Conference calls play a huge role in the business world. Read on to discover the best conference call tips for smooth conversation here. In a world where working from home seems to be more and more the norm rather than the exception, one crucial business function is conference call capabilities.
If your company doesn’t have the capacity to hold efficient meetings through the Internet with attendees all over the world, then it’s behind the times. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at six must-known conference call tips so that your team can have more effective virtual meetings.
1. Prepare an Agenda
The first thing to remember is that you need to prepare an agenda for the meeting. Especially when the meeting is virtual, it can be very easy for a conversation to get derailed with the important topics getting forgotten.
Have a strict agenda that you layout right at the outset of the call, and stick to it. Don’t let the participants go off on tangents.
2. Leverage the Screen Share
A picture is worth a thousand words. If it’s possible for you to do so, always let your meeting participants see what you are talking about rather than just hear it being described to them.
Use screen share functionality to share spreadsheets, demo software, and the like.
3. Record Meetings
What happens when an attendee has something up and can’t attend the meeting live? Or when you lose track as you’re taking notes?
The solution is simple: record the meeting so that you’re able to provide an artifact of the call to those who were not able to attend. You can also go back and review the call to see if there were any important notes that you missed.
4. Ask Participants to Mute Themselves Unless Talking
Whether it’s their dog barking or a baby crying, an attendee’s background noise can really ruin the meeting and create distractions for the rest of the attendees. Ask all participants to mute themselves unless they are actively talking.
This allows for a smooth, distraction-free meeting. It also prevents your attendees from having any embarrassing background noise come up!
5. Take Notes
Even if you do have the capacity to record the meeting, you should still take notes as you go. This will ensure that you stay engaged throughout. You will thus better absorb the information.
6. Recap at the End
Last but not least, at the end of the instant conference call, make sure to do a quick recap to bring to the top of mind everything that was discussed in the meeting.
If specific action items have been surfaced, be sure that everyone knows their role when it comes to the next steps.
Must-Know Conference Call Tips
There you have it. With these must-know conference call tips under your belt, you should have a far better understanding of how your company can hold effective meetings that get a lot done. With more effective virtual meetings, your company should be better poised to enable its employees to work from home effectively.
For more business advice, be sure to check out the rest of the articles that are available on the website before you leave!
