Voice mail Video Conferencing notes

CONFERENCE CALLS 

A telephone call is which a person can talk to several people at the same time is called a conference call. It is of two types: a person talks and other called people listen only, on the other called participants can also speak.

For conference calls, a specialized service provider is involved who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN Codes that participants dial to join the conference call. It is possible to record question and answer details and also to meeting a particular participant.

In business enterprises, it has become common to talk to the remote parties, both internally and outside the company through conference calls. It is used for client meetings, sales presentations, team meetings, project presentations and updates. It makes workers more productive as they are not required to go out of the offices for meetings.

Before we make a conference call, it is important to keep certain important factors in mind. These include having clear agenda, appropriate technical setup, conference call etiquette and so on.

Agenda

· Have an agenda that includes goals, participant expectations and timing if appropriate.            

An hour on a teleconference generally cannot accomplish quite as much as an hour of face-to-face interaction, so it is important to plan accordingly.

· If you expect active participation from all participants, consider the impact of volume of comments on time available when determining the number of agenda items. On a 10 person call with the expectation that everyone comments on each agenda item, and their comments range from 1-3 minutes, that means you can accommodate 1-2 agenda items in an hour.

·Decide on the roles of each participant plays. The meeting chair does not have to be the same person who is looking after the call facilitation duties.

·  Ask participants to review the agenda prior to the call.

· If a critical issue is to be discussed, consider scheduling short phone segments. It is hard to stay on the phone for a full day.

Technical Set Up

·  Send all participants the dial in number and pass-codes (if any) needed. Be clear to participants if you are offering a toll free number or if they are responsible for long distance costs. With international groups, make sure your number includes the international country code. Have a backup plan for potential technology failure.

·  Consider arrangements for hearing impaired participants (ITY, simultaneous transcription in a chat room, etc.).

Scheduling and Preparation

·     Consider participant availability just as you would for any other meeting.

·      Consider time zones when scheduling. Communicate local time or how to calculate local time when sending meeting announcement.

·       Distribute supporting documents/files well before the call starts. Inform participants if they have to have a file or website open on their computer desktop.

·       Have an attendance list with name, email and phone number in case you need to contact an individual before, during or after the call.

Starting the Call and Facilitating It

·               As the facilitator, it is helpful to log on early and be the first online (5-15 minutes). Greet and know who is online.

·               If appropriate, ask early arrivals to greet subsequent arrivals as a team building activity.

·               Establish the protocol of announcing one's name when taking a turn speaking.

·               Find out if there are any individual time constraints ("I have to leave early") and adjust accordingly. This is particularly important if you need the input or participation of the person leaving early to achieve the goals of the call.

·               If the group gets off the agenda, refocus but take note of the side issue for later attention.

·               Break up long stretches of one speaker.

·               When appropriate, go "around to circle" for inclusive participation.

·               Consider "breakout sessions" where pairs get off the main call, call each other, interact and call back on to the phone bridge.

·               For decision-making processes, restate or repeat key issues.

·              

If your participants can be online at the same time they are on the phone, consider web- based collaboration tools to create shared electronic notes, flip charts, etc. Sometimes allowing "side chats" or "chat breakouts" can increase participant engagement.

·               Generally, the larger the group, the more direct your facilitation needs to be to keep a small number of people from dominating the call.

·               During the call, stop and ask for feedback.

·               Share leadership duties to help less engaged people become more involved in the call. Ask individuals to "lead" sections of the agenda.

·               Assign people different roles - note taker, timekeeper, "keeper" of unanswered questions, etc.

General Call Etiquette

·          Call from a quiet location.

·                 If you use a cell phone, put on mute when not talking.

·               Avoid speakerphones or if using speakerphones, use the mute button.

·               Use quality headsets for good sound quality.

·               Avoid low quality cordless phones as they sometimes create a buzzing background sound.

·               Avoid paper rustling.

·               Caution with multitasking - some is unavoidable, but remind people about attention and occasionally call on participants who are silent if they have anything to say.

·               Anyone who is leaving or returning must announce.

·               On long calls, offer breaks and quick stretches' - remember we are more than just ears.

·               Speak clearly. Slow down if you are a 'fast talker'. Be aware of the impact of accents and slow down accordingly. Be enthusiastic and use a tone appropriate to the group. The first impression is important 

Interactive Techniques

·               Brainstorming – In this technique, you ask participants to note down other's contributions to a brainstorm. After the brainstorming period is done, ask people to comment on the words people chose to express their ideas. Help the group look for convergence and divergence around the creative process.

·               Telephone Break Out Techniques - Pair up participants in advance and share a phone list. During the call, assign a task to the pairs, have the pairs get off the main call and work for 10 minutes and return to the main number at a stated time to report/debrief the activity.

·               "Just Three Words" - Phone comments can drag on, especially for large groups. The technique is to do a round of comments from everyone on the call with the constraint that they can only use three words in their response. For example, at the end of the call you might say "what three words describe your experience of today's call?" The notes from these exercises can then be later reviewed and observed for similarities, differences and patterns.

"The Clock" - "The clock" can be used on conference calls to help people get and keep a sense of place and participation in a disembodied conference call. It can be used with structured online chats as well. Ask everyone to draw a circle on a piece of paper and mark the hours like a clock. Then, each person is assigned a spot on the "clock" as they join the group. So the first person is 1 o'clock, the second 2, etc. If there are more than twelve, start adding 1:30, 2:30 etc. Use this initially to create a speaking sequence for introductions, and then use it to ensure that everyone speaks. Participants can make notations by names and use it as a visual tool to match names/voices/input. If you are doing multiple rounds of "speaking" vary the "starting position" on the clock.

·               Location Maps - For widely distributed groups that meet regularly create a map with pictures of the participants near their location on the map. Distribute to the group or publish on a web page.

·               Side Conversations - If someone wants to comment directly to a previous speaker, they can use that person's name to focus their attention. "Supriya, I am not sure I agree with that approach  " Closure.

·               Take minutes and use for follow up. Distribute them as soon as possible after the meeting and highlight follow up steps and responsibilities. Recap meeting or next steps as appropriate.

·               Offer opportunity for final/closing comments. End the call promptly, and clearly.

VIDEO CONFERENCING 

A videoconference is a form of telecommunication which simultaneously allows two or more locations to interact via two-way audiovisual transmissions. It helps people sitting at different sites to come together for a meeting. This meeting may be between two people, each in his/her private office, or it may involve several sites with more than one person in large rooms at different sites. These sites may be anywhere in the world. It helps share not just ideas in a discussion, but also documents, and information displayed on the computer or on a whiteboard.

The Need for Planning

Some amount of planning needs to be done for a video conference, though there is nothing really complicated about it, and it would generally take the same amount of time as it would for a face-to-face meeting or a telephone conversation. Some key things to note are given below:

·               Make a note of the number of people and locations participating in the video conference.

·               Make an agenda to circulate among all participants before the meeting. Mail this to all other sites too.

·               See that lighting is appropriate. Diffused lighting is preferred so that light is evenly distributed and shadows are minimized. Draw drapes or blinds to cover windows.

·               Ensure that chair placements are such that all participants are visible in the camera's field of view. A U or V shaped arrangement, facing the camera, is usually the most suitable.

·               It is advisable for participants to wear neutral colours as bright colours and complex patterns can be distracting.

·               Call each location 15-19 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to make sure you are all connected.

·               Do a test call before the meeting to ensure that lighting, chair placements and microphone placements are all optimal.

·               See that all participants are seated before the session begins to avoid going in and out during the call.

During the Call

The planning is all done, but for the video conference to go off smoothly, .there are a few precautions to be kept in mind during the talk.

·               While in a video conference, as in any meeting, avoid side talking, walking in and out of the room, typing, or doing any other work that distracts or causes sound disturbance.

·               If more than two sites are participating, it is advisable that sites that are not talking mute their microphones so as to minimize disruption due to noise.

·               Remember that there is a short time delay in video conferencing. This is why it is important to leave a longer pause between two speakers than in a face-to-face or telephonic conversation. Wait till the other person has clearly finished before you continue the conversation.

·               Always make a verbal response, as visual ones, like nodding or shaking the head may go unnoticed.

VOICE MAIL 

The Advantages of Voice Mail

Often when you telephone somebody, you may hear a recorded voice informing you of the person's inability to take your call, and asking you to leave your message after a beep. This is what we call the voice mail service, though in some cases it may still be the old answering machine. While earlier people used only the answering machine to leave messages, the voice mail, which is far more sophisticated and with many more functions, is fast replacing the traditional answering machine.

Basically, whereas the user had to be physically present near the machine to retrieve messages from the answering machine, the voice mail allows you to listen to your messages from anywhere using a central number that lets you access your account. Voice mail offers many communication advantages over the answering machine, apart from the ability for users to check their messages remotely. Voice mail users can easily save, delete and archive messages, again using simple keypad entries. Voice mail systems often also incorporate caller ID features, such as the number from which the message originated, as well as the date and time of the call. In some cases, users can then choose to instantly reply to a message, especially if the person who left the message has a voice mail box on the same system as the recipient.

Leaving a voice mail message is a simple task. Just remember to keep it short and succinct. Be prepared to leave a message, do not fumble, stutter or repeat unnecessarily, and speak clearly. Leave out the parts that are not so important, they can be brought up when you have the opportunity to speak to the concerned person. Do not repeat, but you may need to spell out difficult words, especially proper nouns that the listener may not be familiar with. If you need to leave an address for mailing, remember to add the postal pin code. Keep the listener's perspective in mind while leaving the message, especially if you are making a sales call.

One important thing to keep in mind while leaving a voice message is the need to maintain data security. You do not ever leave any information regarding somebody's invoice number, any figures such as the amount, or even credit card, passport or driving license details, if they are available to you. All of this information is regarded as sensitive data and falls under data protection acts in most countries.