Of all the tools we use to collaborate, conference calls are, as I mentioned last week, one of the very best we have in terms of simulating in-person communication. If they’re well planned, well facilitated and well executed, regular conference calls can do wonders for your team’s communication, camaraderie and productivity. Here are a few tips for making the most of every minute.

Consider sound quality
Many a conference call has been rendered more or less useless—and thoroughly frustrating—due to poor call quality. As teams grow increasingly distributed, regular calls are often the only opportunity workers have to hear each other’s voices. …

The past few weeks, we’ve talked about distributed teams and their future. One thing we didn’t mention is how these largely more fluid, distributed, often international teams communicate with one another. Maintaining clear, consistent communication can be a challenge for any team, whether its members all sit in the same office or work all over the world. As teams become increasingly distributed—often across multiple time zones and continents—it’s essential to find ways to keep everyone included, organized and working toward the same goals. Here are a few of our favorite strategies for effective meetings with international teams.

Google Docs
Ideal for creating agendas, …