Teleconferences can be a boon or a bust. On the positive side, they allow people atdifferent locations to attend meetings without having to travel. On the negative side,they can degenerate into frustrating struggles with uncontrolled babble. This occursbecause people lack visual contact, which hinders effective communication andprovides opportunities to misbehave.

Here's how to set up an effective meeting by phone.

1) Plan a simple meeting. Ideally, the meeting should last less than 30 to 45minutes. People are unable to concentrate on long phone calls. They become tired.Their attention drifts. They need to take a break. Design your meeting so that it isshort and to the point. That way everyone can focus on the issues and participateeffectively.

2) Write out your goal for the meeting. Then make sure that this statement trulyrepresents the result that you want to have at the end of the meeting. Lack of aclear, well-stated goal is the second biggest cause of bad meetings. Next check if ateleconference is the best way to obtain that goal. Cancel the meeting if you canachieve the goal with any other approach, such as by sending a memo, making asingle phone call, or thinking through a solution by yourself.

3) Prepare an agenda. A teleconference without an agenda is like a journey without amap -- in the dark. Without an agenda, you will lose control and waste time. Youragenda should include the goal for the meeting and detailed instructions for eachpart of the meeting. It should be so complete and specific that someone else coulduse it to run your meeting.

4) Distribute the agenda at least a day before the meeting. This allows everyone tothink about your issues and prepare for their participation. If appropriate (e.g., forcontroversial or complex issues) call key participants to confirm that they receivedthe agenda and to check if they have comments on how the meeting could be mademore effective. Use this as an opportunity to listen their ideas, instead of to work onthe issues or argue with them.

5) Distribute any materials related to the issues before the meeting. This includesoutlines, blueprints, schematics, product brochures, and data. Then, theparticipants can use these tools to participate more effectively. For example, theycan follow an outline, look at diagrams, or read data during the meeting. This helpscompensate for the lack of visual contact in a teleconference.

6) Invite only those who can directly contribute to the meeting. Ideally, this shouldbe fewer than eight people. If you invite more people, it becomes very difficult tohold an effective meeting. With a larger group, some of the attendees will becomelost as silent listeners, which is a waste of their time. You can always send a copy ofthe minutes to the people who need to know about the work accomplished duringthe meeting.

A teleconference is more than a phone call. It is a meeting. And a meeting is abusiness activity that should be driven by a well thought out goal supported by adetailed plan. With proper planning, your teleconferences will distinguish you as aneffective leader.

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IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye helps groups of peoplehold effective meetings. His innovative workshops have informed and inspiredpeople nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will support. And hisbooks show how to hold effective meetings. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com.

Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over100pages ofvaluable ideas.