When using conferencing or web conferencing products from companies, such as The Conference Group, there are some basic tips that organizations can use to make their calls more successful.

Denise O'Berry, a business consultant, writes on an ATT blog that one way you can make your business life less complicated is to use conference calls for some of the business meetings.

 It will free up a bit of your day and reduce stress caused by running from place to place. Who wants to spend all day in a car anyway? Plus, when you are meeting over the phone it gives you more opportunity to have exactly the right data and documents you need at your fingertips. It also could provide you with the opportunity to reach out beyond your local area without the added expense of plane fares and hotel rooms.

Here are ten steps that will help you make your conference call the most productive it can be for you and the participants.

Before the Meeting

1.Prepare an agenda. This will be easy once you've defined your meeting purpose and expected outcome. An agenda will give your conference call structure and help participants prepare to make the meeting successful. To develop an agenda, use your meeting purpose and expected outcomes to identify discussion topics and required decisions. Place those items on your agenda and define a specific time frame for each item.

2.Identify required participants. Have you ever sat through a meeting you felt was a waste of your time? Most everyone has at one time or another. Take a look at the topics that will be discussed and the decisions that will be made. Invite only those people who have a vested interest in the topic and who have the authority to make necessary decisions.

3.Send the agenda to all participants. Sending your agenda prior to the conference call will help the meeting participants come totally prepared. Give them at least a couple of days to review the agenda so they have time to ask any questions or prepare materials ahead of time.

4.Make sure you have the right equipment. Your phone should have the ability to link in the required participants. A phone with a good speaker is a plus. Your call will be much more productive if everyone can hear well and participate when needed.

During the Conference Call

5.Introduce the participants. Every participant should know who is on the call. Make some quick introductions and identify what role each person will play. Ensure that each person can hear and be heard.

6.Set some ground rules. Begin by explaining that you understand everyone is busy, but you'd like their focused attention during the meeting. That means no multi-tasking on the computer or cell phone. It may even shorten your meeting and it will help minimize repetition and misunderstandings.

7.Conduct your meeting by following the agenda. People will appreciate you staying on topic and making decisions where appropriate. If the meeting gets off track on topics that aren't applicable to your meeting, capture those items and address them at a later time.

8.Take notes. No one can remember everything. Make sure you capture the issues discussed during the conference call and document what decisions are made. If it will be a problem for you to run the meeting and take notes at the same time, assign another person the responsibility.

9.Close out the meeting. Wrap up by giving a brief recap of the meeting. Share the decisions made, action items assigned, and next steps required. Don't forget to thank everyone for their participation.

After the Meeting

10. Distribute minutes to participants. Type up your notes as soon after the meeting as possible and send them out to everyone involved. Take action on decisions that were made and make sure to follow up on action items.

These ten steps can help make your conference call be more productive.