Welcome to eSuiteTalk Other Articles: Year End Tax Planning Videoconferencing, a Great Alternative to Travel Reduce Collection Problems Through Research New and Improved! - American Executive Centers Expand Administrative and Technological Departments.		Creating Phone Meetings That Work In light of the recent world events, more and more people are using video or teleconferencing for their meetings with prospects, board members, and their national sales force. Here is a checklist to help you avoid many of the pitfalls of teleconference meetings. Video Conference Call Planning Draft your meeting purpose and an agenda with “bite-sized” pieces. Determine how long the meeting will last. Determine how many participants you will have at your phone meeting. Consider the impact of time zone differences when selecting a meeting time and identifying participants to be invited. At Least Three Days Before Your Scheduled Conference Give your administrative assistant the necessary details to schedule your conference with the operator: the number of participants the length of the call the date and time of the call Be sure all participants have been invited and given the appropriate dial-in information and the start and end time of the call. Distribute the finalized agenda to all of those invited. About Ten Minutes Before You Start Your Conference Call Make sure you have a quiet area from which to conduct your meeting. Put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Notify the receptionist to hold your calls as you are going on a conference call. Turn off your cell phone. If your telephone has a call waiting feature, turn it off (or press your forward key). Put a list of the participants, along with your agenda, in front of you. Three Minutes Before You Start Your Conference Call Dial into the Conference Center. Take off your watch and place it immediately in front of you or use a timer. At the Beginning of Your Conference Call Welcome everyone at the exact scheduled start time. Remind participants to identify themselves before speaking. Acquaint everyone with the self-mute feature (especially those joining from cellular phones and public pay phones - “plus 6” on the keypad). Outline for the group the purpose of the meeting, the basic agenda topics, the time allotted for each agenda topic, and the time the meeting will end. Start with “green lights” to create a positive climate for the group. During the Conference Call Maintain a positive climate for discussion, but don’t agree just to be agreeable. Take ownership for keeping the meeting on schedule. The most effective way to do this is to manage the time allotments for each agenda “bite”. Allow participants to completely finish presenting their information before anyone is asked to comment. Using your list of those invited, make a check mark next to the name of each participant every time they make a contribution - ask for comments from guests who haven’t yet spoken. Make note of important points and action items which arise. Start each new agenda “bite” with “green lights” to create a positive climate for the group. During the Conclusion of Your Teleconference Summarize the key points or “take-aways” from the call. Establish the time and day of your next conference call. Consider asking for written feedback from participants.