How to Chair a Conference Call

The average individual has participated in a conference call once or twice. Conferencing involves connecting three or more individuals to one telephone call. Though the process of connecting the callers together is simple, the leading of a conference may not be as cut and dry. The chairperson of the call is the person that will be looked upon as incompetent should the call go awry, therefore preparation is the key to successfully chairing a conference call.

Instructions

1

Make a list of all the attendees that will be participating. Having a list of participants available will allow you to know who is supposed to be on the call.

2

Distribute pertinent materials to participants at least 24 hours before the conference call. Conference participants will be more apt to ask questions and understand your conference agenda if they are able to view the materials that you will be speaking about.

3

Send a reminder to all requested participants one to two hours before the conference call. This will help maintain a full conference and dissuade late stragglers from disrupting the call.

4

Decide upon the length of each topic's discussion and give each topic a question/answer pause time. This method allows for the participants to ask questions about each topic while it is being covered without lengthening the overall call time.

5

Create a conference call schedule. If the participants know how long the call will last, they will appreciate it since they will be better able to plan their day around your conference time.

6

Log in to the conference call at least ten minutes before the participants arrive. Arriving early will give you a chance to interact with early arrivals to your conference and find out their names to check off your roster of participants while waiting for others to arrive.

7

Request all participants to place their phones on mute while the conference is in progress unless a question or comments is being voiced. Since most conferences are held with many different participants, not all will understand the importance of heading off noise and other disruptions. It is easier to speak in quiet to a group of callers than to outshout someone's pet who is not on mute.