The Conference Coach™ » Conferencing Tips

The 15 Minute Conference Call

Conference Coach Tim — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:56:27 +0000

So who in the room has too much free time during business hours? If so, this post isn’t for you. For the rest of us time is sparse and work is abundant. If you spend a lot of time on conference calls, you know how long meetings can really disturb the day. Whether you host calls or attend try out the following 5 tips to cut your conference calls to 15 minutes.

Send out all documentation and criteria related to the meeting before the call.
Let others know that this call has a strict time limit and that further questions can be answered after the call via phone or email
Keep the call on task and schedule call for any branching topics
Discuss what is important and keep all questions to the call topic
Set yourself a timer so that you can’t go over

Remember that the total amount of time you use in a meeting isn’t directly related to the amount of time that passed. Instead take the number of people on your call and multiply it by the amount of time the call took. So 5 people on a call for an hour is actually 5 hours of productivity. Keep your conference calls on task and to the point and you’ll maintain an efficient means of collaboration.

Have any tips on quick conference calls or any feedback on this blog? Please post a comment or catch me at @muudboard on Twitter.

Conferencing Tip: Access Recordings on Connect To Copper

Conference Coach Alycia — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:59:02 +0000

Accessing On Demand conference call recordings via Connect To Copper means you have the flexibility of online access to recordings that you can download as MP3 files and you can store or post on your company website. To access conference call recordings:

1.    Logon to Connect To Copper at www.connect2copper.com
2.    Enter your conference ID and PIN
3.    Select “reports” and then “recordings”

Conferencing Tip: Take that vacation

Conference Coach Alycia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:57:37 +0000

Have you ever been in a situation where you were scheduled to be on vacation but there was one project that just couldn’t wait until your return?

When this occurs, feel confident about taking that vacation with Copper Conferencing’s web and audio conference services in your toolbox.

When you’re on vacation, you should be able to relax, but if business does intrude, make it easy on yourself by doing a quick phone conference to resolve the issue. Or better yet, hop on a web conference and point your web cam at the beautiful surroundings you are in so that your attendees will understand the power of meeting from any where.

Not already a Copper Customer? You can try Copper Conferencing for free. Just sign up - no contract or minimum charge.

Conferencing Tip: Add or deactivate moderators with Connect to Copper

Conference Coach Alycia — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:41:11 +0000

Did you know that you can add a new audio conferencing user or deactivate a moderator through Copper Conferencing’s customer portal, Connect to Copper™?

Just login to Connect to Copper and click on moderators. You can quickly add or deactivate users. It takes only a few minutes. View our One Minute Skill Builder for a quick tutorial.

Conferencing Tip of the Week: WebPresentNow — Get On and Get Going

Conference Coach Alycia — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:47:16 +0000

WebPresentNow is an easy-to-use web conferencing service that works with PCs and MACs. You can:

Show up to 12 videos of participants
Share any part of your desktop
Record your meeting
And much more!

It’s easy-to-set up — no software download for participants. Hassle-free and firewall friendly.

Want to sign up for WebPresentNow? Just sign up!

Already a WebPresentNow user? Go to http://go.webpresentnow.com to access your account.

Conferencing Tip of the Week: Conferencing, Coffee and Wi-fi

Conference Coach Alycia — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:56:17 +0000

Have you ever been standing in line for a coffee when you realized that you have a meeting? Perhaps you get a call from an important client just after you’ve ordered your drink and realize you must do a web meeting immediately to close the deal.

Conferencing from where ever you are is actually very easy.
These days, doing a conference call from anywhere you are is standard practice. You might be in your car, at the airport or in your office.

The same can be said for doing a web conference. Okay, maybe not in your car, but anywhere Wi-Fi is available is a place from which you can host a web meeting.

In fact, many people I know host internet meetings from their favorite coffee shops or restaurants. I asked some of our Conference Coaches and employees what their favorite locations were for working remotely or for hosting internet meetings. Here are their favorites:

Kathleen, Director of Customer Care: Starbucks at 2035 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock, GA (770) 592-5529
Brittany, Conference Coach: Yogoday at 124 Barrett Pkwy, Marietta, GA (770) 795-1522 and any Starbucks
Amanda, Marketing Clairvoyant: Orchard Town Center at 14697 Delaware Street, Suite 850, Westminster, CO 303-450-8600
Tim, Web Guru: Panera Bread at 302 Center Drive, Superior, CO (720) 304-7000
Brent, Conference Coach: Borders Bookstore at 605 Ernest W Barrett Parkway NW, Kennesaw, GA (678) 581-1243 and Starbucks at Barrett Pkwy & Barrett Lakes Blvd 815 Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw, GA 770-427-0159
Alycia, Director of Marketing: Alexander’s Pizza at 849 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA (619) 435-5747

So, the next time you’re out and about and need to do a teleconference or a web conference, just remember that your local coffee shop, bookstore or favorite restaurant might be just the place to do it.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting? Contact a Conference Coach today.

Conferencing Tip: Connect To Copper and Manage Your Account Online

Conference Coach Alycia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:53:50 +0000

Online account management is absolutely one of the most efficient ways to monitor account activity, review invoices, pay bills and access user materials. View audio conferencing usage in real time. Sign up nnd deactivate moderators quickly and easily.

With Connect To Copper (www.connect2copper.com), Copper Conferencing customers can do all of the above and more.

Not already a Copper Conferencing customer? Give us a try. We’re offering you a 30-Day Trial of our audio conferencing services - FREE – no contract and no commitment. Sign up today.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting? Contact a Conference Coach today.

Conferencing Tip: Time Crunch Solution

Conference Coach Alycia — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:46:31 +0000

As a busy professional, you probably have many days when getting everything that needs to be accomplished for the day is challenging if not impossible. When you find yourself in a time crunch, look at your calendar and seek where you can maximize time efficiencies by using audio conferencing.

For example, if you know that you must discuss an issue with a client but find that you must also leave the office for another appointment, try scheduling a phone meeting for your client discussion. You can conduct the phone meeting on the way to the other appointment.

Not already a Copper Conferencing customer? Give us a try. We’re offering you a 30-Day Trial of our audio conferencing services - FREE – no contract and no commitment. Sign up today.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting? Contact a Conference Coach today.

Conferencing Tip: Revolving Doors are Very Efficient

Conference Coach Alycia — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:29:24 +0000

Have you ever been through a revolving door at a department store, office building or hospital? Did you know that the revolving door is one of the most energy efficient ways to move people in and out of a building?

Like a revolving door, web and audio conferencing provides not only ways to be energy efficient but it also provides business professionals a way to be efficient in planning and meeting.

Think of your conferencing accounts as revolving doors – people come in and leave online meetings at specified times. And without ever leaving the building, getting on a plane or booking a hotel room, another group of people can come into your web meeting room within minutes of the last group leaving.

Not already a Copper Conferencing customer? Give us a try. We’re offering you a 30-Day Trial of our audio conferencing services - FREE – no contract and no commitment. Sign up today.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting? Contact a Conference Coach today.

Conferencing Tip: Content, Timing, Delivery

Conference Coach Alycia — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:40:20 +0000

In real estate, the mantra is ‘Location, Location, Location.’ In communication it’s ‘Content, Timing and Delivery.’

When you have a message to deliver, it’s important to remember that how your message is delivered may be just as important as the message.

Does this sound familiar?
When delivering a message to a group, do you often wonder if the audience is engaged? Do you wonder if they are absorbing the information you’re delivering?

If this is a familiar scenario, then consider using web conferencing to make the delivery of your content more effective and interactive.

A better solution
When you can’t deliver a message in person, it’s important to choose a deliver method that enables your audience to be as interactive as possible.

By using web conferencing as a means of delivering your content, you can engage people visually and verbally. With a web conference, you can time the delivery of your message and time the interaction of the audience using:

Polling – A way to solicit information from the audience and gauge if they are paying attention.
Question and Answer – Ask participants to submit their questions. Then either unmute the individual’s phone line for a verbal interaction or read and answer the question.
Chat – To engage an individual or the entire group, chat may be used for short messages
Whiteboarding – Ask participants to help change a presentation or make suggestions to a project.

For small or large groups, the combination of audio conference and web meetings gives you the power and flexibility to deliver your content easily and time it just right for maximum effectiveness.

Not already a Copper Conferencing customer? Give us a try. We’re offering you a 30-Day Trial of our audio conferencing services - FREE – no contract and no commitment. Sign up today.