On the Line: How to Run a Good Conference Call

With COVID-19 restricting many of us from working in the office or in person, we’ve had to turn to virtual ways of getting business done. Even when we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic, conference calls are an important aspect of conducting business.

We’ve found that these calls can be just as effective as an in-person meeting if done the right way!

Read on to find out how to run a good conference call and make sure your business is thriving.

Have an Agenda

Organization is key. Take time to write out an agenda. This gives you time to set out exactly what needs to be taken care of.

With an agenda, you’ll make sure that you don’t miss anything. In addition, you’ll stay on course. Think about what goals you want to have achieved leaving the meeting to get started.

Distribute the Agenda

After having finalized your agenda, be sure to distribute it to everyone who will be attending. Give it out to allow ample time for them to prepare themselves. You can streamline everything when everyone else is better prepared.

Follow the Agenda

Be sure that you follow your agenda. It’s easy to go down rabbit holes when deep in thought and conversation. Don’t jump ahead. You should have organized the agenda to flow with the conversation.

Gather Any Notes

Prepare yourself beforehand. Gather notes so that you’ll never have an awkward pause. An expert tip is to use your agenda to take notes.

As you move through the meeting you’ll have a reference with easy access to important information.

Eliminate Distractions

Working from home or even where people aren’t directly in front of you can be a challenge. Distractions can easily take you away from an effective conversation especially with conference calling.

Go to a place where there are limited distractions. You’ll need to give your focus to the meeting. Never try to multitask while running or participating. You might find yourself in a tricky situation when someone refers back to you and you haven’t been paying attention.

Set Rules

Share the rules of the group call with everyone involved. This will help your conference call run much more smoothly.

Announce Yourself

One example of a rule to follow is to announce yourself. When there are multiple people participating in a zoom meeting, you’ll find that it can be difficult to pinpoint who is speaking.

Know How To Mute

Mute is a feature that can help eliminate distractions, reduce echoes, and take away background noise or conversation. Ask everyone to use the mute feature unless they have the floor to speak.

Do a Recap

At the end of the meeting, do a quick recap. Sum up all the important aspects you touched on. Give your team goals and tasks that you want to achieve based on what you talked about.

Use an Effective Conference Call Service

Picking the right conference call service gives you the ability to utilize features that can make your call run effectively. Features like caller ID, unlimited callers, recordings, talker indications, and instant conference call.

Get Work Done

Running an effective conference call can be key to achieving your team’s goals. With these tips and tricks, you’re on your way to success!

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