How to Host a Conference Call

INVITE YOUR PARTICIPANTS

Send your guests, via email, fax, or word of mouth, an invitation for the conference call.

Design an Invitation:

Date/Time of conference – you may want to include an agenda.

It is recommended that you inform your Guests to log into the conference call no less than 5 minutes prior to start time.  

Conference Call Dial-In Info:

·          Instruct guests to dial into the Conference Call approximately 5 minutes prior to the conference

·          Provide Dial-In phone number

·          Provide Participant Pass Code

·          Require attendees to refrain from putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference.   

PRE-CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS

·          Set an agenda for the meeting.

·          If possible, send the agenda to all meeting participants.

·          Send out a reminder to participants for conference calls scheduled far in advance.

·          Make sure you are in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed

ACTIVATE THE CONFERENCE CALL

·          Be on time! It helps if the host or chairperson dials into the conference call a few minutes early.  This avoids confusion if guests dial-in early.

·          Turn off call-waiting. Most call-waiting features can be deactivated by dialing 70# before dialing into the conference.

·          Dial into the call using either the Toll Free or Local Dial-In number provided. You will be prompted to enter your passcode.

·          Conduct a roll call to find out who has joined your conference.

·          Remind attendees to refrain frrm putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference. 

·          Instruct everyone to state their names when speaking to avoid confusion. For example, “This is Karen, and I’d like to see…”

DURING THE CONFERENCE CALL

·          Ask for feedback from specific participants instead of from the entire group.

·          Postpone any discussions that are not relevant to the conference call for another date and time.

·          Promptly deal with any noise or distractions.

·          Summarize the issues discussed and recap any action items resulting from the conference call.

·          Clearly state when you are ending the conference call. Often a guest can be left on the line not realizing that the conference call has ended.

Conference Call Host Controls:

For more information on Host Controls and hosting your first conference call go to www.zipconferencing.com

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