Three Tips for a Successful Remote Conference Call

Recently, I posted a piece about key tips to set yourself up successfully to work from home. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our economy and professional environment, we have an increased need for online group conversations. Luckily, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and reliability of video teleconferencing (VTC) options available to both the individual and organization. In fact, several services are offering their solutions free of charge during this national crisis.

We all have horror stories of teleconferences gone wrong. There’s even a conference call bingo card out there that identifies the most common failings (thanks to Mike Walsh for posting this to LinkedIn).

It is clear that a successful VTC does not happen by chance; it takes planning and consideration. Here are three tips to help you be successful during your next virtual team gathering.

tip 1: be prepared.

All good meeting organizers know the basics – run the meeting firmly; have an agenda; stay on topic; stay on time. Those tips are even more critical when you are running a virtual session. When you do not have everyone in the same place, it is harder for everyone to remain focused. The irresistible call of email and YouTube can tempt even the most professional participant, and the additional distractions of home and family during this crisis adds new distractions to the equation. Therefore, the meeting organizer needs to be incredibly engaged to ensure things run smoothly.

First, make sure you open the meeting portal early, especially if you are new to the system. Each tool has its own quirks and issues. By beginning the session 5 minutes prior to the meeting start time, you can make sure you are ready to go.

Second, make sure to take roll call of who joins. If you use the web interface, you should be able to get at least a partial phone number (Google Meet gives you the area code and last two digits of the phone number) for each attendee. As people join, I ask people to identify themselves – for example, “who is 703 ending in 99?” I then jot down the person’s name and number. This helps me when engaging with the team and, if it is a recurring meeting, keep note of who everyone is so I can ensure they remain engaged.

Finally, stick to your agenda. Keeping people on topic is critical – as soon as you begin to go down rabbit holes those cat videos become too tempting. When participants realize that you are only covering important, salient topics, they will be more likely to give you their undivided attention so they do not miss anything critical. As long as you remain focused you should be able to keep them engaged during the vast majority of the call.

tip 2: check your surroundings.

As we continue to practice social distancing, at least for the near future, using video is going to be the primary way we see people we do not live with. For example, my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop is having virtual meetings to ensure the girls stay connected with each other and their responsibilities. Professionally, being able to put a face with a name can be really beneficial to developing and maintaining professional relationships.

I would recommend everyone log into virtual meetings on their computers and turn on their cameras to help promote that person-to-person connection. However, before you do so, two quick suggestions:

• • Make sure you are dressed appropriately. This is not to say you need to dress in a suit or even business casual. However, attending in your pajamas with bed head is not recommended. For recurring meetings, you can even add an element of fun to this. Have everyone wear something from their favorite team, or their craziest pair of socks. Spend a minute or two discussing what you’ve chosen. It can help build the team dynamic.

• Check your background. Before the meeting starts, look at what is in view of your camera. Take note of your surroundings – do they look clean and tidy? Organized? If you are meeting with a client or those above you in the corporate hierarchy are on the call, I would recommend making sure it looks neat. 

tip 3: expect distractions – take it easy!

We all know distractions occur when we are on conference calls. In 2017, Professor Robert Kelly was doing an interview with the BBC about South Korea when both of his young children wandered into his home office. His wife quickly jumped in to help escort them out of the room, but by then their status as the poster family of what can happen when working remotely had been sealed.

Whether it is someone forgetting to take themselves off mute, family and pets making noise in the background, or being in an airport, all meeting participants have to be ready for the inevitable disruption. It is how we handle it that is important.

The key notion is to not let it completely derail your meeting. In fact, make a little joke about it but make sure you stay on topic. If you are doing a roll call and someone is there but doesn’t answer, first say “you may be still on mute.” If they still don’t answer, I usually just say “let’s go back to them in a minute” and move on to the next person. On a call recently, one of the contributors had to be in charge of two small children while taking part in the call. When his time to speak came, we could clearly hear his children in the background. We just laughed and moved on. It’s no different than if someone comes into the room during a real meeting – tackle it quickly and move on. That said, encourage participants to mute their line when they are not speaking. It minimizes background noise and distractions and helps everyone hear the speaker more clearly, even when their own background noises interfere.

conclusion

We are all used to having video teleconferences and conference calls. However, in times of crisis like this global pandemic, it is even more vital that these sessions are crisp, clean, and well-run. The tips I’ve provided today hopefully will keep your team on track and productive in your virtual meeting environment.