Conference Call Skills: Managing Handouts Remotely

Conference calls are a great way to facilitate regular communications among geographically dispersed teams but managing handouts remotely can improve any call. However, communicating via phone doesn’t always result in the most productive meetings, although there are a number of ways that you can make conference calls more productive. To that end, one way to help add focus to a conference call is by emailing handouts to the call participants prior to the meeting, or including the handouts in the meeting invitations. By adding the relevant handouts, improved connections are established between team members, resulting in a better use of everyone’s time.

Why do you need handouts during a conference call?

Not only do handouts eliminate some of the barriers that are inherent to conference calls, they eliminate some of the time required to explain details. It doesn’t matter if you’re managing a large group on the call or only a few individuals. Either way, handouts are a helpful addition to conference calls. Imagine being able to save precious minutes by referring your listeners to a financial chart or graph, versus verbally rattling off a series of numbers, which most people have a hard time absorbing suddenly. Studies consistently find that information presented visually will be remembered much more easily – and accurately – than information delivered verbally. You will now be able to dedicate more time on the points that really matter and get more accomplished in less time.

Provide handouts before the conference call

Providing handouts via email before a conference call is important. Keep the notes brief and to the point. Ideally, attendees should review any documents sent in advance and show up prepared. Realistically, only a few participants will have had the time to review the notes, and most will show up on the line without having read them.  If the notes are brief, if you use bullet-points instead of long paragraphs, and if you use charts instead of pages filled with numbers, the handouts will still help everyone during the call – even those looking at the notes for the first time.

Handouts maintain the focus of the call

Handouts minimize the potential of the conference call straying from your agenda. Your team is busy, and it’s hard enough keeping attendees from checking their phones and email every few minutes. Handouts give your call participants a visual sense of flow. And, with something in hand, your attendees are more likely to be focused on the conference call and be less inclined to multitask. If, for some reason, an unavoidable distraction disrupts the conference call, steering the team back to the handouts ensures your meeting meets its objective. Be sure your handouts are well labeled and that you include page numbers, so you can more easily direct attendees to the section you want them to reference at any given time.

We’d love to hear from you. Be sure to add a comment below on how handouts make your conference calls more productive.

Franchetti Communications delivers accelerated results by designing power-packed media interview and presentation training sessions around your unique goals, in person and via teleconference. Franchetti Communications works with corporations and business leaders to develop communication strategy, messaging, and PR strategy. Follow Franchetti Communications on LinkedIn, and be sure to download our special report: 6 Ways to Guarantee Your Message Cuts Through the Clutter.