Conference Calls?

Since I join Accenture, I’ve been spending a lot of time running and attending conference calls. As much as it is extremely convenient, it can be a huge black hole when it comes to getting things done. Without proper management of the calls, calls can either be extended or don’t achieve anything. To me, a lot of conference calls can be shortened – even to 15 minutes if proper preparation is done prior to the calls. On average, I probably have approximately 7-10 calls a day, covering different topics, from updates to discussions, all the way to approvals for large deals.

Here are some damning statistics according to Harvard Business Review

 

So how do we keep it short and make it productive??

 

Usually, if I am the organizer – first thing I would do is to ensure the invite is very clear. My typical invite – which I always strive for, is something like this:

Objective of this call:

1. Objective 1 [Name of the person owning this]
2. Objective 2 [Name of the person owning this]
3. Objective 3 [Name of the person owning this]

Preparation for this call:

1. [Name 1] Do that
2. [Name 2] Do this
3. [Name 3] Do what?

The reason why I do this is to ensure that the objectives are clear, and preparation prior to this call is done properly. What I want to avoid all the time is that people come unprepared, and we have to arrange another call just to discuss the same thing. It’s just a waste of time. In fact a lot of calls can be skipped if we find that the objectives can be done by a short 2 mins direct call to a person. Why bother getting everybody jumping to a call, when it’s just a quick 2 mins call??? Ha ha

During the call, I typically try to run it in this manner:

 

The steps are as follows:

1. Always open up with an ice-breaker. Try not to spend too much time on this. Maybe 2-3 minutes. Figure out a good transition over to get down to the second point.
2. Always – run thru the objectives of the meetings. It’s important so that we can set the expectation of the call. Also make sure that there are not too many objectives, otherwise you’ll dilute it.
3. Go thru each item.
4. If its too long or something that cannot be decided or resolved during the call.
5. Push it offline, i.e work thru it during your own time.
6. If the item requires an action item…
7. Make sure it’s assign to a person. Doesn’t matter if there’s few people need to do this, but one person must own this.
8. Move to the next item in the list..
9. At the end of the call – do a full recap, especially on the offline actions that needs to be done. And yes! pave the way for the next call (if needed!)

Generally – it’s not hard, but if you just starting to do conference calls, you might want to think about your style, and strive to run it as smooth as you can.