How to Manage a Conference Call

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By rplacone
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Conference calls in the office place are usually among the most useless of all office activities. That's saying an awful lot considering we're talking cubicle culture here. But, it doesn't have to be that way, does it?

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Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

People in different locations
Phone

How to Manage a Conference Call

Step 1

First, don't make it too lop-sided. If there's 12 people in the room and one person on the phone, most of the time that person will get nothing out of the meeting, if there was anything to get out of it in the first place. Make the sides even, for the sake of this article, let's say two and two.
Step 2

No moments of silence! Pretend as if you're on the radio and any silence would be dead air. One side always has to be talking. Take turns, and always, always answer questions right away even if you're unsure of the answer.
Step 3

Stick to the issues. Have them written out as a list beforehand and go from one issue to the next as appropriate. Don't delay and no rambling. Stay focused.
Step 4

Keep it short. Conference calls can only be productive for so long. Eventually they just become useless dribble. Avoid it from getting to that point.