Effective Meetings By Phone - Part 1, How To Plan A
By Steve Kaye, Wed Dec 7th

Teleconferences can be a boon or a bust. On the positive side,they allow people at different locations to attend meetingswithout having to travel. On the negative side, they candegenerate into frustrating struggles with uncontrolled babble.This occurs because people lack visual contact, which hinderseffective communication and provides opportunities to misbehave.

Here's how to set up an effective meeting by phone.

1) Plan a simple meeting. Ideally, the meeting should last lessthan 30 to 45 minutes. People are unable to concentrate on longphone calls. They become tired. Their attention drifts. Theyneed to take a break. Design your meeting so that it is shortand to the point. That way everyone can focus on the issues andparticipate effectively.

2) Write out your goal for the meeting. Then make sure that thisstatement truly represents the result that you want to have atthe end of the meeting. Lack of a clear, well-stated goal is thesecond biggest cause of bad meetings. Next check if ateleconference is the best way to obtain that goal. Cancel themeeting if you can achieve the goal with any other approach,such as by sending a memo, making a single phone call, orthinking through a solution by yourself.

3) Prepare an agenda. A teleconference without an agenda is likea journey without a map -- in the dark. Without an agenda, youwill lose control and waste time. Your agenda should include thegoal for the meeting and detailed instructions for each part ofthe meeting. It should be so complete and specific that someoneelse could use it to run your meeting.

4) Distribute the agenda at least a day before the meeting. Thisallows everyone to think about your issues and prepare for theirparticipation. If appropriate (e.g., for controversial orcomplex issues) call key participants to confirm that theyreceived the agenda and to check if they have comments on howthe meeting could be made more effective. Use this as anopportunity to listen their ideas, instead of to work on theissues or argue with them.

5) Distribute any materials related to the issues before themeeting. This includes outlines, blueprints, schematics, productbrochures, and data. Then, the participants can use these toolsto participate more effectively. For example, they can follow anoutline, look at diagrams, or read data during the meeting. Thishelps compensate for the lack of visual contact in ateleconference.

6) Invite only those who can directly contribute to the meeting.Ideally, this should be fewer than eight people. If you invitemore people, it becomes very difficult to hold an effectivemeeting. With a larger group, some of the attendees will becomelost as silent listeners, which is a waste of their time. Youcan always send a copy of the minutes to the people who need toknow about the work accomplished during the meeting.

A teleconference is more than a phone call. It is a meeting. Anda meeting is a business activity that should be driven by a wellthought out goal supported by a detailed plan. With properplanning, your teleconferences will distinguish you as aneffective leader.

About the author:IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kayehelps groups of people hold effective meetings. His innovativeworkshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. Hisfacilitation produces results that people will support. And hisbooks show how to hold effective meetings. Sign up for his freenewsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com. Call 714-528-1300 orvisit his web site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas.