Do you feel that conference calls have a negative impact on your day-to-day productivity? Have you ever felt like you have so many calls throughout the day but have very little results to show for it? If so, you definitely aren’t alone.
Conference calls have become a staple in daily business operations for companies around the globe. In fact, in 2016, U.S. businesses spent more than 163 billion minutes on conference calls, but around 33% of every call is wasted on interruptions and distractions.
Keep reading to learn what you can do to keep conference calls from being ineffective and unproductive so that you can get the most out of this virtual line of communication.
Always Have an Agenda
Meetings without a purpose automatically lose their effectiveness. One of the most common mistakes that businesses make in regards to conference calling is not having an agenda or objective. You’d never send an email or text someone without a purpose, so why hold a meeting without having a clear-cut agenda?
Without an agenda, your conference call is doomed from the start. Before sending out call invites, make sure that you have an objective and agenda, and share that information with participants.
The call objective should be short and sweet. All of the details need to be included in the agenda, which should outline the topics that will be discussed during the call. Having an agenda prevents the meeting from going off course.
When sharing this agenda with call participants, make sure that it’s sent no later than 24 hours before the call. This way everyone can prepare ahead of time, which means the call will be productive and worthwhile.
Designate a Call Leader
If done the right way, call conferencing for small business can have a huge impact on communication. As a rule of thumb, all conference calls need to have a call leader. Whoever asks for the call should likely run the meeting, as that’ the person who has a clear need to meet with others. There’s nothing that kills productivity more than a call that has no leader.
The call leader is responsible for a variety of things including:
- Setting the date and time of the call
- Determining required and optional participants
- Creating and sharing an agenda
After the meeting, the call leader should also send out meeting notes and any action items. This ensures that all call participants are on the same page and know what answers are needed before the next scheduled conference call.
Only Invite the Necessary People
One of the biggest reasons why employees dislike meetings and conference calls is that they feel as if they didn’t need to be involved in the meeting at all. If possible, limit meetings to only a handful of people who absolutely need to be in attendance. By inviting less people, it’s much easier to keep the call focused and on track.
The more people on the invite list, the greater chance there is of distractions, interruptions, and off-topic discussions. Having too many participants can also cause confusion, as it’s a lot harder to manage who is speaking and when.
Keep Conference Calls Short
It’s ingrained in our brains that meetings must be held in 30 minute or hourly increments. But, if you know that you don’t need an hour to get through all of the agenda items, don’t schedule the call for an hour!
By allotting an hour for the call, chances are that the meeting will drag on for at least the set amount of time. It’s a known fact that the longer the meeting, the more likely people are to zone out and lose focus.
If you were to cut conference calls by 15 minutes, you’ll feel more pressed for time and it’s less likely that the call will go off-topic as often.
With less time to spend on the call, everyone will want to get down to work and start talking about the agenda items versus veering off-topic. And when you’re done covering all of the agenda topics, end the call so that people can get on with their day.
Recap Before Ending the Call
There’s a lot of information that’s shared during a conference call. Before everyone hangs up, have a quick call recap to go over the key takeaways, as well as any action items or lingering questions. This way the important details are fresh in everyone’s mind and every participant hangs up and leaves the call on the same page.
Once the call is over, ensure that meeting notes are sent out. This way, action items are documented and can be addressed by the correct person.
Conclusion
Conference calls don’t have to be the ultimate productivity killers. When done right, these calls can be beneficial and worth your while. By following these tips and tricks, you can run effective conference calls that benefit every participant.
