Provide your company name, chairperson's name (host), date and time and the number of participants.
Preparing for the call
Distribute agenda, materials and passwords to participants prior to the call.
Participants should call in 5 to 10 minutes early.
Chairperson's (host) responsibilities
Lead the call with agenda review.
Introduce each agenda item to participants.
Lead / conduct discussions.
Identify agreed upon actions / decisions.
Conclude with summary of items and actions / decisions with responsible individuals.
Confirm the next call, date and time.
Efficient participation
Introduce yourself when you speak.
Don't interrupt others.
Announce when you are leaving the call.
Use "MUTE" - do not use "HOLD" (your company's music-on-hold will play into the conference).
What about speakerphones?
Avoid using a speakerphone. The handset dramatically improves the quality of the call.
If you must use a speakerphone use one that has full-duplex capability.
Reduce room noise and sit close to the microphone (avoid rustling papers and pencil tapping).
Avoid sliding the speakerphone - instead, pick it up to move it.
How Many Participants?
There are 3 kinds of participants: The Chairperson, (or host) of the call, Active participants (full duplex) and Listen Onlyparticipants (half-duplex).
We STRONGLY recommend no more than 30 Active participants. Any more than this and there are too many people talking. If you need more people interacting in the call use our Question Queuing feature to bring Listen Only participants into the conference for participation and then put them back during discussion. (They can, of course, stay in the conference during discussion of their particular question or comment.)
