Five Tips to Improve Your Next Conference Call

As technology continues to change the way we interact, a more globalized workforce is now a reality. It’s not uncommon today to find a single department stretched between various continents, time zones and geographies. To that end, the traditional “meeting” wherein everyone is physically in the same room at the same time, has become almost impossible to coordinate. As such, it comes as no surprise that trends from video teleconferencing to standard conference calling have become more dominant.

Yet, unless you’re properly prepared, a conference call can fill up with empty radio static in no time. Here are five tips to help you make sure everyone’s engaged, listening and getting the most out of the interaction.

1. Invest in the best technology.

If you know you’re in an industry or company culture that requires frequent conference calls, it’s wise to go ahead and invest in the best conferencing system available. Look for one with all of the bells and whistles, from echo cancellation to a full web interface. You also want one that allows you to speak for as long as you need to without time constraints and that allows you to start an impromptu call on the spot without requiring extensive reservation work.

Then, make sure everyone is properly trained on how to work the new system. Especially if you’re moving operations over from a legacy solution, there are likely many new features they’ll need to be made aware of before implementing.

2. Prepare beforehand.

It should go without saying, but if you want to make sure your next conference call goes according to plan, you’ll need to make one first. If you’re the leader, develop, at the very least, an outline of topics to discuss with as much detail as you’ll need to spur conversation.

In addition to understanding the subject matter, also take the time to learn exactly who will be on the call. Is it a more technical team or a C-suite? Knowing those answers can help you direct the tone of your conference call as well. You don’t want to start right off the bat discussing highly technical jargon that some of your executives might not understand.

3. Make sure everyone is on the same page.

After you’ve created your outline, make sure you share that high-level agenda with the rest of the participants. That way, no one is surprised by any of the subject matter and has time to prepare his or her input. Taking this action beforehand can also make sure that attendees know precisely what will be discussed during the meeting and will be less likely to wander off course and redirect the conversation.

Conference calls have been proven to help your business grow, but to achieve that desired outcome, they have to be productive first, and a misled or misdirected conversation makes it that much more difficult. If the topic wasn’t on the agenda, it might warrant further discussion but not during the call.

4. Be selective about your attendees list.

It’s tempting to invite a large group of people to join a conference call so you can get everyone’s ideas and have a wider sounding board. Yet, by doing so, you’re opening up the door to allow both increased distraction and decreased productivity. Instead, limit the attendees to just the people who are absolutely needed.

Think carefully about who will contribute to the discussion and provide relevant and actionable input that can spur company goals along. Keep in mind that while you might initially be concerned about leaving someone out or hurting anyone’s feelings by not including them, they’ll thank you in the end for not wasting their time, allowing them to contribute in other areas where they’re more needed.

5. Wrap it up positively.

Regardless of how the conference call went, remember that these people took time out of their busy day to connect with you and your teams. Try to find a few positive aspects of the call to highlight and encourage everyone to have a great day before signing off. Doing so adds an element of friendliness and engagement to your call and can be the simple touch that boosts morale significantly.

Ultimately, today’s conference call should be about efficiency, focus and productivity. We might have a more diverse and widespread workforce than ever before, but our options for communicating with them have never been stronger. Let’s leverage those resources and rally together those teams and have the kind of successful, rewarding conversations that catalyze change.