5 Steps to More Effective Conference Calls

When I was thrown into my first group business call, I felt incredibly under-qualified. What’s the proper way to announce myself? When should I speak up? What happens when a client throws a curveball? The first few times were were some awkward moments, but over time I got a much better handle on how to communicate long-distance with others. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re making the right impression with a client over the phone (or internet), you’re not alone. Here are 5 steps you should take to communicate more effectively and persuasively over long distances:

Step 1: Choose the right setup

Some conversations can be held quite effectively with the traditional speaker-phone arrangement, but don’t always rule out other methods of communicating. The internet has not only revolutionized the spread of information, but also the reach of communication. Products are widely available that allow users to arrange and make conference calls through the computer, which is incredibly helpful when face-to-face contact is necessary. If you’re discussing or collaborating on something physical, like a graph or product image, you can easily share screens. That means you’re instantly on the same page and can move through the discussion more efficiently and accurately than if you had tried to do the same over the phone.

Step 2: Prepare Your Elevator Pitch

The last thing you want is to be caught off-guard with a question about the full scope of your products and services. Even if you’re not intending the conversation to go that way, this is not the time to “wing it” or sound unsure if the other party decides to take it there. The idea of an elevator pitch is that if you should be able to describe your business to someone in an elevator before the door opens and you go your separate ways. If you’re just starting your own business, prepare and write down a 30-second spiel about everything you do, in a nutshell. If you’ve just joined a business, have a boss or coworker that has been around for awhile help you write the pitch. In either case, you should be specific (instead of “I boost website sales,” say “I’m Google Analytics certified to help boost website conversions”).

Step 3: Introductions

When the conference call begins, announce your company name followed by yourself and team. For example: “ABC Consulting here, this is John and I’ve got a few team members on the call with me.” Announce each team member on the call, allowing a brief pause for him or her to say hello. If anyone on the other end of the call doesn’t know a team member on a first-name basis, you should also give a brief description of this person does following the initial introduction. Then, allow your contacts to introduce themselves, being sure to greet everyone.

Step 4: Take Notes

Have each team member come prepared with paper and pen to write notes on the meeting. It never fails to amaze me how varied those notes can be, because each person catches different things based on their role and perspective in the company. This is also helpful because when there are several people sharing ideas at once, there’s seldom a chance to say what you’re thinking right when you think it. This helps each person track their thoughts and remember points to bring up when there’s an opportunity.

Step 5: Action

Always end a conference call with action points. Always clarify whose team is responsible for which upcoming tasks, and write them down so you can follow up with an email reiterating the agreement. For instance, if I am building a corporate video for a client, my team’s initial responsibilities include building a storyboard and contacting production artists, while it is the client’s responsibility to send their corporate logo and review the storyboard in a timely manner. If it’s a particularly large project, send weekly updates on who is due to complete what task, and arrange follow-up calls throughout the project.

About the Author: Chris Turberville-Tully is a marketing strategist for Conference Genie, a UK-based company offering virtual communication services. Services include video calling and conference calls for businesses. Follow Conference Genie: http://twitter.com/#!/conferencegenie

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