Tips and techniques

If you are new to hosting and arranging audio conferences—or if you simply need a refresher—the first step is to consider what type of conference you need to have. Gather the following information before contacting IHETS to schedule your conference:

• Date and time of conference (start and end times)
• Conference identification (name of your group, conference topic or purpose)
• Name of consortium member or sponsoring institution
• Name, location, e-mail, and phone number of the conference leader or host
• The total number of participants who will take part in the conference

Schedule your audio conference at least one day in advance, if possible. IHETS will reserve the conference bridge for the time you request. If there is no space on the bridge for the date and time you've requested, however, you will be informed immediately so that you can make other arrangements or reschedule the conference for another date and time.

When the conference is scheduled, all participants will be assigned a passcode which they must use to dial in and access the conference.

Canceling a scheduled audio conference

If you need to cancel a previously scheduled audio conference, please let us know. The IHETS conference bridge is heavily used for committee meetings, workshops, training sessions, and other events. If you are unable to use a reserved time slot, canceling the reservation is not only courteous but important. In addition, please notify all your conference participants of the cancellation.

Suggestions for effective audio conferences

• If participants are located in loud or noisy areas, advise them to find a quiet place to phone into the conference so they will have fewer distractions and better quality audio.
• Avoid audio conferences that are longer than 90 minutes. Long conferences are tiring and breaks may be needed.
• Plan and distribute an agenda to provide structure and organization that your participants can easily follow.
• At the beginning of the conference, introduce yourself and ask others to do the same. This informal roll call will let everyone be heard at least once and will help all participants become familiar with others' voices.
• To identify speakers, use their names throughout the meeting. This will help participants follow the conversation thread.
• Ask for comments, questions, and feedback several times during the audio conference.
• Create and distribute notes or minutes after the conference to summarize ideas generated, decisions made, and actions to be taken.

Points to remember

The IHETS audio conference bridge is intended primarily for meetings joining at least six (or more) individuals at multiple endpoints. These conferences will have priority over those with fewer locations or endpoints in the event of scheduling conflicts.

Audio conferencing is available to and can only be scheduled by IHETS member institutions. Those affiliated with our member institutions and their partners, however, can connect to the audio conference by phone.

IHETS cannot accept collect calls to access the conference or pay toll charges for participants not connected via SUVON. If this poses a problem for students, you may wish to consider credit card or third-party billing to pre-pay for your participants.

Technical support

If you experience technical difficulties during an audio conference, please contact the IHETS Help Desk.