How to Make a Conference Call: 9 Steps

A conference call is basically a group hangoutexcept nobody brought snacks, someone’s Wi-Fi is held together by
hope, and at least one person is talking while muted. The good news: making a conference call (and running it
without chaos) is a learnable skill. With the right setup, a clear agenda, and a few host tricks, your next call
can feel less like herding cats and more like a real meeting where decisions actually happen.

This guide walks you through 9 practical steps to set up and host a smooth conference call,
whether you’re using a phone dial-in “bridge” number, a video meeting app with audio conferencing, or a hybrid of
both. You’ll also get a quick etiquette cheat sheet, troubleshooting tips, and real-life lessons from conference
calls that went… let’s call them “educational.”

What “conference call” means today

Traditionally, a conference call meant everyone dialed a shared phone number (a conference bridge)
and entered an access code to join the same audio line. That still exists and is widely usedespecially
when someone can’t join on a computer or when bandwidth is limited.

Modern conference calls often happen inside tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex, where participants can join
by app or by phone. Many meetings are hybrid: some people use computer audio, others dial in from a cell
phone while juggling airport security and a coffee that’s dangerously close to their laptop.

How to Make a Conference Call: 9 Steps

Step 1: Pick the right call format (audio-only, video, or hybrid)

Start with the outcome you need. Different goals call for different setups:

• Audio-only conference call: Great for quick status updates, driving commutes, or low-bandwidth
  situations.
• Video conference + audio dial-in: Best for collaboration, screen sharing, and anything where
  “I’ll show you” beats “imagine a rectangle…”
• Large all-hands or training: You’ll want stronger host controls (muting on entry, chat moderation,
  and maybe a Q&A flow).

Rule of thumb: if you need alignment and decisions, video helps. If you need attendance and speed, audio is fine.
If you need to include people on phones, go hybrid.

Step 2: Define the purpose, agenda, and “who must be there” list

Conference calls get messy when they’re invited to be messy. Before scheduling anything, write:

• Purpose: What problem are we solving?
• Decision(s) needed: What must be decided by the end?
• Agenda: 3–5 bullets max for a short call; 5–8 bullets for longer sessions.
• Essential attendees: Invite only the people needed to decide or execute.

Example: If you’re hosting a 30-minute vendor kickoff, your “must be there” list might be the project owner,
the technical lead, and the vendor’s implementation managernot 14 spectators who will “circle back” forever.

Step 3: Choose your conference call service and get the join details

You need a “room” for people to meet in. That can be:

• A conference bridge number with an access code (common with business phone systems and
  conferencing services).
• A meeting link (Zoom/Teams/Webex/Google Meet) that also provides dial-in numbers
  for phone users.

When selecting a tool, consider:

• How many participants? A 6-person call is easy; a 60-person call needs guardrails.
• Do you need dial-in? If yes, confirm local/toll options and participant instructions.
• Host controls: Mute all, lock meeting, waiting room, recording, and participant permissions.
• Reliability: If this is mission-critical (incident response), pick the most stable option you have.

Step 4: Schedule the call and send a clear invite (with zero mystery)

Your invite should answer every attendee’s silent questions before they ask them:
“When is this?” “How do I join?” “What are we doing?” “Is there dial-in?” “Do I need to prepare?”

Include these essentials:

• Date/time (and the timezone if people are distributed)
• Meeting link and/or dial-in number + access code
• Agenda (bullets, not a novel)
• Any prep (links to docs, decisions needed, short pre-read)
• Roles (host, presenter, note-taker) if it’s more than a casual sync

Pro tip: Put the join details near the top of the invite. People will be joining while walking, juggling, or
pretending they’re not joining from the grocery store checkout line.

Step 5: Prepare your tech like a calm professional (not like a panicked squirrel)

Great calls are boring in the best way: people hear you, understand you, and nobody spends five minutes
troubleshooting “Can you hear me now?”

• Use a headset if possible to reduce echo and background noise.
• Test your mic and speakers 5–10 minutes before start time.
• Close noisy tabs/apps (yes, even the one with 37 open tabs of “research”).
• Have a backup plan: know how to dial in by phone if your internet drops.
• Pick a quiet location and avoid speakerphone unless you’re alone in a silent room.

Step 6: Set meeting controls and safety settings (especially for larger calls)

Host settings are the difference between “productive meeting” and “audio circus.”
Before you start, configure what you can:

• Mute on entry (especially for large groups)
• Limit screen sharing to host/presenter unless collaboration is needed
• Waiting room/lobby if you need to control who enters
• Lock the meeting after everyone joins, if appropriate
• Recording settings (and make sure attendees know if you’re recording)

If your call includes external guests, be extra intentional: avoid posting join details publicly, and use
basic controls to prevent unwanted interruptions.

Step 7: Start the call strong: join early, welcome people, set ground rules

Join 2–5 minutes early. It gives you time to confirm everything works and greet early arrivals.
Then kick off with a quick structure:

• Welcome + purpose: “We’re here to decide X and align on Y.”
• Agenda: read the bullets so everyone knows the map
• Ground rules: mute when not speaking, how questions work, and whether it’s being recorded
• Fast intros if needed: name + role (especially if not everyone knows each other)

A 45-second opening saves you 12 minutes of confusion later. That’s an excellent trade.

Step 8: Facilitate like a host: keep it moving, keep it inclusive, keep it human

Hosting isn’t just “starting the call.” It’s guiding attention. Try these tactics:

• Use names: “Jordan, can you weigh in?” It reduces awkward silence and invites participation.
• Prevent pile-ons: “Let’s do one speaker at a time. Pat, then Alex.”
• Time-box topics: “We’ll spend 8 minutes here, then move to next steps.”
• Summarize decisions out loud: “Decision: we’re launching Tuesday. Owner: Sam.”
• Use the mute button strategically: If noise is constant, mute all and have people unmute to speak.

Also: make space for quiet voices. Conference calls can bias toward the loudest person with the strongest opinion
and the weakest mute discipline. A good host actively balances the room.

Step 9: Close with clarity: recap, confirm owners, and send follow-ups

Endings matter. Before anyone escapes to their next meeting, close with:

• Top decisions (1–3 bullets)
• Action items with owners and due dates
• Open questions and how they’ll be resolved
• Next meeting (if needed) or the next checkpoint

Then send a short follow-up message within 24 hours. Keep it crisp: decisions, actions, and links to any materials
shared. If the call was recorded, follow your organization’s policies and get the recording to the right people.

Conference call etiquette cheat sheet (host + attendee)

Host etiquette

• Have an agenda and a reason for the call (no “vibes-based scheduling”).
• Start on time and end on timeespecially if you want people to respect your future invites.
• Manage noise with mute-on-entry or mute-all when needed.
• Invite participation intentionally so it’s not just two people talking.
• Recap decisions out loud and in writing.

Attendee etiquette

• Mute when not speaking. Background noise multiplies like rabbits on a conference line.
• Don’t multitask loudly. Typing is fine; crunching chips into the microphone is not.
• Say your name before speaking on audio-only calls (“This is Taylorquick update…”).
• Be concise. If you need five minutes, warn the group so they can follow your logic.
• Ask clear questions and confirm action items if you own them.

Troubleshooting: quick fixes for common conference call problems

“I can’t hear anyone.”

• Check you joined the right audio source (computer audio vs phone audio).
• Increase volume and confirm the correct speaker output is selected.
• If in doubt, hang up and rejoin using the dial-in option.

“Everyone hears an echo.”

• Someone is on speakerphone or has two devices connected. Ask attendees to disconnect one device.
• Encourage headset use.
• As host, mute participants one-by-one to find the source if necessary.

“There’s background noise and we can’t focus.”

• Use mute-all, then ask speakers to unmute when talking.
• Turn on “mute on entry” for future calls.
• Politely call it out: “If you’re not speaking, please stay muted.”

“Someone can’t join.”

• Confirm they have the correct meeting ID/access code and dial-in number.
• Offer a backup: a second dial-in number, or “Call me”/dial-out if your platform supports it.
• If external guests are blocked, check lobby/waiting room or organization restrictions.

Real-world experience: of lessons you only learn the hard way

Conference calls are where good planning meets realityand reality sometimes shows up wearing pajama pants,
holding a leaf blower. Over time, you start collecting “conference call wisdom” the way people collect fridge
magnets: not because you wanted to, but because life kept handing it to you.

One classic lesson: the mute button is both hero and villain. The hero part is obviousmuting saves
everyone from your neighbor’s dog auditioning for a heavy metal band. The villain part appears when the meeting
starts with a beautiful, confident update… delivered entirely on mute. A small host trick helps: after your welcome,
ask a quick yes/no question that forces a test response. “If you can hear me, give me a quick ‘yes’ in the chat,”
or “Say your name when you introduce yourself.” It surfaces audio issues early, before the important part.

Another hard-earned truth: time zones are tiny traps. You can do everything right and still lose
people if the invite is ambiguous. The safest move is to include the timezone in the meeting title or first line
of the description, especially for distributed teams. If your attendees span the U.S., even “9 a.m.” isn’t a time
it’s a riddle with multiple answers. And if you’ve ever watched half the group join an hour late looking innocent,
you learn to respect that riddle.

Then there’s the “mystery attendee” moment: someone joins as “iPhone” or “Caller 7,” and you don’t know whether
it’s your VP, your vendor, or your cousin accidentally pocket-dialing into your quarterly planning. The fix is
simple and surprisingly powerful: build a roll call habit for audio-heavy calls. “Let’s do a quick
name checksay your name and team.” It feels old-school, but it solves the “who is speaking?” problem and nudges
everyone into being present.

On larger calls, you learn that silence doesn’t always mean agreement. Sometimes it means people
are confused, distracted, or waiting for someone else to speak first. Good hosts don’t ask, “Any questions?”
(which invites silence). They ask, “What concerns do you see?” or “What would stop us from doing this next week?”
Those questions open the door for real input. If the topic is sensitive, offering a chat option for questions can
also help quieter attendees participate without feeling like they’re interrupting a train.

Finally, the most underrated skill: ending the call with receipts. A call that ends with
“Cool, we’ll follow up” is basically a promise to forget. A call that ends with “Decision A, Decision B; Sam owns
item 1 by Tuesday; Priya owns item 2 by Friday” becomes real. People trust calls that produce clarity. And once
your team trusts your calls, attendance and engagement get easierbecause nobody fears getting trapped in a
45-minute audio maze with no exit and no point.

Bottom line: conference calls don’t have to be painful. With the right setup, a little structure, and a host who
actively guides the conversation, they can be fast, focused, and genuinely useful. (Yes, really.)

Conclusion

Making a conference call is less about the button you click and more about the experience you create. Choose the
right format, send an invite that removes guesswork, prepare your tech, and use smart host controls. Then run the
call with a clear agenda, inclusive facilitation, and a strong recap. Do that consistently, and your “conference
call” becomes what it was always supposed to be: a simple way for people to align, decide, and move work forward.