Conference Call Tips

Agree to a specific date and time before the call, and emphasize punctuality. It is likely that most participants will need to be reminded of the conference shortly before it begins; perhaps the same day as it is set to take place.


Make sure to join the conference before your guests, so that those who come early have someone there to greet them.


If your phone has a call-waiting feature, be sure to deactivate it by pressing 70# before calling the conference number.


Try to find a quiet environment where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the conference.


Most conference call services have a menu that can be operated with any touchtone phone. If your conference call provider allows for it, call into the number ahead of time and familiarize yourself with it. Better still, get a friend involved on a second line so that you can properly test any muting features.


Most conference call services play some sort of sound to let you know when a person has entered or left the conference, but It's generally a good idea to take attendance with some sort of roll call, just in case. This will also help you estimate the eventual cost of the call, if your service provider is charging by the participant.


To avoid confusion, consider asking participants to state their name before addressing the other participants. This will help everyone identify the speaker, rather than remember which voice belongs to which participant.


As a general rule, try to avoid asking questions of all participants, as it is likely several will try to respond at the same time. Running through the participants one by one for questions or feedback solicitation can help to avoid this.


Finally, make sure to let everyone clearly know when the call is ending.