Updated Conference Call & Meeting Tips

My last post about this topic was dated 2009. In preparing for a workshop this week, it seemed like a good time to update the resource. have any suggestions or additions? Please share them in the comments.

Flickr Creative Commons photo from Leo Reynolds http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/438478596/sizes/s/

Why use a call?

The medium of voice conversations is pretty flexible. Many of us have mastered the one to one call. You can read hundreds of articles about when to use and not to use voice calls, but the bottom line is you can do many many things and many people have few alternatives. The real question is how hard it is to do any particular type of interaction WELL on a call.

Group voices  calls  can be used  in general for:

  • meetings (best with smaller groups unless it is to broadcast information)
  • project management teams
  • learning events
  • guest speaker presentations
  • orientation or closure for online activity/event
  • networking
  • presentations/pitches

Teleconferences support processes of:

  • decision making (convergence) – this can be a challenging process if the decisions are difficult/complex
  • problem solving/conflict resolution – same issue as decision making
  • fun/play
  • relationship building/orientation
  • brainstorming
  • teamwork
  • knowledge sharing
  • information delivery

Planning

Agenda

  • Have an agenda that includes goals, participant expectations and timing if appropriate. (2013 update — I’ve grown to realize that not all meetings need agendas, but they need at least an intention. For complex, emergent issues, an agenda may not serve as well as a really good starting question.)
    • Don’t CRAM the agenda! It takes more time and people have more fragile attention spans.
    • Ask participants to review the agenda prior to the call. (Or the background materials, intentions, etc.!)
  • An hour on a teleconference generally cannot accomplish quite as much as an hour F2F. Plan accordingly. (Update: take this into consideration with the next point! )
  • 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 roles. The meeting chair does not have to be the same person who is looking after the call facilitation duties. (Update: I have grown very fond of having a shared chat tool for collective note taking and have added a sub section below. I use http://www.meetingwords.com a lot. )
    • Specific roles are more important as the size of the group increases
    • Facilitator or master of ceremonies – support meeting process
    • Having a “greeter” who arrives 5 or more minutes early to welcome people as they arrive on the phone line helps them orient socially
    • Having a “tech person” who can help people (say, by means of a chat room or instant messenger (IM) if they have difficulties)
    • Designated presenters or speakers who are experts in the topic
    • Having a note-taker (say in a chat-room, that also supports the “tech person”)
  • If part of the group is in a F2F with a long (i.e. full day) agenda, consider scheduling shorter phone segments for critical business. It is hard to stay on the phone for a full day! 😉

Technical Set Up

  • Consider if telephone is the best communication tool for your task or purpose. Alternatives include webmeeting tools, or pairing a phone call with another visual tool such as a chat room (Skype, IM, etc) or shared Whiteboard (ie. Vyew)
  • Send all participants the dial in number and pass-codes (if any) needed. 
    • When I send these in advance, I find it useful to resend an hour before the meeting so people don’t have to go digging through old emails. If you use a calendar request, include on the invitation.)
  • 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.
  • Providing a “jumping off” point –where people can look up the details if they’re lost or if the technology fails. (email, URL, etc.)
  • Integrate a phone call with other media and modes of communication (online, face-to-face, presentation media and print resources). E.G. Collect topics from asynchronous discussions (email lists or web boards)
  • Consider using more than one channel. This means audio with a visual. Often this helps focus more attention and understanding. For example, integrate visuals by sending images in advance or using a web meeting tool. Use an online white board to generate shared images and notes during the call.
  • Consider arrangements for hearing impaired participants (TTY, simultaneous transcription in a chat room, etc.).
  • Have a back up plan for potential technology failure.
  • If the call leader controls the start/stop of the call and may have to leave early, have a second person with leader privileges so the call does not get cut off. Be careful of teleconferencing and we bmeeting tools that only allow one person to have the controls. This is risky.
  • Plan to record the call so you can post audio recordings or notes so that they support asynchronous interaction or give people who couldn’t make it to the call a sense of belonging. If you plan to record the call, recording, playback and transcription tools/services include:
    • http://www.audioacrobat.com
    • http://free.conferencecall.com
    • http://www.highspeedconferencing.com
    • http://www.skype.com with external plug ins (tools you have to add in)
    • http://www.learningalliances.net/CoP_Resources/Recording-phone-meetings.htm
  • Cheap and useful telephone services and tools
    • http://www.freeconferencecall.com
    • http://www.highdefconferencing.com/ (combines regular phone calls and Skype calls)
    • http://www.skype.com
    • http://www.gizmoproject.com/
    • http://www.nocostconference.com/
    • http://www.vyew.com/content/ Simple tool to share screens, etc.

Scheduling and Preparation

  • Consider participant availability just as you would for any other meeting.
  • Consider time zones when scheduling. See the WCAG 2.0 Compliant time converter option, thetimenow.com (Edit, 9/21/16 – thetimenow.com has asked us to remove all links so you just see the name, not the link.  NW) or  http://www.timeanddate.com for timezones and http://www.doodle.ch for scheduling tools.)
  • Communicate local time or how to calculate local time when sending meeting announcement.
  • Distribute supporting documents/files well before the call start.
  • 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

  • The facilitator should log on early and be the first online (5-15 minutes).
  • If you are going to record the  call, put a big post it note in front of you to remember to turn on the recording. Can you tell I’ve forgotten this a few times? I now also ask someone else to remind me.
    • Tell people if you are recording the call and ask for/deal with any objections. Tell WHERE the recording will be available and who will have access.
  • Greet and know who is online (roll call, use “the clock” described below, etc.).
  • If appropriate, ask early arrivals to greet subsequent arrivals as a team-building activity.
  • Establish protocol of announcing name when taking a turn speaking.
  • Review and, if needed, adjust agenda.
  • 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.

General Call Etiquette

  • Call from a quiet location.
  • Avoid cell phones. 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 to avoid “tinny” sound.
  • Avoid low quality cordless phones as they sometimes create a buzzing background sound.
  • Don’t use the hold button if your phone system has built in background music or announcements.
  • Avoid paper rustling.
  • Caution with multitasking – some is unavoidable, but remind people about attention and occasionally call on silent folks to keep their attention. Listen for keyboard sounds (those doing email!).
  • Announce if leaving/returning.
  • On long calls, offer bio breaks and “quick stretches” – remember we are more than just ears! Consider kind treatment of bodies!
  • 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.
  • Vary voice tone – avoid monotone presentation.
  • Articulate body language (“I’m making waving motions with my hands.”)

Attention & Engagement

  • Use guest speakers or multiple speakers to avoid “boredom” with one voice/presenter
  • If appropriate, use games and interactive activities. See “Just Three Words” below.
  • Track who is talking so you can call on those who have not had a chance/chosen to speak up.
  • Use people’s names to get their attention.
  • 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.
  • Listen for folks who may be more comfortable talking (avoid dominance) or very quiet.
  • Consider “break out sessions” where pairs get off 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 as they are honed down to a decision point.
  • 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 directive your facilitation needs to be to keep a small number of people from dominating the call.
  • During the call, stop and ask for feedback.
  • If you don’t want to ask each person to respond to a general query (“do you understand the new procedure?”), ask questions such that silence means assent. There is a drawback to this technique in that sometimes silences does not truly mean assent and understanding can be lost.
  • 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.

Interactive Techniques

  • Brainstorming – ask participants to note down others’ 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.
  • Horrors and Exceptional Situations – For skills training. People often are happy to share horror stories around a skill or issue that can help groups discern what NOT to do. But often they miss the examples of what works. Ask groups to break out (see telephone break out tips) and identify 2-3 HORROR and EXCEPTIONAL SUCCESS stories. Reconvene and note the behaviors that lead to both the positive and negative outcomes. Review and debrief at conclusions. Include what was learned in the call notes.
  • Telephone Break Out Techniques – Pair up participants in advance and share a phone list. During the call, assign a pairs task, 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 out/debrief the activity.
  • “Just Three Words” – Phone comments can drag on, especially for large groups. This game originated as an online text technique but works well to surface a sense of the group and get fast feedback. 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 every one 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 intros, and then use it to ensure 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. “Sarah, I am not sure I agree with that approach….”

Shared Note Taking

As noted above, I’ve grown fond of shared note taking, so I’ve expanded this a bit:

  • Meetingwords.com: Synchronous online  meetings for large groups create a context where it is easy to “tune out” and multitask. My approach to this is to set up a shared note taking site and engage people there to take notes, do “breakout” work from smaller groups and generally offer another modality for engagement and interaction. We used Meetingwords.com and Google docs for this, later sharing cleaned up notes from these tools. I like that Meeting words has the shared note taking (wiki) on the left, and a chat on the right. It is based on Etherpad, which was eventually folded into Google docs. So we were using “cousin” technologies!
  • Skype: If your meeting is relatively small and you are using Skype, take notes right into the chat room.

Telephone Break Out Techniques

  • Pair up participants in advance and share a phone list. During the call, assign a pairs task, 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 out/debrief the activity.
  • If using web meeting tools that have breakout rooms, practice with the technology in advance. It can be a bit tricky.

Evaluation/Feedback

  • Use some form of feedback or evaluation tool to help improve subsequent calls. A simple “after action review” (what did we intend to do, what did we do, what would we do differently) can be done at the conclusion of a call, or could be done with forms or email post-call.
  • “Just Three Words” – ask each person for three words that describe their experience on the call. Just. Three. Words. Seriously.

Closure

  • Take minutes and use for follow up. Distribute as soon as possible after the meeting and highlight follow up steps and responsibilities. I like to send the notes out within a half hour.
  • Recap meeting or next steps as appropriate.
  • Offer opportunity for final/closing comments.
  • End the call promptly, particularly with phone bridges with timed access.

More Conference Call Resources:

Thanks for input from Nathaniel Borenstein, John Smith, and Michael Owens.

Amplify: The social networks of refugees

kevinsblogKevin Harris, on his terrific Neighborhoods blog, offers a quick analysis of what looks to be a very interesting study on social networks, Social networks, social capital and refugee integration from Birmingham and Cardiff universities. I just want to quickly amplify this to my network with no further comment beyond a thanks to Kevin. DO visit and subscribe to his blog. I’m always getting great bits of thinking from Kevin!

The social networks of refugees

A research report on Social networks, social capital and refugee integration has just been published by the universities of Birmingham and Cardiff. The study was based on an analysis of The Survey of New Refugees (SNR), augmented with a short online survey.

Among the findings:

  • Social connections have a clear impact on health and language.
  • Those who participate in quality English language learning get more help and have more frequent contact.
  • There were clear social capital benefits from family reunion.
  • Frequent contact with kin has no impact on access to employment.
  • Those in contact with a formal group are less likely to need emotional support.
  • No kind of social network is anti-integrative.

And there are a couple of surprises (to me at any rate). First, there seems to be comparatively low interest in associating with ‘co-national or ethnic groups’. When asked to rank 15 priorities, respondents placed greatest importance (understandably) on ‘Absence of verbal or physical attack’ (9.5) and ‘Housing’ (9.29). The lowest priority was accorded to ‘Volunteering’ (7.09) (understandably); and (surprisingly) association with ‘co-national or ethnic groups’ (7.49).

Secondly, the research challenges the model which suggests that if you spend time and energy investing in strong ties (e.g. for emotional support) that detracts from investment in weak ties and bridging social capital (e.g. for getting work). The researchers say there was ‘no evidence that having strong kin networks precludes getting support from formal networks’:

‘The positive correlations between different types of contact… provide compelling evidence against the argument that immigrant and ethnic minority communities are ‘inward looking’ and only ‘invest’ in bonding social capital… There is no evidence that receiving help from relatives and friends (widely considered as ‘bonding’ capital) is mutually exclusive with gaining ‘bridging’ social capital from ‘out-groups’ and more formal organisations.’ (p11-12)

via Neighbourhoods: The social networks of refugees.

Jessica shares “Decide to Network” by Robert Muller

From: Endless Knots: Decide to Network by Robert Muller.

Jessica Lipnack reposted a beautiful poem on May day, originally posted back in 2010. It is so wonderful, it deserves amplification across my network. Will you amplify it across yours?

From Jessica Lipnak

Decide to network
Use every letter you write
Every conversation you have
Every meeting you attend
To express your fundamental beliefs and dreams
Affirm to others the vision of the world you want
Network through thought
Network through action
Network through love
Network through the spirit
You are the center of the world
You are a free, immensely powerful source
of life and goodness
Affirm it
Spread it
Radiate it
Think day and night about it
And you will see a miracle happen:
the greatness of your own life.
In a world of big powers, media, and monopolies
But of nearly seven billion individuals
Networking is the new freedom
the new democracy
a new form of happiness

Robert Muller (1923-2010) was former Assistent Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chancellor Emeritus, UN University for Peace, Costa Rica. He wrote the poem for Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps in honor of their first book, Networking: The First Report and Directory.

Ideas for Bringing Online Participation into Offline Events

DSC02372Earlier this week my friend Doris Reeves-Lipscomb invited me into a conversation with Suzanne Daigle to explore options for including online/distributed participation in the upcoming Open Space on Open Space (OSONOS) in St. Petersburg Florida May 16-19. Having been to an OSONOS, I’d love to go, but the arrival of granddaughter #2 sometime soon says “STAY HOME!” (And if you don’t know about Open Space, check here –> it is wonderful!)

Doris took terrific notes during the call and I’ve augmented them with many links and some examples. I thought it might be nice to share them because we often have questions about the online/offline interconnections for face to face events and graciously, Doris and Suzanne agreed.  I should spend more time editing and amplifying, but if I waited to “find time” for that, I’d never get it up ! I’ve also blogged about this a lot here on the blog, and on my wiki, so a little searching may yield value! But if I don’t post this now… That also means, there are tons of gaps and opportunities for you to add your knowledge in the comments! PLEASE!

Recommendations from Skype Call—Nancy White, Suzanne Daigle, Doris Reeves-Lipscomb – April 30, 2013

Before Conference

Purpose

  • Consider WHY you want to connect online and offline.
    • To harvest and share out what is going on (social reporting and more on social reporting. Don’t miss David Wilcox’s blog as well.)?
    • To facilitate virtual participation in parts or all of the OSNOS? To bring in a particular voice/voices into a particular OS session or plenary?
    • To tap outwards to the network when questions arise at the F2F? Or something else? Having a sense of purpose helps inform process and technology stewardship. just weave the network a bit? Help others see and discover it?
  • Start where there is energy: Create opportunities for remote/ virtual engagement with the handful of OS practitioners who are ready for it. Identify both people who will be at the event and those online who would like to connect from afar during the event.
  • Understand there may be resistance. Face to face gatherings are precious and some find the effort to include those “not in the room” detracts from their experience — or they have that perception or past experience. Go gently.

Process

  • Verify availability and process for online access/bandwidth. (Yeah, this never goes as planned or promised! Having people with mobile web access is a great fallback!)
  • Create a hashtag for WOS and share widely. Create posters for it and place around event (and especially near any instructions on how to log on to the wifi)
  • Use Open Space email list to find out who already uses the online and build on the technologies they already use. Affirm preferred communication tools for use at WOS
    • What would they like to do?  What might they commit to doing?
    • Then get out of their way. Don’t put yourself too much in a hub role or you won’t have time or attention for anything else. Use the network!
  • Technology Stewardship: Identify, practice with and debug virtual tools that you have relied on before—Crowdvine, WordPress, etc. — or plan to add to your technology configuration.
  • Explore examples of good online events. What relates to good offline events? There IS a lot in common!
  •  For social reporting, consider a small team comprised of millenials/digitally competent OS practitioners and prepare a social reporting plan. (My social reporting bookmarks. A few social reports.)
  • For virtual real time interaction, identify time zone issues (I like to make a little map with people online in their time zone. It is easy to forget otherwise.)

During Conference

  • Be clear: Announce at beginning how people can opt-in/opt-out of the use/uploading online of their  pictures/words via Twitter, Facebook, Crowdvine, etc. and showing opt-out preference with dot on badge; review any other decisions made to work virtually—who, when, how, where
  • Affirm hashtag for all outgoing tweets, communications, blog posts, etc. (post those posters!)
  • Social Reporting Stuff:
    • Tweet/FB images and short narratives of what is going on.
    • Connect particular practitioners who have an interest in each others’ practice
    • Do 1-2 minute interviews and post online, then tweet url (examples from 2 conference where I was social reporting : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHtv69eam5U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-yATDNzV_I, both of whom are OS community members!)
    • Point to blog posts or wiki pages where session reports are posted
    • Towards the end, gather super short reflections (sometimes it is fun to have people write their key insight, etc on a sheet of paper in broad marker, hold it up and then you film them saying out loud. Then you edit together. Here are some unedited examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsvQpui7-0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mofj3zDQgzc
  • For virtual participation, identify one or more OS sessions and offer them at the market place with the explicit offer to include virtual participants. (Be prepared for no one or too many to show up!). Consider debriefing these experiences to build knowledge and process for future events. (Here is a story of one I did at a conference – not Open Space tho!)
    • Open an OS session using  Google Hangouts or Skype with WOSonOS circle or Skype contact list, etc.  if you wish to use these tools or encourage others to use them.
    • Link reports and other harvests out via social networks, ie. use sociable plugin on WordPress for simultaneous messaging out to Twitter, Facebook, etc.
    •  (If you have decided to do this) use the OS format/Marketplace first round for setting up virtual participation leaders/practice
    • Bring others in by exporting key bits of conference to them through one minute mobile interviews or other kinds of social reporting; have interactive discussion online forum ready for conversations to happen
    • Use Storify to curate WOSonOS tweets
  •  Consider asking for and harvesting post event reflections. (Example here of one of my reflections. And another.)

Attitudinally

  • Appreciate that both Millennial and new-bees can be fresh eyes in capturing important elements at the conference with onsite/offsite participants. They don’t have to be Open Space experts!Think of the relationship to Open Space bumblebee and butterfly kinds of functions.
  • Don’t assume non-Millenials aren’t’ comfortable with and don’t use social media tools. Some of us boomers are quite adept.
  • Reflect/debrief (but don’t over do it) and share what you learn back out to the wider community.
  • Go with the flow. Plan and be prepared to abandon the plan. Stay present and enjoy!

Group Patterns & Processes Online

groupworksThere is something in the air! All the interesting facilitation and process stuff emerging like Groupworks Deck and Liberating Structures are prompting people involved with them from a face to face perspective to begin considering them in online and distributed contexts. At the Liberating Structures workshop in Seattle last week, a Open Space breakout group resolved to explore more and we’ve started a Google Group (leave a comment or email me to join). Now Tim Bonnemann is getting a group activated around the Groupworks Deck pattern language. Here is his offer!

Group Patterns: How Do They Apply to Virtual Environments?.

 I’ve mentioned the Group Works project before, a multi-year effort to explore and document the “deeper core of what brings a group conversation alive”…

One of my main interests in this area from the very beginning has been the question if and to what extent these kinds of underlying principles, building blocks or patterns might apply to online or virtual environments.

Some patterns should translate fairly easily, for example:

  • Closing: The formal ritual that concludes the collective time and space by completing the cycle of a group process. Include everyone, acknowledge the end of the time together and mark the transition point, ushering in a shift to what follows.

  • Mirroring: Empathically reflect back the essence of what someone has said so the speaker feels heard, genuinely acknowledged and appreciated. Honouring people’s gifts can heal individuals and relationships, unblock stuck places, and get energy flowing again.

  • Yes, and: Build on what someone just said to offer encouragement and carry it further. Affirm their ideas, then extend them to a deeper understanding or add a new twist. Create momentum by saying “Yes, and . . .”

Others, maybe not so easily:

  • Circle: A Circle is a safe, solid, yet permeable space with an inside, an outside, and a focus that moves from person to person. A welcoming form where everyone can see each other and all voices are heard, it creates a field that invites sharing and story.

  • Holding Space: Be fully present, aware of what’s happening in the whole gathering right now–physically, energetically, emotionally, and intellectually. Open and hold the psychological and spiritual space to provide a steady centre and container. Calmly maintain trust, safety, and focus.

  • Silence:  The rests between notes make the music. Take a quiet moment to tune into yourself or the group. Invite Silence to slow the process, make space for questions, transition, or simply deepen.

Over the next few months, I’d like to spend some time exploring. If you share the same interest and would like to get involved, please let me know, and we’ll take it from there.

A lot of fun thinking and learning… are you ready to join in?