{"id":8601,"date":"2020-03-16T18:37:54","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T18:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordcorp.com\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/"},"modified":"2023-10-06T14:01:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T14:01:17","slug":"how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/en\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Run an Effective Conference Call"},"content":{"rendered":"

The social distancing recommendations we\u2019re now under to tame the spread of COVID-19 are challenging many workers and workplaces to\u00a0embrace teleworking for the first time<\/a>. When the need inevitably arises to speak with team members or larger groups, conference calls can be a useful tool. Most people in today\u2019s business world are familiar with conference calls, but what does it take for you to run an effective call?<\/p>\n

These days, it\u2019s easy to take conference calls for granted. We can communicate with colleagues\u00a0around the world,\u00a0and in real time.\u00a0But conference calls are also ridiculed<\/a>\u00a0for technological challenges, poor facilitation, or being an inefficient use of time. Here are some tips to run an effective conference call from seasoned remote workers.<\/p>\n

Set an Agenda.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take the time to determine what it is you\u2019re trying to accomplish and why a conference call is necessary to meet your objectives. If you can discuss something by email or in a phone call, do that instead. But there are times, especially when managing a team or working collaboratively, that conference calls are necessary.<\/p>\n

Christina Schiavoni, an independent researcher and remote worker based in Bangkok, spends a significant amount of time on conference calls. She suggests creating an agenda with set times for each agenda item. Facilitators should \u201cbe realistic,\u201d she adds, about how long each discussion will take and what can be accomplished in a single conference call.<\/p>\n

Cyrus\u00a0Zulkarna\u00efan\u00a0Kazi, CEO and co-founder of\u00a0Quantibly.com<\/a>, a global SaaS solution for the social sector, limits conference calls to 15 people and 30 minutes. He gives participants a grace period of two minutes to join the call, and then the meeting begins. Working from New York with staff in multiple time zones and countries, he\u2019s mindful that calls are productive, especially if someone\u00a0has to\u00a0get out of bed to participate.<\/p>\n

Joann Lo is a longtime labor organizer based in Los Angeles who has mostly worked remotely for more than a decade. She prefers to dig into critical updates or priorities \u201cat the beginning, when we\u2019re all fresh, and we have everyone before anyone jumps off.\u201d Then, each program area gives an update. Her advice is to keep calls to less than an hour and a half; after that, it\u2019s hard to concentrate. Without a tight agenda, people can easily lose focus during a conference call, scanning emails or distracted by kids or pets at home (which is\u00a0all the more\u00a0relevant these days).<\/p>\n

Allow Time for Personal Check-ins.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schiavoni suggests that facilitators build in time for hellos and personal check-ins at the start of a call. \u201cIt\u2019s going to happen anyway,\u201d she notes, \u201cso let people connect on a human level.\u201d This is perhaps even more critical now, with anxiety running high and people feeling isolated\u00a0in light of\u00a0COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Lo also starts conference calls with time and space for interpersonal connection. Intended to both celebrate good things or express difficulties, this kind of team\u00a0building\u00a0and emotional support sets the tone for the rest of the call.<\/p>\n

Get it in Writing.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have a designated notetaker \u2014 who is not the facilitator \u2014 during the call. Be sure to capture any action items and recap them at the end of the call. Share meeting notes with participants in a timely manner.<\/p>\n

Lo prefers to take shared notes in Google docs, in real time, which helps \u201cif you get distracted and need to catch up.\u201d It also assists those with different learning styles and makes notetaking a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n

Most conference call applications have the option to record a meeting and send a link to participants and folks who were unable to join the call.\u00a0Not everyone will make the time to listen to a recorded version, so written notes are also useful.<\/p>\n

Find Ways to Include People.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Video conferencing options are also effective at including people in discussions. Participants can raise their hands and the moderator can create a stack for comments. Or they can mute participants and put questions in the comments.<\/p>\n

On large calls, small group discussions with separate video chats are an option. Then, they can return and report back to the larger group,\u00a0similar to\u00a0group work during an in-person meeting. Lo points out that people who are not comfortable speaking to the larger group can be included in this way.<\/p>\n

On large voice calls with fewer technology options, remind people to set their phones on mute at the start of the call and explain how to mute and unmute the line before speaking. You can give people an opportunity to speak according to their physical location or alphabetically by name or department to prevent crosstalk.<\/p>\n

Remember to Pause.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a learning curve for people unaccustomed to new conference call technology or in organizations without a standard way of operating on these calls. As a moderator, don\u2019t forget to take a pause. Not everyone will arrive on time, things may not go smoothly every time, but overall, people will have an opportunity to communicate and collaborate.<\/p>\n

Participants can practice pausing before speaking and consider whether a question or comment is necessary at this moment. Moderators can agree to respond to unaddressed questions by email after the call.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 and social distancing are challenging many of us to work in unfamiliar ways. But hosting an effective conference call can be easy if you follow these guidelines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the\u00a0Author\u00a0<\/strong>
\nJess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.<\/p>\n

This content was created, and shared with us, by Oxford\u2019s sister company: Creative Circle. From our family to yours, we hope you enjoyed it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The social distancing recommendations we\u2019re now under to tame the spread of COVID-19 are challenging many workers and workplaces to\u00a0embrace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[],"category-tag":[],"class_list":["post-8601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Run an Effective Conference Call - Oxford Global Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Run an Effective Conference Call\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The social distancing recommendations we\u2019re now under to tame the spread of COVID-19 are challenging many workers and workplaces to\u00a0embrace […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oxford Global Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-16T18:37:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-06T14:01:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how_to_run_an_effective_conference_call.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1282\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Luke Summers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Luke Summers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Luke Summers\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/de\/#\/schema\/person\/e880f6edc6bcf421204f294431943cd3\"},\"headline\":\"How to Run an Effective Conference Call\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-16T18:37:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-06T14:01:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\"},\"wordCount\":961,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how_to_run_an_effective_conference_call.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oxfordcorp.com\/nl-d\/insights\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-conference-call\/\",\"name\":\"How to Run an Effective Conference Call - 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