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Product Overview
 
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Conference
Call Tips
Teleconferencing Tips for making Successful Conference
Calls...
Successful Teleconferencing
With increasing frequency, we are asked to be involved in teams
where the members are from different geographic locations. While
ideally team members would like to always meet in person, that is
not possible. That's where successful teleconferencing comes in,
enabling all team members to stay in touch.
With the use of state of the art teleconference technologies, we
are able to make the best use of our time. Here are some teleconferencing
tips to help make these electronic meetings go smoothly.
Tips on Conference Call Equipment
The Conference call equipment used can have a great impact on
the quality of the call. When it comes to teleconferencing there
is more equipment choice and your preference in order should be:
- Wired phone – this will give the best
quality, make sure that the wires are in good condition so the
signal is clear.
- Cordless Phone – the newer cordless
phones are better than the older ones because they operate at
different frequencies. Make sure that you have a good connection
and know how to switch the channel if you get interference during
the call.
- Cellular Phone – a digital cell phone
will give quite a good connection as long as there is not too
much interference from buildings or equipment. Don’t connect
to a call while driving unless you have a hands-free attachment
and it is allowed by law in your area.
- Speaker Phone – a speaker phone is the
last alternative because most speaker phones have an echo sound
to them and it is hard for others to hear what is being said on
a speaker phone. Speaker phones also tend to pick up a lot more
background noise which can be distracting to others on the call.
Pre-conference Call Tips
Test the bridge before the call – The bridge
refers to the technology you use to connect multiple people to a
single call. Some phone systems have a bridge built in and you can
rent phone bridges with the cost depending on how many people you
connect and how long you need the line for. Many business phone
systems allow conferencing between three parties as a built-in feature.
If you are using a built-in conference feature of your phone, make
sure you check how many internal and external callers you can connect
and how the feature works.
Tips on Knowing your Conference Calling Equipment Features
- Know the features of your equipment –
Each phone has different features and how you use them. The two
most important features to know how to use are the volume setting
and the ability to mute your phone so that any background noise
in your environment does not get picked up by the phone.
- Headsets – If possible, for your teleconference
use a headset for your phone that has one or two earphones and
a microphone that is in front of your mouth. A headset allows
you to hear better and the microphone tends to only pick up your
voice and not background noise.
Advanced Teleconferencing Preparation Tips
- Have a backup phone available (ie. cell phone) in case your
phone fails.
- Send all conference call required materials 3 days ahead –
If you will want to refer to any documents during the conference
call, make sure that you send them far enough in advance that
people have an opportunity to review them.
- If you are sending documents by mail instead of e-mail or courier,
increase the lead time to 7 days ahead of the call.
- Send a reminder one day ahead – In your reminder, send
the conference call number and call procedures 24 hrs ahead to
help ensure everyone is ready when the meeting time comes.
- Print the reminder notice so that you have the phone number
and access codes available in case you lose your phone or video
link and your computer goes down and you can’t access the
reminder e-mail.
- Always have an agenda with clear items identified and a named
moderator and teleconference minute taker.
Tips on having a Successful Conference Call Experience
Ground rules of Teleconferencing:
- Have a list of who attending the conference call meeting.
- It's a good idea to have a glass or bottle of water handy because
talking dries out your mouth.
- State your name first, before the tele conference begins.
- Reduce noise levels in your environment. Find a quiet place
for the call – close doors, turn off radio, etc.
- There should only be one member speaking at a time.
- When referring to a document, always state the document title
and page number, and figure number if applicable.
- Always come prepared – read the materials in advance,
and have the documents in front of you when making the call.
During the Tele-conference Call
- Check that everyone is on the call, wait no more than 5 minutes
for anyone.
- Remind everyone of the rules that have been distributed.
- Moderator controls the flow through the agenda.
- Appoint someone other than moderator to take meeting minutes.
Whoever is taking minutes should have their phone muted because
the clicking of typing will be too distracting for others.
- If you are taping the call inform everyone and get their consent
at the start of the call.
- Make sure everyone agrees the call is over and then everyone
hangs up.
After the Teleconference
- Distribute the Conference Call meeting minutes within 24 hours.
- Send action items to everyone within 2 hours so that action
can get started quickly.
Teleconferencing Tips for Successful Conference
Calls...
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