How to Conduct a Teleconference Meeting

You can hold a successul teleconference meeting.

Much of what you already know about conducting a meeting holds true for teleconference meetings, such as starting the meeting on time, defining your objectives and inviting the right people, according to CIO. Teleconference meetings have their own particular challenges that differ from in-person meetings. Once you know what they are and prepare for them, you should be able to conduct a successful teleconference meeting.

Instructions

1. Send out any information to participants in advance of the teleconference. This includes the call-in information, the meeting agenda and any particular rules you may have for the meeting, such as when to use the mute button.

2. Call roll to see if all the participants are on the call before you start the meeting.

3. Ask all the participants to give a brief, 10-second introduction stating their name and location.

4. Be very clear and very explicit during your presentation. In an in-person meeting, you are able to see if people understand what you have said. Because you cannot see the faces of the participants in a teleconference, follow the agenda closely to ensure that all participants follow the meeting flow.

5. Include a question and answer session after 10 or 15 minutes to prevent participants from becoming distracted.

6. Ask each person if there are any questions or comments; call out each participant's name. The participant also has the option to pass. This keeps people engaged and prevents people from talking over each other.

7. Ask each participant two times if there are questions or comments, recommends the CIO. This way, a topic can be addressed that may have been missed the first time around.

8. Select a person to keep minutes of the meeting. Publish and send the minutes to all of the participants within one day after the meeting.

Tips & Warnings

• Good ground rules to include for your teleconference include requiring participants to sign on 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting (particularly if there are downloads), being aware of background or “on-hold” music, stating your name before speaking and no emailing during the meeting.

• Use a headset instead of speakerphone. Speakerphones can distort your voice and pick up background noise.

• Keep in mind the different time zones when you schedule your meeting. You want to have everyone attending during work hours if possible.

• Your teleconference should not last more than 30 minutes. If you cannot achieve what you have to in that time, hold more meetings until you have achieved your goal, according to the Presentation Pointers.

• Keep the participants to eight or less to have a more manageable meeting.

References

• Presentation Pointers: Teleconference Meetings
• CIO: Running an Effective Teleconference or Virtual Meeting