see you to know when you wish to talk. It’s alright to interrupt the conversation. Wait for a natural pause to occur then with an ‘excuse me’, voice your opinion and concerns.

6) At the conclusion it’s best to detail the summary of the call. It’s advisable to have someone take minutes, and as soon as possible afterwards have those minutes distributed to those involved for review and archiving.

© 2007 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved

******
Steven G. Atkinson is the author of the book Technology Tips for Small Business. The book offers over 55 informational tips to assist the small business owner or office manager better understand the technology they use every day.

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.