Introduction
If you work in the business world no doubt at some point you will have to be on a phone conference call. Most people don’t think about how a phone conference is hosted until they are told that they have to host one. The good news is that it’s really not that hard to host a phone conference and anyone can do it as long as they time a little time to learn.
Step 1
The first thing that you should do is make sure that you have a plan of attack for your phone conference. This means think about who are inviting and then make sure that you have a good time chosen for the conference. When you are choosing the time make sure that you remember if anyone is going to be in a different time zone than you are. Once you have done this, send out the invitations to those that will need to attend.
Step 2
When sending your invitations to the phone conference make sure that you send all the people invited the information that they need to log in. This will usually be a phone number and a password. If you can send them a contact number in case they have any problems logging in.
Step 3
Make an agenda of what will be covered in the phone conference and put that in the invitations. This will allow those that are attending to prepare and know what will be discussed. This will not only make people feel more comfortable but give them a chance to prepare for the meeting and perhaps move the topics along more quickly.
Step 4
When you are on the phone conference call you want to make sure that you keep it professional and moving. The last thing that you want is for there to be a lot of dead air. Conduct it almost the same way that you would conduct a regular business meeting. Try to minimize the background noises as this can distract for the focus of those involved.
Step 5
Make sure that when the phone conference call is started that you introduce yourself and the others that are participating. This will help to make everyone feel more comfortable and communicate well.
Tips
Try and remind those that are speaking that they should state their name before they speak as this will help make a phone conference go a lot easier and be less confusing since face to face contact was not done. If you can it’s a good idea to have the entire call recorded as it might help you since you won’t have to take note and you can pick up details.
Sources and Citations
When you are on a phone conference call the most important thing to remember is that you need to show leadership. Take control and remember that others are looking to you for guidance on where the meeting needs to go. It’s up to you to make sure that the meeting goes where it needs to and that progress is made in order to keep the call and short as possible while still addressing all the issues.
