You've gotten to the point in your career where you're ready to start leading conference calls. It's an exciting time, but if you don't know what you're doing, problems may arise.

It's not as simple as dialing a number and starting a meeting. There are a few things you need to learn first.

This way, even before you make your first conference call, you'll already look like a pro. Which is why we're teaching you how to make conference calls.

Keep reading to learn seven tips on what to consider before you make conference calls.

1. Prepare Ahead Of Time When You Make Conference Calls

There's nothing worse than having your audience connect with you on a conference call only to have you trying to figure out how to use the conference calling equipment.

To ensure you look like the professional you are, practice setting up the conference call a few times before the date of the actual call. That way, you won't end up scrambling and wasting people's time.

But you should also prepare what you want to say well ahead of time as well. Practice going over the material you want to cover a few times before you get on that call.

Your goal is to keep your audience engaged so the call is successful. If you go in with no practice, your audience will know and immediately stop listening.

2. Stay On Track

Many of the people you've invited onto the call had to move around their schedule in order to accommodate you.

And while it may seem great if you engage people in conversations, you still have to be mindful of the time. It's not okay to allow your conference calls to go over time by more than 5 minutes.

It's not okay to get off track or just let people speak for the sake of speaking.

Even if the conversation is important, it's better to set up a second call rather than diverting from your original agenda.

3. Determine What You Want To Achieve

If you want to know how conference calls work, it's best to have an idea of what you want to achieve before you go ahead and put a conference call together.

Determine what you want to speak about. Then figure out what you want to achieve during the call. Maybe you want to educate your audience about a new service or product your company just developed.

Perhaps you're trying to develop new strategies and need additional input. Whatever it is, you're much more likely to achieve the desired result if you know ahead of time what it is you really want.

Do not try to cover too much material at one time. Instead, keep it simple. Too much information will overload everyone's brains and you probably won't be able to cover everything in one call.

4. Avoid Showing Slides

While conference call technology allows you to show slides, slides are boring to look at. Your goal is to keep your audience engaged and interested in the material you're introducing them to.

Slides won't do it. You can't control what your audience is looking at. Showing slides often mean those on your call are really checking out their Facebook page while pretending to listen to you.

Instead, use video to highlight the visuals you need your audience to see. Plus, videos used correctly can act as visual cues to help you see if your audience is still paying attention.

Do not hand out visuals ahead of time. Most people get bored and look ahead to see what they have to listen to. Instead, show them exactly at the time when you're speaking about the topic.

Many conference call companies offer the ability to use video with your conference call. Otherwise, check out Skype or other VOIP services.

5. Familiarize Yourself With Conference Call Technology

Conference call companies have made making conference calls incredibly easy. But that doesn't mean something can't go seriously wrong.

One thing they can't control is whether or not someone is on a landline or cell phone during the conference call. Using a cell phone can create lots of problems like interference.

Before you begin to make your conference call, find a quiet area where you won't be interrupted. Make sure background noises are kept at a minimum to avoid distractions.

Ask your audience to use landlines, if at all possible, versus cell phones. Then make sure they all mute their phones so you won't hear any disruptions on their ends.

There's nothing more distracting than hearing dogs barking, other people talking, or construction noises when you're trying to listen on a conference call.

6. Record The Call

Conference call technology lets you record your calls. If you plan ahead before you make conference calls, you'll end up engaging your audience and will end up with a lot of important information you need for your business.

Unless you have a photographic memory or someone can type fast enough to create a record of your conversation, you'll need to record the call. It's incredibly easy to record calls, too.

Recording the call is also great for those who weren't able to make it to the conference call. All they need to do is access the link and on their own time, listen to it.

Just remember to inform everyone on the call that you're planning on recording it beforehand.

7. Start And End On Time

Again, time is precious to everyone. But being on time is also about showing your respect to everyone else who is on that call.

Someone who chronically starts to make conference calls even as little as 10-15 minutes late shows everyone else that they are disorganized. It also shows that they have little respect for their own time, let alone anyone else's.

Also, when you start late, you usually have to end late. Do yourself and everyone else a favor by learning how to use the conference call equipment ahead of time. Set up 15-30 minutes ahead of time so there are no unexpected delays due to technology or human error.

Work With The Best

Not all conference calls companies are the same. Make sure you work only with the best to ensure you make conference calls that leave your audience fully engaged.

We offer the latest that technology has to offer to make your life easier. Best of all, it's free to sign up. Click here to start your account today.