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Effective Meetings by Phone - Part 1,
How to Plan a Teleconference
By Steve Kaye
Teleconferences can be a boon or a bust. On the positive side, they
allow people at different locations to attend meetings without having to
travel. On the negative side, they can degenerate into frustrating struggles
with uncontrolled babble. This occurs because people lack visual contact,
which hinders effective communication and provides opportunities to
misbehave.
Here's how to set up an effective meeting by phone.
1) Plan a simple meeting. Ideally, the meeting should last less than 30 to
45
minutes. People are unable to concentrate on long phone calls. They become
tired. Their attention drifts. They need to take a break. Design your
meeting so that it is short and to the point. That way everyone can focus on
the issues and participate effectively.
2) Write out your goal for the meeting. Then make sure that this statement
truly
represents the result that you want to have at the end of the meeting. Lack
of a
clear, well-stated goal is the second biggest cause of bad meetings. Next
check if a teleconference is the best way to obtain that goal. Cancel the
meeting if you can achieve the goal with any other approach, such as by
sending a memo, making a single phone call, or thinking through a solution
by yourself.
3) Prepare an agenda. A teleconference without an agenda is like a journey
without a map -- in the dark. Without an agenda, you will lose control and
waste time. Your agenda should include the goal for the meeting and detailed
instructions for each part of the meeting. It should be so complete and
specific that someone else could use it to run your meeting.
4) Distribute the agenda at least a day before the meeting. This allows
everyone to think about your issues and prepare for their participation. If
appropriate (e.g., for controversial or complex issues) call key
participants to confirm that they received the agenda and to check if they
have comments on how the meeting could be made more effective. Use this as
an opportunity to listen their ideas, instead of to work on the issues or
argue with them.
5) Distribute any materials related to the issues before the meeting. This
includes
outlines, blueprints, schematics, product brochures, and data. Then, the
participants can use these tools to participate more effectively. For
example, they
can follow an outline, look at diagrams, or read data during the meeting.
This helps compensate for the lack of visual contact in a teleconference.
6) Invite only those who can directly contribute to the meeting. Ideally,
this should
be fewer than eight people. If you invite more people, it becomes very
difficult to
hold an effective meeting. With a larger group, some of the attendees will
become
lost as silent listeners, which is a waste of their time. You can always
send a copy of the minutes to the people who need to know about the work
accomplished during the meeting.
A teleconference is more than a phone call. It is a meeting. And a meeting
is a
business activity that should be driven by a well thought out goal supported
by a
detailed plan. With proper planning, your teleconferences will distinguish
you as an effective leader.
About the author:
IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye helps groups of
people hold effective meetings. His innovative workshops have informed and
inspired people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people
will support. And his books show how to hold effective meetings. Sign up for
his free newsletter at
http://www.stevekaye.com.
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