Teleconferencing had become one of the world?s most
valuable tools for business globally. At the touch of
a button individuals from the corporate world can be
chatting away as if they were merely in an office down
the hall. But there is more use to this technology
than meets the eye.

One of the most innovative uses for this kind of
teleconferencing is being utilized by several
institutions across the US.

Colleges and learning centers in Tennessee have set up
teleconferencing facilities linked to an animal
sanctuary catering for the needs of Asian elephants.

One day a week students from several colleges, can
?tune-in? to the sanctuaries which can be anywhere in
the world!

Cameras and transmitters are already in situ and the
student can study the elephant in its natural habitat
without fear of disturbing the animal. Students from
different schools can then join in discussion groups
to enable them to expand on what they have witnessed
first hand.

Tutors are on hand to educate and guide the students
through the meetings and answer any questions they may
have – one tutor covering several schools at once.

Indeed, teleconferencing in this instance, has become
a hugely successful way to teach conservation and
ecology to the younger generation.

Who would have thought that the necessity for a fast
and cheap method of bringing business people together
at a moments notice would also, in turn, be used to
educate and excite our children about the wonders of
the natural world?

In today?s high tech corporate world, teleconferencing
has become one of the most useful tools to facilitate
increased productivity. It is also a very effective
way of alleviating wastage be it time or resources.

Many of us have been at meetings or seminars where we
find ourselves drifting off into our own little world
whether it be through boredom or tiredness. However,
there are several ways to ensure that this kind of
meeting stays on track.

Consider producing an agenda which can be easily
distributed to all parties prior to the conference. In
this way candidates will be more prepared with
suggestions or questions when the meeting commences.

Start on time. Yes, that sounds very simplistic, but
what is the point is saving costs on traveling and
accommodation if you waste everyone?s time who is
attending? Remember the old saying ?time is money? and
try to stay strictly to the timetable.

Make sure everyone dials in on time. Again, no point
in having all those people sitting around just because
of a late phone call.

When it is your turn to speak, state your name so that
your voice will begin to be recognized. People should
be concerned about what you are saying and not wasting
effort trying to figure out who said what!

Above all else, try to get people involved with the
subject matter. It can be difficult to judge how a
meeting is being perceived when you don?t have the
luxury of observing body language.

With today?s sophisticated work methods -
teleconferencing for example – it is of paramount
importance to ensure that the meeting is productive
and doesn?t lapse into a useless waste of time.

Care should be taken to steer the proceedings in a
useful and interesting way to ensure full
participation of all the attendees. After all, what is
the point of holding a meeting where all anybody
remembers is how bored they were!?

Consider first what the aim of the meeting is. Perhaps
you want to develop an idea, or solve a problem, or
find a way to increase productivity. For more than one
aim an agenda is probably a good idea.

If you are not a good host, find or employ a
professional who can direct the meeting and keep the
?flow? going. He may ask participants in turn to
contribute to the subject making it more interesting
and more productive.

Tip colleagues or workers may contribute more to a
stranger asking questions since they do not want to be
seen as evasive. Office politics do not come into play
with a stranger.

Communicate to the participants well beforehand what
the objective of the meeting is – send them the agenda
- and outline what you expect them to contribute.

During and after the meeting state the decisions and
conclusions that have been reached so that everyone is
very clear on the progress being made.

Finally, send out a copy of the discussion to ensure
that there was indeed a ?meeting of minds?.

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of holding
teleconferences is the fact that people”s attention
spans can be so short. Why waste valuable time putting
together a complicated presentation only to find that
some participants are checking their emails whilst you
are in full flow?

One of the tricks of keeping a meeting interesting is
to use “moving” images or audio recordings to interest
and stimulate participants. Ask questions at the end
of each clip to ensure full audience participation.

A participant will be more likely to concentrate if he
knows a question will follow. This may sound a little
“schoolish” but better this than wasting resources on
inattentive attendees!

A virtual whiteboard is also another great tool to get
people involved. It not only makes for ease of showing
sketches in real-time, it also allows others to add
their own input to the board for all to see. This is
then captured by the computer for use and archiving
later.

Recording devices are invaluable in these situations
since they accurately record conversations etc. and
can be used to transcribe events of the meeting. This
also keeps people on the alert since they may want to
show “the boss” that they were actively involved.

Above all else, these teleconferences should be
interesting and informative. Although they save the
expense of hotel bookings, flights and travel etc.,
they can deteriorate into hours of wasted time which
defeats the object somewhat.

Be innovative, time is money. “Move” with the times!

In the past, when conferences or meetings were
necessary between two or more people, it was simple to
book an appointment for all parties to congregate at a
given location and time.

As businesses grew, sometimes spreading out to offices
in different cities or towns, this started to become a
little more difficult.

In these days of high speed travel, including
airplanes, the corporate world has encountered many
more problems.

How, for example, do you get the managing director of
one branch of a company to meet with executives of
another branch when each office is on a different
continent? The answer is easy – teleconferencing!

For those of you who are not technically minded this
is a technique which allows three or more people to
have a ?conference? but either through their
telephones or computer and not face-to-face. It is
becoming increasingly popular and has several
advantages over the more traditional meeting.

Imagine the sheer logistics which go into booking
hotels, flights, limousines etc. Now imagine the cost
- plus take into account that everyone has to
co-ordinate their available dates.

With teleconferencing the hardest part is connecting
everyone by phone! Whether it is a three way impromptu
discussion or a larger, more complicated, meeting you
can use an ordinary phone or the whole set-up can be
routed through a conference calling service.

Whichever system, or online arrangement you choose to
use, it is clear that teleconferencing is an
invaluable tool in today?s hectic business world and
is here to stay!