The modern workplace has changed considerably. The concept of a physical workspace is becoming an outdated concept with various employers working remotely. Thankfully, keeping your entire office connected has become very easy. Occasionally, there are subjects to discuss which are too complex or important to leave to an email thread and in those cases, the conference calls become very important. However, leading an effective and valuable conference call can be difficult. Here are a few tips to make the most of your next conference call.
Don’t do it just for the sake of doing it.
Before establishing any conference call, you need to consider why you need to have it. When a business is spread out with members working from various areas, it can seem necessary to do a regular check-in. That’s true, but does such a thing really need to be a weekly conference call? Consider if a simple email thread would accomplish the same thing. The advantages of working remotely is that there is a flexibility in schedules as people are tied to an office. Constant conference calls interfere with that without any purpose.
Send out an agenda beforehand.
Planning is essential for conducting an effective meeting and the same is very much true for conference calls. It may seem as though you and those in the meeting are comfortable enough with the subjects that you can take a more informal approach. However, going in blind an easily lead to the meeting going off track and wasting a lot of time. You can also have members of the meeting ill prepared for the subjects at hand if they’re unsure what you’ll be covering. Sending out a detailed agenda for the meeting allows everyone to start off on the same page and keep things moving on track.
Keep statements short and avoid droning on.
As with any meeting, addressing all items on hand is top priority, but conference calls don’t lend themselves well to the same type of conversation as an in-person meeting. As the one leading the conference call, you’ll be expected to do most of the talking, but try to keep you statements as short as possible. Continuing on for extended periods can cause those listening in to lose concentration and miss your key points.
Not everyone needs to be involved.
Another consideration for any meeting is who need to be involved. It’s great to keep everyone in the loop, but if 90 percent of your meeting is about social media strategies, does the HR personnel really need to be included? Adding people who don’t really play a role in the subject you’re addressing just adds an unnecessary voice who could be spending their time in much more productive ways.
Take charge.
Having a meeting open-format allows for people to freely offer their opinion, which can be great, but these types of meetings often end up wasting for more time than necessary. As the leader of the meeting, it is your job to keep things running smoothly and to stay on task. Jump in when you see the conversation drifting off course. Ask questions where necessary. Keep an eye on the clock. These are all necessary tasks for any leader.
Leave room for questions and feedback.
Before the end of every meeting, be sure to offer a chance to add their own feedback and questions to the conversation. Any issues that weren’t brought up, clarifications that need to be made, or general comments on the items discussed can only go towards making the meeting more efficient and valuable.