One of the best ways you can ensure your audio conference or conference call is a success is to provide an upfront contract, of sorts, to the attendees. This, along with a sharp meeting objective and well- thought out agenda, is an essential step in meeting prep. An Upfront contract establishes the ground rules for communication. It acknowledges communication barriers and provides agreed upon techniques for overcoming such barriers.
Conference calls present unique communication barriers that can be easily overcome when meeting participants adhere to a few best practices. Here are some ground rule examples that you can include on your next meeting agenda to establish an upfront contract and have more successful conference calls.
- Be prepared. Please review attached documents and the meeting agenda. Be prepared to discuss and offer solutions.
- Be on time.
- Do not multi-task. It’s easy to get distracted on a conference call so I ask that you restrain from multi-tasking. Our objective is important and we need your full attention to meet our goals effectively. You were invited to this meeting because I believe you have something unique to contribute. If you feel your time can be better spent elsewhere, please let me know as soon as possible.
- Limit background noise. Background noise disrupts the meeting for everyone and may prevent us from hearing the information we need. Choose a quiet location and use the mute button when you are not speaking. Don’t forget to unmute when you start to speak.
- Identify yourself. Please state your name before you speak so we know who is talking.
- Don’t put this conference call on hold. If you leave the call to answer another line or talk to someone in your office, the hold music will play and disrupt our audio meeting.
- Please avoid using a speakerphone or cell phone if at all possible. They can interfere with the quality of the call.
- Speak slowly and clearly. Try not to talk over another speaker. With multiple participants, people often tend to talk at once, making the conversation extremely difficult to decipher. Try to speak one at a time so that we can pick up the conversation in its entirety and better identify the individuals.
Include these ground rules in all your upfront contracts (along with your meeting agenda and objective) for audio conferences and you will notice an improved conference call experience.
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