A conference call is a method of communication wherein a group of people speak with one voice and address an audience at the same time. This is possible because each person is connected via a phone or radio-telephone connection.
A conference call can be held for several purposes: to conduct a telephone interview, to participate in an online chat, or to join another call with the intention of discussing some topic.
The most common use of a conference call is in holding a teleconference to conduct an interview. In the interview, the leader interviews the subject and includes other members who may be interested in hearing what the subject has to say.
As with any type of communication, there are good and bad reasons for having a conference call. Some reasons for having a conference call may be psychological or social benefits, efficiency considerations, and cost-saving measures.
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Inform all participants how to join the call
When you are ready to conduct the conference call, you should make sure that all participants know how to join the call. This may be done by providing a call preview feature or by having all participants enter their phone numbers during the conference call.
Either way, you should take into account that some people do not use phones as well as they claim they do. Therefore, you should make it easy to join the call- for example, ask your visitors whether they would like to use a phone or tablet or computer to participate in the call.
If you are using a website, then you can easily create a web page where everyone can join the conference call. You can even give them an automated tool that makes this page appear when someone calls your business and asks to connect.
If someone uses a mobile device, then you can give them an app that makes them able to join the conference call.
Provide the phone number for the conference call
When you call the number provided by your conference call provider, you should leave a message that says who is attending the conference call.
This helps your colleagues who are conducting the conference call to find you. If they don’t have your number, they can listen to your message and dial their phone to join the conference.
The number you need to use for this is 7-8 ICA, 888-776-3959. This is the number of your conference call provider!
You can also do this online if you have a dedicated phone number for this purpose.
Give participants details on what to bring with them
This can be a little tricky at the conference call stage, so let’s first take a moment to talk about what conference calling is all about.
Know what time the conference call starts and ends
When hosting a conference call, you should make sure that both parties on the call are on the same time zone. This means that both participants on the call are willing to start at the same time!
Most network operators allow participants to start their calls at a specific time, so this is not a problem. However, most facilitators do not know what time their calls begin and end, so this must be done for both ends as well.
This is important when doing a pre-sales conference call or before any conference call if there will be sales involved. You must have both ends on the same day of the week to do this correctly!
Know also which number belongs to which person on your team.
Have all documents ready that participants may need
A conference call can be a great way to facilitate a meeting between all the participants. While a computer or phone call is acceptable, having two things that are very specific and important for the conference call is best.
The first thing participants should have is their participation agreement. This includes what questions the participant may ask, how many participants there may be, and what if any issues they may need to address.
The second thing they should have is their notes. These can include questions they wanted asked, mistakes they wanted to correct, people they wanted to talk to, or anything that came up on the conversation. Having both pieces of information will help facilitate a successful conference call.
Let participants know what the call is about
When a conference call is about to begin, the first step is for the host to announce the call’s purpose. This can be done in several ways:
Set a specific greeting frequency on your phone or contact list. Let participants know that they are welcome to join the conference call and that they can do so by leaving a message or responding to an email.
Include the telephone number of the conference call in your invitation format. If you have very few calls, this may not be necessary; most people will have a cell phone or cellular data plan that allows them to quickly make a connection.
Make sure that everyone on the conference call has a copy of this information, as listed above. If some members do not have this information, let them know why and give them an opportunity to request it.
Keep the conversation on topic
When you’re conducting a conference call, it’s important to keep the conversation on topic. If people start asking questions about the conference call, they may respond to those questions with their own messages.
People will often respond to questions they have been asked during the call with their answers. This can be awkward, considering some people may not feel comfortable talking about the event they were on during a phone call.
It is better to avoid these questions when trying to facilitate a conference call and get people onto the same page.
Why It Matters: Trying to conduct an event that has too many factors that matter doesn’t help anyone. People may feel like they are being Asked To Dress Up, They Could Not Genuinely Know Each Other And It Was A Bustle!
When organizing an event, you need to make sure there are no factors that might hinder it. Poor planning can cost you valuable time and energy.
Check in with all participants regularly
When a conference call is about to start, make sure all participants check in with each other via the call interface. If someone leaves the call before everyone has picked up, they can send and receive messages without continuing the call.
Making sure everyone is on the same page can save you a lot of time and effort in the future. This also helps keep a semblance of order on the conference call which is nice!
If there are any problems or questions, ask your participants if they have any answers or solutions. If not, try your next suggestion! There is never a wrong way to begin a conversation on a conference call.
Try not using formal language when talking on calls, use common language to get through them quickly. It will make it more fun for all parties involved and save you from being distracted by each other.