The development of modern communication technologies has brought people together, almost eliminated geographic disparity and is constantly improving telecommuting. In the corporate sector, one of the most widely used alternatives to face-to-face communications is conference calling. Whatever industry or field you are a part of, conference calling is undoubtedly a tool that you utilize on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, nobody is fond of conference calls. They are mostly boring and ineffective. But they are a part of business now so there is no escape from them. Fortunately, there are certain things you could do to make conference calls more effective.

1.     Keep Your Statements Short and Take Feedback Frequently

When many people are participating in a call, it’s easy for minds of the participants to wander. This is why it is so important to keep the statements short and ask for feedback from the participants frequently and directly. Instead of saying, “Does anyone have any question?” you should say, “Johnny, what do you have to say about the proposed plan; will it work?”

2.     Try to Avoid Slides

In the majority of conference calls, slides are used to convey everything. It is really boring to see slides laden with text throughout the call. Slides also kill discussions and don’t give you a chance to communicate your thoughts to the participants. Therefore, if possible, you should avoid slides.

3.     Let Participants Know the of Your Agenda Ahead of Time

Whether you are holding a conference call to discuss a new product, talk about marketing, or to acquire feedback from employees, make sure to create an agenda and let the participants know of it before the call. This way everyone will know the purpose of the conference call, how long it’ll last and what they need to prepare before you call them.

This reduces anxiety and allows the participants to prepare themselves for the conference call. The clarity of the agenda before the call makes things go smoother during the conversation.

4.     Start on Time

This will be easier if you let the participants know the agenda ahead of your conference call. A lot of time is wasted waiting for participants on conference calls and every minute wasted affects the productivity of your company. Therefore, you should always start your conference calls on time. If someone is late, penalize them so they don’t do the same come next conference call.

5.     Set Limits on the Duration of Your Call

Even if you are using a free conference call service, you should still set limits on the duration of your call. The reason is that no matter what you do, the participants will eventually get bored. When that happens, you won’t be able to get the kind of results you expect from your conference call. So you should avoid holding lengthy conference calls.

If you follow these five rules, you will be able to improve the effectiveness of your conference calls. So try to implement them in your next call.