In business, it’s important to be punctual, to keep to a schedule, and be reliable. It’s no different when it comes to conference calls. Sometimes though, it can seem impossible for a conference to follow the agenda or the schedule. Here are some tips from SpeakingAboutPresenting.com for keeping conference calls on time.
You and the Schedule - The best way to keep a conference call on time is while it is still in its planning stage. First decide how long you will actually be speaking--leaving the rest of the time for greetings, introductions, questions, and miscellaneous. Practice your speaking part aloud while timing it. Then around that, build the rest of the schedule, including time for every other little thing; 1 minute for a quick update on a project for example.
Select Question Points - It’s natural to “save all questions for the end,” but occasionally this can eat up more time than expected. If you know a particular stand-alone section generates a lot of questions, have a Q&A for it right then. This way, the questions are focused on the one section, and not mixed with all the questions for the entire conference call.
Display the Clock - Well, that’s about it. Make sure you can see a clock or timer and make sure to start and stop when it says. The moment you disrespect the time, your participants will too.
There’s a few more points in the link above, but I want to hear about yours. How do you keep your conference calls on schedule? Tell us about your methods.
