Many companies are geographically diverse and more employees are working from home. Having op centers and employees all over the country can be a boost to your business. Conferencing makes telecommuting possible. Conference calls and web meetings are great tools to meet remotely and get business done.

When setting up a conference call or web meeting, make sure you include different time zones in the meeting invitation. This will decrease any confusion and make your call run smoother.

• Make a schedule for your conference call
• Plan how much time you would like to dedicate to each topic of discussion.
• Let participants know the scheduled length of the meeting

Now you know about how long the conference call will be and your attendees can plan accordingly.  This way there are no surprises or excuses.

Try buddy system
The hardest part of a schedule is sticking to it. Having a co-host can help you stick to your schedule and respect your participants’ time.

1. Important Information –
Important information is disclosed during the first few minutes of the call. For example, speaker and topic introductions are normally one of the first things to happen on a conference call. Special instructions are also given out in the beginning. You could miss useful meeting information by calling in a few minutes late.

2. Join Notification –
Many audio conferencing services sound a notification when people join a call. You don’t want to be the person who interrupts the speaker/meeting because you joined late.

3. Reputation –
How many times have you heard your boss say, “Does anyone know where Joe is? Does he know we are having the meeting now?” We can all admit we have been there, but it is not fun to be the late person. When you call in on time or early it shows you are organized and care about the meeting. This is the impression you want to send your superiors.

So, set your reminders now! Join a conference call on time or early.

Hold music.  When you put a conference call on hold, the sweet sounds of music are heard by everyone else on the call.  Not only does this interrupt the speaker and let everyone know that you tried to step away, but it signals that you’ve disengaged.  Mute if you must, but never hold.

Missed Information and opportunity.  If you step away, meeting participants could direct questions to you. When you aren’t there to answer, you’ve just missed an opportunity and no doubt you’ve missed information. 

Courtesy.  When you run a meeting, you expect participants to pay attention and be engaged.  Return the favor.  If you can’t, then either decline the meeting or designate someone to sit in on your behalf.  Treat phone meetings like in-person meetings.  In a face to face meeting, you wouldn’t put the speaker on hold so you could take a call, check your email, or run to the restroom.

To fully take advantage of phone meetings, engage as if you were in the room with the other attendees.   You’ll get more out of the meeting.  So next time, don’t put the call on hold.

It’s always important to identify yourself before speaking in an audio conference.  Identifying yourself prior to speaking keeps the conversation more natural and flowing, and therefore more productive.  Even though the conversation tends to flow naturally, you must remember that other participants cannot see you and may not recognize your voice right away.  Announcing yourself can also serve the purpose of letting everyone know that you’re taking the floor.  The larger the conference, the more this theory applies.  Try it during your next conference call by announcing to everyone before you begin and see the results for yourself.

For years, the only conferencing choice was audio conferencing – now often referred to as phone conferencing.  Phone conferencing continues to be the mainstay of conferencing.  It’s easy to understand why – using a phone is easy and intuitive.  Every business has a phone and the phrase ‘just a phone call away’ makes phone conferencing connections quick, painless and personal.

And although phone conferencing is easy-to-use, there are times when being able to show meeting participants a document or share a demo would make the conference go just that much smoother.  Enter web conferencing and video conferencing.

With the advent of web and video conferencing, however, has come a change in the rules of conferencing.  No longer are participants able to hide behind the faceless phone.  No longer are participants able to multi task during online meetings.  No longer are participants able to ‘come as they are’ to a video conference.  The change of conference rules has given rise to a growing anxiety among many participants in conferences where a web cam or video camera is mandated.

If you find that you are among the anxiety stricken, take comfort that your anxieties can be overcome.  Not among the anxiety stricken?  Even if you aren’t overly concerned with the advent of video as part of the online meeting, you should be aware that others are watching.  Video feeds and how you present yourself is as much a representation of the company as what you say during the meeting. 

Enjoy a more successful web or video conference experience by keeping these few things in mind:

1. Take a quick look in the mirror.  Just as you would for any meeting, look presentable.  Even if you’re video image is only two inches square, if you look good, you’ll feel good.
2. Breathe deeply.  Taking a deep breath and a moment to put your thoughts in order will enable you to focus on the content of the meeting.  And really, that’s why you’re at the meeting. 
3. Size does matter.  Most web conference video is only two square inches!!  That’s really very small.  No one will notice if you have on your back up glasses or if your hair isn’t perfect.   They will notice if you lean down so that only the top of your head shows on the video or if you swivel around in your chair.
4. Use a headset or speaker if possible.  Because movement on any video screen can be distracting, using a headset or speaker phone will enable you to relax, reduce your movement and have your hands free to take notes.

And if all else fails for the camera shy conferencing user, the mainstay of phone conferencing is still available and just as easy-to-use as ever.