How to plan Your Conference Calls

Planning for Your Conference Call:
* Have I made a list of all the people I'd like to attend and checked their availability?
* Is the service I use going to be active at the time I'm planning for my meeting?
* Have I communicated any special instructions for services I might need to my conference service provider?
* Have I communicated the date and time of the meeting to all of my participants?
(Don't forget to specify which time zone!)
* Have I communicated the appropriate dial-in numbers and passcodes to all participants?
* Do I have an agenda set for the meeting?
* Do some research to find out what your participants need to address and set up a timeline for addressing each issue. Plan your agenda around the effect you'd like to have on each of the participants and what you'd like them to take away from the meeting.
* Have I received confirmation of attendance from all participants?
* Have I provided all my participants with any materials they might need?
* Have I advised all participants of the agenda so that they will be prepared for the meeting?

At Conference Call Start Time:
* Have I secured a quiet location where I am unlikely to be disturbed during my meeting or be affected by distracting background noise?
* Do I have a list of participants and my agenda in front of me?
* Do I have a clock or watch visible to keep track of the time we are spending on agenda topics?