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Rule One:
Prepare an agenda ahead of time. Be sure to in-
clude the number to call for dialing into the teleconference,
along with the name, company affiliation, and contact infor-
mation of each participant
Rule Two:
Fax or e-mail the agenda to each participant 24–48
hours prior to the teleconference.
Rule Three:
Let each participant know, by phone, e-mail, or
fax, exactly what his/her role is in the teleconference.
Once you are actually leading a teleconference, it is your
responsibility to:
Welcome each participant and introduce them
to others at the start of the meeting.
Follow the agenda.
Be sure that each person is actively involved in
the teleconference.
Give participants “the floor” by asking each
person for comments and questions.
Suppose you’re
not
running the show? Here are two rules
that will help you make the most of this meeting.
Rule One:
“Sign on” at least two minutes prior to the actual
start time.
Rule Two:
Announce yourself by name to the person spear-
heading the meeting.
69
Sound Advice
The primary responsibility for a conference call obvi-
ously lies with the person who is organizing it. First and
foremost, the participants in the call must be notified in
advance of the date. This action should serve to verify
whether they are available to participate in the call, as well
as to ensure that it is noted on their calendars. The orga-
nizer should then follow up via e-mail or fax to confirm the
day and time and to provide a list of who will be participat-
ing in the call.
When announcing the time of the conference call, the
time zone should be included. If an out-of-country partici-
pant will be involved, the call should be arranged with the
time difference firmly in mind. In addition to a general an-
nouncement, an agenda should be sent to each person prior
to the date of the call. The agenda allows each person to
learn the goals of the telephone meeting and what his or
her involvement will be.
The call will usually fall into one of two categories: Ei-
ther you will be calling all involved parties and connecting
them via your own phone system, or they will be required
to call a certain number themselves to connect to the con-
ference call. If your call falls into the latter category, you
must make absolutely certain that your memo providing the
meeting details includes everything a participant needs to
know to be connected to the call.
As with any other meeting, punctuality is key to a con-
ference call. Whether you are the organizer or a partici-
pant, you should be at your phone at the appointed hour. If
you have organized the call, you must also observe certain
etiquette in getting others on the line. The first person
should be called within five minutes before the designated
time; the last person should be called a minute or so before
the meeting is scheduled to begin.
70
Business Etiquette
Those who are “lowest on the totem pole” should be
connected first; the most senior executive or client should
be connected last. If the meeting requires the other partici-
pants to call in themselves to be connected, you should en-
sure that all involved parties are on the line before
commencing the meeting.
Once everyone is connected, the conference call host
should greet the group as a whole and introduce all other
persons on the line, who should then acknowledge their
presence with a short greeting (“Hello” or “Good morn-
ing”). Once this basic courtesy is out of the way, the meet-
ing should commence according to the agenda that had been
previously distributed.
One major difficulty with conference calls is, of course,
the inability to see your fellow callers. This prevents you
from tuning into the body language that may indicate when
another person wants to speak. In addition, people who talk
out of turn may interrupt or drown out the caller who “has
the floor.” It can be extremely disconcerting to have sev-
eral people talking at the same time. The calls tend to run
most smoothly when one person determines whose turn it
is to talk next—and when others refrain from speaking un-
til they are asked for input.
When it is time to end the call, the host should provide
a summary of no more than a few sentences, describing what
was discussed and/or decided. After the call has ended, the
host or the person who has been designated to take notes
should promptly send a follow-up letter to each member of
the group to confirm any action plan that had been dis-
cussed and to outline the responsibilities of each person in
the group.
TE
AM
FL
Y
Team-Fly
®
71
Sound Advice
Tip #34
Tip #34
Tip #34
Tip #34
Tip #34
Keep people who field calls for you infor
Keep people who field calls for you infor
Keep people who field calls for you infor
Keep people who field calls for you infor
Keep people who field calls for you informed.
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