Avoid The Weakest Link For Successful Teleconferencing

Writen by David D Morris

It's hard to imagine that establishing a successful Teleconference call can conjure up thoughts of buying ones first stereo, but that's exactly the sentiment I felt when a group of our employees met to discuss ways to assist our customers in managing their remote "Teleconference" meetings successfully. Let me explain...

Circa 1978, freshly graduated from university and after working at the telephone company for a few months, I had enough money to venture out and buy those Bose speakers I'd read so much about! My dilemma, needless to say, centered on the fact that 8-track's were still semi fashionable, turntables were mainstream and tape decks were taking off! Do I choose the fashion of 8-track or the industry "buzz" of tape decks over the wood grain/direct-drive turntable the salesmen was promoting. I chose the turntable, a decision I applaud to this day! Despite all three technologies having long given way to CD's and downloadable music, my turntable is the one piece of technology that still survives in my media set-up. I long ago abandoned playing vinyl on a regular basis, but the sweet sound a turntable can produce on an old Jazz or Blues album is spectacular.

How does the decision to buy the turntable in any way shadow an article on "Successful Teleconferencing"? Well, it begins and ends with the words the salesmen said to me prior to my purchase. "The system is only as good as it's weakest link". These words resonated with me, essentially telling me that the Bose speakers might be a wonderful buy, but if any part of the stereo system was less than equal to the speakers, the sound it produced would only be as good as the lesser part, or "weakest" link! These are words that we live by in the teleconference world. Essentially, for a teleconference call to be successful all the components need to be working in harmony and in the teleconference world the components are often the Participants who dial-in!

How the Participants join a meeting, what type of device they call in on, ie: a landline or mobile device, and how they interact in the meeting, has a huge impact on the success of the meeting! I would like to share a list of "tips" that will help you get the most out of any teleconference meeting that you participate in. Please share these tips with other users and Moderator(s) of teleconference calls and I can guarantee you your meetings will be more successful.

Before the call begins:

• Write down your teleconference dial-in number and pin code and place it in a convenient location so you can find it on the day of the call. If you use an electronic scheduler then put it in there.
• It's always best to use a landline for the call and take the call in a location where you won't be interrupted. If you must use a mobile telephone, know how to mute your telephone or ask the Moderator of the call if there is a code you can use to mute your telephone.
• Be prompt - dial into the assigned call at the scheduled time. If the call is underway, it is best to say nothing until there is a break, or until the Moderator welcomes you.
• If you are the Moderator of the call, get the call-in details out to Participants well in advance of the call. Establish a clear agenda for the meeting!
• Become familiar with the feature codes of your teleconference provider. Most offer a quick reference guide. It is a good idea to print this off and keep it near your telephone during the call.
• Use a proper speakerphone, one designed for conference calling.

During the call:

• As a Moderator, it is very important to greet users as they arrive, write down the names of people and make sure you incorporate everyone into the conversation.
• Introduce yourself when you begin to speak. Others might not readily recognize your voice.
• Never place your telephone on hold! Participants often forget that they have music on hold and the entire conference will be disrupted as a result.
• Avoid breathing into the mouthpiece, eating food, or placing your hand over the mouthpiece during the call.
• Turn off all ringers from pagers, mobile devices and beepers before beginning the conference.

With the correct processes and procedures in place, a well-briefed community of users employing the proper technology, teleconferencing is a wonderful way to conduct meetings when you just can't get together face-to-face. Reduce travel costs and increase employee productivity at the same time. Just remember, remove the "weakest link" and you will be guaranteed successful teleconference calling!

David Morris is Managing Partner of Vesta Networks a Teleconferencing Service Provider.