Post-Meeting Productivity

Outline Your Expectations:

Ask Yourself, "What specific action do I want to take place as the result of this conference call?" Design your the structure of your meeting and agenda around this goal.

Ask Your Callers to review the agenda so that they will be prepared to address the issues you will be discussing.

Restate Your Goals:

Perform a "roll call" at the end of the conference call, calling on each person by name, and asking them what goals they have set for themselves as a result of the discussion.

Ask for Feedback:

During the Call, pause for a moment and ask someone to summarize what you've been discussing, and take a couple of questions. You'll be able to tell right away if your message is not coming across clearly, and head off any problems before they occur.

After the Call, distribute a feedback form for your participants to fill out. This will help you clarify any issues that might still be confusing after the meeting.

Follow Up:

Distribute meeting minutes as promptly as possible to remind everyone of the goals set and issues discussed.

Address all "loose ends" in the agenda for the next meeting, so that you will be sure to know if someone's productivity on a project is falling behind.