You are organizing a teleconference, and surprisingly it
doesn’t start on time, people cannot dial in, they don’t distinguish “leader
code” from “participant code”, a few people know the objectives, and certainly no
one knows who is really on the line
Sounds familiar?
If not, just look at the movie below
showing how, in most cases, teleconferences look like, and what happens from different points of view...
In teleconferences, just like in regular meetings there are
rules, which can save both time and effort if you stick to them:
Rule # 1 – “No agenda – no teleconference” – if you are
an organizer of teleconference communicate key objectives and expectations to
the participants before the virtual meeting . If you are participant and you don’t
see clear agenda – just don’t be shy to
ask what is the point of doing it.
Rule #2 – “There is a difference between a leader and
participant” – every time you join a teleconference you wonder who is on the
line and whether you should or should not introduce yourself if the conference has already started. So let’s
make it clear: always introduce yourself when you join the call, and if you are
leader (formal role of person appointing the teleconference and sending the
agenda), just tell the person who just has joined who is in the room. Do it
every time someone new joins. It’s such a huge time saver compared to having
n-people say “hi” one after another and introduce themselves to the person who’s
just joined.
Rule#3 – “No minutes – no teleconference “- just imagine
somebody could not make it and didn’t join the teleconference you have
splendidly planned. So what you are going to do to avoid numerous calls on what
have happened during the teleconference in case it was missed by more than
couple of participants? Just prepare a short summary with key things discussed,
agreed upon , and next steps planned . Send it to all teleconference
participants the same day the teleconference took place together with thank-you-note
for participation, engagement and contribution of those who joined in.
What are your tips for making time at work efficient and meaningful?