The ideas and resources mentioned here are provided as a courtesy to our conferencing users, and are not meant as an endorsement by or an affiliation with ConferencePlus.

With a bit of advance preparation and planning, you can conduct international conference calls with ease. We've prepared this brief overview of suggested approaches, to help you get started. Contact a ConferencePlus specialist, for more help in making the most of your international conference calls.

• When to Meet

Consider creating a worldwide time zone chart listing your main locations, so that those in your organization involved with international conference calls can have an easy-to-use reference. Or, settle upon using the time zone of your worldwide headquarters location as a standard, and ensure that everyone in your organization has a reference tool for converting to their local time zone (by adding or subtracting hours).

There are a variety of online sources available at no charge, to help you determine the ideal time periods for contacting international colleagues at various points during the business day. The World Clock housed at the http://www.timeanddate.com/ website can help with the calculations.

In the international environment, it's more important than ever to start on time. As a host, be sure that you join the meeting prior to the arrival of your guest participants.

• Who to Tell

Announce your meeting in advance to all participants (and, ideally, to their administrative assistants, if possible), to ensure that everyone has ample opportunity to prepare for the session. Publish the meeting start time according to the time zones of each set of participants.

• What to Say

It's usually best to avoid using humor, since it cannot always be determined how a particular topic might be received by audiences from various cultures.

In addition, be aware that certain topics or current events might be perceived from a different perspective by those elsewhere. Try to find common ground by referring to a universally accepted subject (although, even sports rivalries such as world soccer competitions can introduce controversy!).

• How to Say It

Take your time while speaking and enunciate. This will help to overcome language barriers.

Be sure to avoid euphemisms or acronyms that may not be familiar to all participants -- especially those with country-specific meaning. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification if anyone uses a term or phrase that is unique to their culture. Your other participants will be glad you asked.

You might find it helpful to acquire some reading material on international business etiquette and tips for speakers. One such book is Speaking Globally, which includes a chapter on “Avoiding Pitfalls and Faux Pas in Speaking Globally."

• Where to Turn

You can count on ConferencePlus, for a variety of convenient features to help your international conference calls come off smoothly and seamlessly.

The same capabilities you use for domestic conferencing can be of value:

• Confirmation services - Make sure that all who should be attending the conference have it marked on their calendar. Choose from easy to use email or fax delivery options.
• webPlus - Add the visual aspect to your meeting, to maximize understanding and impact. Our web conferencing services offer you a menu of presentation and collaborative tools to help when you're giving a formal presentation to an audience of hundreds or brain-storming with a smaller group of colleagues.
• Conference Playback - Record your conference for later playback so that those who could not attend may listen at their convenience. This service includes forward, rewind and pause features.

Special services for your international needs:

• Translation services - Share a transcript of a conference dialog with business partners and colleagues from around the world. We can transcribe post-call written translations in over 60 languages and dialects, which account for over 97% of all customer requests.
• Multi-currency billing - Arrange for invoicing that suits your unique requirements.