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Embracing Technology: Using Teleconferencing for Meeting Success

Technology is booming, bringing people all over the world closer together through advanced systems of communication. Why not take advantage of this for your business? You can save time and travel costs by arranging meetings or presentations over the telephone, through video transmissions, and via computer.

Venturing into the world of virtual meetings can be intimidating, but you don't need to be a computer guru or technical genius to master the meeting methods discussed in this section. There are services that you can find on the Internet and in the phone book that will help make the transition easier for you, especially as you begin. Once you've become familiar with how the different systems work, you'll quickly discover how easy and powerful they can be - and how necessary they are to be competitive in today's business world.

Selecting the Right Meeting Alternative

Selecting the right technology requires you to analyze your goals for the meeting you're planning, and determine what resources you can put into it. From there, you'll decide which method can best help you reach those goals in a cost effective manner. If speed and immediacy are important, and you don't want to spend a lot of money, then teleconferencing is a good option. If you want to impress a large audience with a high quality video presentation of a speech, and you have the money to spend, then satellite videoconferencing is the way to go. To demonstrate a computer application you'll probably want to use Web conferencing.
Before getting started, you'll first need to determine the following seven areas of importance:

1. How many locations will be involved in the meeting?

Depending on the type of meeting you choose to host, you might have to set up facilities at each of these sites. For example, a videoconference would require you to either create or rent a room with the necessary equipment at each location. If you're only going to have one or two people at each of ten sites, it might not be worth the cost of setting up videoconferencing equipment at each. A desktop conference or a teleconference might be more suitable.

2. How many people will be involved, in the total meeting and at each specific location?

Some methods are more suited for small audiences, while others are perfect for large broadcasts. Knowing how many people will be involved at each location will also factor into the cost effectiveness of setting up facilities at each site.

3. How important is it to impress meeting participants?

This will help determine the quality of the broadcast that you want to invest in. If it's simply an internal meeting between employees who you don't need particularly impress, a high-quality videoconference might not be worth the price. If, however, you need your audience to be awed, then go for the best!

4. What resources do you have available?

This includes financial resources, facilities, equipment, staff, and so on. The prices of the systems discussed in this section differ substantially, and the amount of investment you are willing to make will help guide your decision. You can save costs if you already have in-house technical staff that can help set up the event. Also, it's important to note if you have on-site facilities that can be reworked into videoconferencing rooms.

5. How much time do you have available to plan the meeting?

Some methods, such as videoconferencing, can take a great deal of preparation, particularly the first time around hosting one. Others, such as teleconferencing, can be thrown together much more quickly.

6. What do you hope to accomplish with the meeting?

Are you looking for a quick decision on a time sensitive topic? Do you want to demonstrate a process or show samples to a client? Do you want a one-way transfer of information from a single source to a large audience? Is it important that participants be able to interact with each other? These are some of the major questions you need answered to help with your selection.

7. What special needs do you have for the meeting?

Do you want the ability to work on a document collaboratively? Would you like to show PowerPoint presentations? Or do you have some other specifics for the meeting?

Depending on your answers to the previous questions, one of the technologies discussed in this section might jump out at you as clearly the best fit. It's also possible, however, to combine different technologies to create the ideal environment for your meeting. Consider a Web broadcast partnered with a conference call, an interactive whiteboard used during a teleconference, or any number of other combinations.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing, the act of meeting via the telephone, is one of the simplest and most cost-effective forms of meeting. All you need is a phone at each location and a long-distance service provider. Participants can join the meeting from anywhere, as long as they're near a phone. Teleconferencing enables participants to make decisions quickly, handle problems, immediately, and address needs and changing markets faster.

Modern technology has taken this type of meeting to new heights, allowing you to enhance your teleconferences with such advanced options as question-and -answer sessions, sub-conferencing, and polling features - all covered in this session. Services are available to turn any phone into a powerful meeting tool.

Although teleconferencing has many advantages, you need to be aware of a few possible drawbacks. Because participants can't see each other, there is no way to read facial expressions or body language, so communication can sometimes be difficult. Some people are easily distracted from phone conversations. Other people find it hard talking in a vacuum and may refrain from participating, whereas in a face-to-face situation, they may be more chatty. A well-planned teleconference can minimize these concerns. This session presents all you need to know to plan a successful teleconference.

The Pros and Cons

As with each technology, there are advantages and disadvantages to teleconferencing. Think about your goals for the meeting before you decide on any method.

Pros:
* Decisions can be made quickly, and problems can be handled immediately, without wasting time on extensive planning and travel. This allows you to address client needs and changing markets faster.

* Teleconferencing is one of the simplest and most cost effective forms of meeting. There is little or no capital investment, and the price is relatively low. If you use a phone you already have, which is completely feasible, all you pay is the fee to the service provider and any long distance charges you accrue.

* Contacts can participate from anywhere, as long as they are near a phone.

Cons:
* Meeting without visual communication can sometimes be difficult. There is no way to read facial expressions or body language over the phone.

* Some people are easily distracted from phone conversations. A well-planned teleconference can minimize the risk of this, however.

* Some people find it hard talking in a vacuum and might reframe from participating, whereas face-to-face, they might be more chatty.

Teleconferencing Services

As I mentioned in the introduction to this section, you don't need to be a computer guru or technical genius to use any of the meeting alternatives I discuss. This is most certainly true of teleconferencing. A quick search of the Internet or flip through your local phone book should turn up many, many companies that provide teleconferencing services. They can walk you through your first few meetings, and because they do all of the technical work, there's actually very little for you to learn. In fact, depending on the level of service you opt for, you can get away with putting very little time and effort into facilitating the call - freeing you up to focus on the agenda of the meeting.

There are general options you'll have to choose from as you set up your teleconference, and I've described them briefly below. Not all companies offer each of these services, but they are the most popular.

Dial-In
The chairperson of the conference advises all participants of the date and time of the meeting, and then provides them with the phone number and access code for the call. Each participant is then responsible for phoning in at the appointed time. They are greeted by the teleconference chairperson (or operator, if requested) and are ushered into the call.
If you choose to provide an 800 number, you will pay the participants' long distance charges along with the conference fee. Otherwise, opting for a regular phone number means that participants will pay their own phone charges.

Bonus Tip:
If you choose to use the dial-in method remind participants of the telephone number and access code the day prior to the meeting, as they frequently mislay it and can't find it when needed.

Dial-Out
Under this option, the chairperson (or operator, if requested) dials participants and connects them to the teleconference. If you don't have a dedicated phone number that you have purchased, and you need to put a call together quickly, this option is preferable to dial-in because it eliminates the need to get phone number and access code information to the participants before the call can take place. The participant simply answers the phone if he or she is available, and is immediately connected to the call.

Operator Assisted
If you purchase this option, an operator greets participants when they call in, and that operator usually performs the roll call for the meeting (otherwise the chairperson is responsible for roll call). The operator also remains available throughout the call, sometimes staying on the line and monitoring the call through its entirety, and other times accessible through a button on the keypad.

Lecture/Broadcast Teleconference

This feature allows a single person to speak or lecture for part or all of the conference without interruption. All other participants are placed in listen-only mode, their lines muted so there is no background noise or interruption from them.

Question and Answer Sessions
This feature is analogous to someone raising his or her hand. During the conference, each participant other than the presenter is placed in listen-only mode. If a participant has a question, they indicate it by pressing a key on the phone, such as the #. The chairperson can then place them into speak mode. The chairperson is usually given the ability to field questions before they are addressed to the group, cutting down on unnecessary interruptions and keeping the meeting running smoothly.

Sub-conferencing
This feature allows participants to break into small groups for discussion, and then rejoin the main conference.

Polling
This feature allows participants to respond to, or vote on, questions using their phone's keypad. These are multiple-choice questions determined by the chairperson and given to the teleconferencing service before the call.

Secured Teleconference
This feature keeps unwanted listeners out of calls by blocking all entrances once the call has begun. Distinct from this optional feature is the level of security the teleconferencing service offers on all its calls. If you will be discussing an extremely confidential topic, be sure to ask the service what method they use to ensure privacy.

Recording/Rebroadcast
Phone calls can be recorded to be rebroadcast later, either to clarify what was said during the teleconference or for those who missed the original call completely.

Bonus Tip:
If you plan on hosting a lot of teleconferences, or if you plan to use them for spur-of-the-moment or emergency meetings, consider purchasing a permament phone number that will be available to you at all times. This will allow you to throw together calls much quicker, as you won't have to distribute a new phone number and access code to participants before each call. Sometimes called a bridgeline, these numbers can be purchased through the teleconference service provider of your choice.

Staying Abreast of the Times
As technology continues to evolve, new ways to merge teleconferencing and your personal computer are being developed. Companies such as Spiderphone (www.spiderphone.com) allow you to view all sorts of information regarding your teleconference using your web browser. You can see a list of the people currently connected to the call, along with their phone numbers and locations. The current speaker is highlighted, making it much easier to track who is contributing.
This technology also gives you greater control over the call, as it allows you to disconnect or mute certain callers, and so on. This eliminates the need for a operator, and reduces cost. I would suggest, however, that you get used to running a teleconference with the assistance of an operator before you take on more technical responsibility for the call.

Tips for a Successful Teleconference

While the service provider you choose will handle the technical aspects of the call, a teleconference doesn't run smoothly by luck alone. A successful teleconference does require some planning, and the more you organize it, the more seamless it will be. It's obviously not possible to plan all the details of a teleconference when it's a last minute or emergency meeting, but here are some things to keep in mind when you do have the time to plan.

Advance Planning

The following seven steps will help you organize your teleconference in the weeks and days leading up to the meeting.

1. Make a list of all attendees and check to see if their availability on the date and time planned.

2. If the service provider you choose requires a reservation, check with them to see if the day and time you want is available.

3. Decide on what options you will use for your call. Will it be dial-in or dial-out? Will you want it recorded? Refer to the above descriptions for the most popular options available.

4. Contact all participants and give them the date and time of the teleconference. Be sure to specify which time zone you are referring to- a critical point that is often overlooked!

5. If you opt for a dial-in teleconference, provide participants with the telephone number and access code for the call. Also be certain that they have your name and contact information in case there are any problems.

6. Create an agenda for the teleconference.

7. If you're going to provide handouts and supplementary material to participants, send it early enough so that it arrives before the teleconference, and participants have time to read it and generally prepare for the meeting. Include a written agenda of the teleconference, and short biographical information on the participants is a nice addition, especially when people aren't familiar with each other.

8. Creating an Agenda

Creating an agenda for your teleconference will ensure that you cover all important topics, and it will help the meeting run smoothly and on time. It will also keep participants focused on the subject at hand, and will help stop them from "drifting off" during the discussion.
If, during the course of the teleconference, a question or topic arises that is not scheduled on the agenda, it's a good idea to suggest that it be discussed after all topics that are on the agenda have been covered.
When creating your agenda, include not only the topics you want to cover, but also the amount of time you want to spend on each one. This will keep the call from running over the assigned period.

Bonus Tip:
Because they will have no speaker to look at during a teleconference, participants will focus more intently on any handouts you provide for them. This is a perfect opportunity to create handouts that make an impact! Be sure to pay close attention to detail and to use strict quality control standards when creating your handouts.

During the Call

You may or may not be the chairperson of the teleconference, however, your primary function is to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here are a few guidelines to help you accomplish this:

1. Always take a roll call at the beginning of the conference so that everyone knows who is involved and listening. If participants don't know each other, briefly introduce each. You might also include biographical information on participants (such as, their position in the company and specific area of expertise) with any handouts you send.

2. Begin with enthusiasm, setting the tone for an upbeat and positive meeting. This will, in part, determine how engaged and attentive your audience is.

3. Outline the objectives and the agenda of the meeting. Consider giving participants printed copies of the agenda ahead of time so that they can follow along.

4. Give participants the basic rules and guidelines for the call. Cover speaking time limits, instruct them to pause occasionally so that others have a chance to get a word in, and quickly go over the most important etiquette points outlined below (for example, tell them to say their name before they speak, and address questions to a specific person).

5. Organize your presentation and discussion into clear, concise points. This will help participants follow what is being said, as it is possible for them to lose their place in the conversation during a lengthy discussion without visual clues.

6. Keep an eye on the clock to make sure that you are following the agenda you've created.

7. Keep track of who is contributing to the discussion and who is not. To engage those who are too quiet, ask them a question or ask for their opinion on the subject being discussed. This forces them to keep up with the conversation, much like when you were back in school and knew you might be called on in class. You might also ask to hear from two people who haven't already spoken.

8. Pause periodically throughout the teleconference to get feedback and take questions from the other participants.

9. On long conference calls, schedule a 5-10 minute break every hour. The longest call without a break should be around 90 minutes.

10. Before ending the meeting, go around the virtual room and address each person by name asking for any questions or comments they might have as a result of the discussion.

12. End the teleconference clearly. Briefly go over what was discussed, clarify any action the participants need to take, and finally instruct them to hang up.

Spicing Up Your Calls

There are a few simple things you can do to keep your teleconference from becoming boring for participants. As you can imagine, listening to person after person drone on without interruption or variety can get tedious, and it can encourage participants to tune out what is being said. To avoid this trap, you can stress to speakers that they should do their best to keep their voice from becoming monotonous - have them vary the speed and pitch of their speech.
You can also incorporate one or more of the following elements into the call to keep things interesting:

1. Plan breaks during long conference calls. This allows participants to clear their minds and prepare for more information - teleconferencing can be intensive.

2. Arrange for a guest speaker during the conference, perhaps a high ranking individual in your company or outside expert on a topic of interest. This will encourage participants to attend the meeting and keep them tuned in.

3. Some teleconferencing services allow you to assign different sounds to individual participants. For example, Joe in Accounting is associated with a barking dog, Jill in Marketing with a car horn. Participants can then use their keypad to play the sound to introduce themselves when they begin to speak, or when they enter the call. As the chairperson, you might also have a funny whistle or horn on hand to use when you need to interrupt the discussion or draw attention to yourself. This is fun and humorous, but can be overused and should only be included in the most informal of calls.

International Relations
Teleconferences involving international participants have pitfalls that can be avoided by following a few basic rules. Keep the following in mind:

1. Speak slowly and clearly. Americans usually speak faster than other cultures, making it even more difficult for participants with a language barrier to keep up and comprehend what is being said.

2. Stop occassionaly to ask international participants if they understand what is being said, and offer any clarification they might need.

3. Avoid using slang, colloquialisms, jargon and metaphors, especially sporting ones which Americans love to use, such as "in the ball park" or "this deal is a slam dunk."

4. Watch your humor and sarcasm. International participants might misunderstand and think you are speaking literally, or they might take offense at something said in jest.

5. If necessary, hire an interpreter to ensure clear communication.

6. Consider providing handouts in the various native languages.

Basic Teleconference Etiquette

1. Be on time, and stress the importance of being on time to other participants. It's very disruptive and distracting when people arrive late. Not only are they usually accompanied by a beep or other sound to announce their arrival into the call, but it also becomes necessary to introduce them to the rest of the group. When someone does arrive late, don't immediately cut into the conversation to introduce him or her. Wait until there is a pause, and then simply say, "Sorry for the interruption, but it appears that John Duggan from New York has joined us."

2. Choose a location where there is little background noise. Phones ringing, fax machines emitting shrieking tones, loud voices in the background - all of these things come through loud and clear over the phone line. A closed office with a "do not disturb" sign on the door is ideal.

3. If some background noise is unavoidable, use the mute button on your phone when you are not speaking. Simply un-mute yourself when you want to contribute to the conversation.

4. Select a phone with the handset attached. Cellular and cordless phones often add annoying static to the call. Speakerphones are a pitfall because they pick up a lot of background noise, and many have technology that can interfere with the call - some don't allow you to speak and hear at the same time, effectively "clipping off" parts of the conversation. In addition, you sound as if you're speaking in a tunnel and it adds to the remoteness of this communication medium.

5. Turn off your call waiting. The beep as someone tries to reach you on another line can be heard by everyone on the teleconference. You can switch off this feature on many phones by pressing #70 or *70. Verify with your telephone service provider the particular code that's applicable to your system.

6. Address people by name when you speak to them. Since there are no visual cues, if you simply ask a question or make a remark without indicating whom you are speaking to, it's very difficult for other participants to determine who is being addressed.

7. Direct questions to a specific person, instead of posing them to the audience at large. This helps avoid confusion and chaos, and helps ensure that your question is met with an answer rather than just a silence as everyone tries to figure out who is going to respond. If the addressed individual can't satisfactorily answer your question, he or she can refer it to someone else. Another option is to ask to hear from two people in response to the question/comment.

8. Ask all participants to identify themselves before speaking. Once again, the lack of visual cues makes this essential.

9. Never, ever put your phone on hold during a teleconference. Doing so will force the participants left on the call to listen to the music your telephone system plays to those on hold - effectively ruining the discussion. If it becomes absolutely necessary that you step away from the call, put the phone on mute and set it on your desk instead. Do your very best to avoid stepping away from the call, as it creates a problem when people try to address you without realizing that you're not there. The most polite thing to do it is to obviously let the other participants know that you need to leave the call momentarily. However, it should be an absolute emergency for you to have to do this.

10. Take detailed notes on the topics discussed, including who said what. Consider having your service provider record the call in case you need to go back and clarify something that was said.

Bonus Tip:
As a point of etiquette, it's a good idea to introduce anyone who might have wandered into your room during a teleconference. It's respectful to other participants to let them know that the CEO of your company has stopped by and is eavesdropping on the conversation using your speakerphone. You can handle this tactfully, by simply waiting for a break in the conversation and saying, "It appears that Jim Brown has joined us, please continue."

Offering Feedback
It's a good practice to give participants a chance to offer feedback on the teleconference. You can fax or mail them a simple form with the date of the teleconference and instructions on how to get the information back to you. If appropriate, you can include your feedback request when you distribute minutes of the meeting.
Your feedback request should include the following inquiries:

1. What additional questions or comments do you have on what was discussed?

2. What topics didn't we discuss that you would like to see addressed?

3. What suggestions do you have to make future teleconferences more effective?

Bonus Tip:
Some teleconference service providers offer a feature that places a recording of your meeting into a type of voicemail system. Participants, or those who were unable to participate, can call in at any time of day or night to hear the recording. This allows those who were there to clarify anything they have a question or concern about, and those who weren't there to hear what was discussed.

Investing in Your Calls
An alternative to going through a service that turns your regular phone into a teleconferencing tool is to purchase a special phone made just for conference calling. Polycom (www.polycom.com), Soundgear, Inc. (www.soundgearinc.com)., Gentner Communications (www.gentner.com), and a slew of other companies sell phones that can initiate a conference call in your office or meeting room with the press of a button. Telephone headsets from Plantronics (www.plantronics.com).

Bridgeline rental email: Susan Friedmann, CSP

About The Author

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training.

 Author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” and “Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market” (May 2007).

For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, e-mail: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; website: www.thetradeshowcoach.com