Friday 4pm - Technical Information

For the Secretary/Chair to read before leading a phone bridge meeting

 

 As the Secretary/Chair for this meeting you will be given a “leader code” that will give you more features on the key pad than other members.

 

          Here is some information that will help before dialing into the meeting once you have been given the leader code.

 

1.    Dial the phone number and then use the regular pin number followed by the # sign that everyone else uses.

2.    There will be a voice prompt after entering the regular pin # that says “IF YOU ARE THE MODERATOR PLEASE PRESS 1.”

3.    Follow the prompt and Press 1. The word “moderator” and “leader” mean the same thing.

4.    The voice prompt will again say “PLEASE ENTER THE MODERATOR PIN (Leader Code) number FOLLOWED BY THE # SIGN”.

5.   You will join the phone meeting muted after entering the leader code and # sign.  Press *1 to unmute yourself and then introduce yourself as the Secretary/Chair of the meeting. Press *0 for a menu of all features.

 

Probably one of the most important services you can give as the Secretary/Chair is to have the highest sound quality on the phone bridge system.  This means without background noise and weak sound quality. “Sound” is all we have for the phone meeting to work.

 

Background noise can be taken as disrespectful or interruptive while members are speaking.  As a trusted servant you can guide the meeting without background noise or interruptions to the best of your ability.

 

Along with your own skills; here are a few tips and a few pieces of information to help you: 

 

1.  Technically the phone bridge system is built for “only” one person to be unmuted at a time.  This of course would include, You (the Secretary/Chair) as well as the Timekeeper to stay muted by using the *1 keys.  The timekeeper only unmutes to say “time”. The Secretary/Chair unmutes a few seconds before the member is done sharing to welcome the next share.  You can remind the timekeeper to please stay muted except to say “time”. (Only one line unmuted at a time).

 

2.    As the Secretary/Chair (with the leader code) you are encouraged to use the *5   to clear the line to address the noise.  This ensures that members will be able to speak so their share can be heard.  Then the member can press the *1 keys to continue sharing without the previous background noise.  We call this “Cycling Through”. (Most of the time people forget to mute and don’t know they are not muted). This can be done by saying “Excuse the interruption, I’m going to clear the line” and then press *5 keys. You then could say, “Whoever was sharing please press *1 and begin again,” or “Whoever would now like to share please press *1 to unmute yourself.” 

 

3.   Some meetings have multiple readers. The extra unmuted lines will cause the reading to be heard by some but not by other members.

Here are some suggestions.

 

1.   Organize the readers so they know the order they will be reading.

2.   Then tell the rest of the readers to mute until a few seconds before it is their turn to read.

3.   After each member reads remind them to mute again.

4.   (AS A Rule of Thumb), just because you can hear does not mean that other members can.  These phones meetings have global coverage. Not all phones have equal sound. Only one line unmuted at a time will keep a clear worldwide phone line for everyone during the meeting.

 

These 4 technical points can promote safety, warmth and recovery similar to face to face meetings. This was written to assist you to know and understand the phone bridge technical features.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read these suggestions. If you need help, just ask.   Congratulations on doing service and beginning the flow that opens our heart to what it already knows---that we all need each other. 

 

Sincerely,

Your Web Coordinator

 

 

 

The Meeting Format Starts Now

(This is the part you read out loud)

 

FORMAT: 

 Friday 4 pm Step Twelve Meeting

 

1)   INTRODUCTION:

 

   Hi I am ___________ your secretary for this meeting.

 

We Welcome you to the Friday 4 pm Step Twelve Meeting. The topic of this meeting is to study Step Twelve using different Al-Anon literature each week.

 

All Al-Anon members are always welcome here. We hope that reading and study of the Step Twelve will help to deepen our relationship to service.

 

2)   Let all who wish to un-mute by pressing  *1 and join us to say the SERENITY PRAYER

 

3) Phone Etiquette:

a.    Prior to joining the meeting, we ask members to temporarily disable their call waiting by dialing *70 before calling the number to the phone bridge (example *70-1-712-432-8733). If a member does not disable their call waiting, we may hear your conversation or beeping.

b.   When you dial in, you will start the conference being muted.

c.   Stay muted at all times unless you are sharing. You can un-mute by pressing your *1 keys. You will hear a voice saying “you are now un-muted”.  Some phones do not have a long enough beep for the muting and un-muting to happen. You may have to press *1 several times for this function to work. When the voice comes on, you will know that the *1 keys have worked. 

d.   We ask members to use the *1keys to mute even if they have a mute function on their individual phones. The *1 keys ensures the greatest sound strength for the entire phone line and provides the greatest service to all members of the phone bridge during the meeting.

e.   Please do not use a speaker phone for sharing or we will all hear an echo.  Some speaker phones will not mute even when pressing your *1 keys.

f.     To hear a menu of all the features--such as volume control or member count--simply press * by itself.

 

 

 

4) ASK FOR A VOLUNTEER to read;

 

THE TWELVE STEPS (Back of all 3 Meditation Books)
THE TRADITION AND CONCEPT OF THE MONTH (Back of 3 Meditation Books)
 
 4a)   Do we have any newcomers on the bridge? If you want to introduce yourself, you can do so by pressing your *1 Keys so we can welcome and greet you.

Now we will Go Around the Globe and Introduce ourselves
       

Let’s go around the globe and introduce ourselves.  Hi, I am ______(Name)_____  from (_______State___)

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

5a)    7th Tradition:  Al-Anon is fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.  Although we have no expenses related to this phone bridge, we ask that you send your contributions to WSO and state that it is from the Friday 4pm Step Twelve Meeting or make donations at face to face meetings.  We will give that information after the meeting closes.

 

          5b)    Do we have any available Al-Anon sponsors? 

5c)    Do we have a volunteer who will stay on the line after the meetings to answer questions about Al-Anon or to explain the phone etiquette?  

5d)    Meeting schedules will be read after the meeting closes after telephone #’s  are given.

5e)    Business Meeting is held on the 1st Friday of the Month.

 

6) Are there any Al-Anon related announcements?

 

7) Leader asks for readers to read Step Twelve from: (note only say the appropriate weeks reading)
 
1st week of the month Al-Anon 12 and 12 up to the section Thinking It Over.
2nd week of the month 3 Meditation books (One Day at a Time, Hope for Today, Courage to Change)
3rd week of the month Paths To Recovery (up to Members share)
4th week of month How Al-Anon Works
5th week of month Speaker on Step Twelve15-20 minutes
 
8) Five Minute Speaker(Is there someone who has been in the program for at least 1 year and has done all the Steps using Al-Anon approved Literature and has turned them over to their Sponsor) who would like to qualify for 5 minutes on Step Twelve, who has not qualified in the last 3 months. (If no one steps up the leader may qualify or open the meeting for sharing)

 
9)  ANONYMINITY STATEMENT: In Al-Anon this is a gentle reminder that we speak from our own experience and ours is derived from living with the effects of alcoholism. We ask those who are members of other anonymous fellowships not to break their anonymity and to try and identify with the Al-Anon approach for the family illness. Ours is a different experience and calls for a different interpretation.
 
10) ASK FOR TIMEKEEPER: We have 3 minute shares do we have a volunteer to be our spiritual timekeeper?  Please be gentle when you call time. When you hear the timekeeper call time please let them know you heard them by saying Thank you, I’ll wrap up, etc.
 
11) OPEN FOR SHARING: We are now open for 3 minute shares. We invite the timekeeper to share first. At 10 minutes to the top of the hour open to newcomers and people new to the bridge to share 
 
12) CLOSING: THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR SERVICE
 

Suggested Al-Anon Closing
      In closing, I would like to say that the opinions expressed here were strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest.

     The things you heard were spoken in confidence and should be treated as confidential. Keep them within the walls of this room and the confines of your mind.
     A few special words to those of you who haven’t been with us long: Whatever your problems, there are those among us who have had them too. If you try to keep an open mind you will find help. You will come to realize that there is no situation too difficult to be bettered and no unhappiness too great to be lessened.
     We aren’t perfect. The welcome we give you may not show the warmth we have in our hearts for you. After a while, you’ll discover that though you may not like all of us, you’ll love us in a very special way the same way we already love you.
     Talk to each other, reason things out with someone else, but let there be no gossip or criticism of one another. Instead, let the understanding, love and peace of the program grow in you one day at a time. (Al-Anon/Ala-teen Service Manual pg.24)

 

SERENITY PRAYER:

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

                                           (Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual pg. 12)


PHONE NUMBERS: At this meeting people who choose to give out their numbers and ask for numbers, may do so after the meeting closes.

 

MEETING SCHEDULE

Meeting schedule and phone bridge information can be accessed on the web at www.alanonphonemeetings.org. Format changes, determined by the group conscience of each autonomous meeting, can be emailed to by a volunteer to alanonphonemeetings@yahoo.com. As per group conscience, proposals for new meetings and format drafts ideas can be brought to the Group Conscience Meeting on the 4th Saturday of every month at 1:30 EST

All Eastern Time zone, same pin and phone # as you dialed in for this meeting   

8am                     Saturday and Sunday
9am                     Weekdays (Monday thru Friday)
11am                  Sunday
Noon                  Monday ----- Saturday
4pm                    7 days a week
8pm                    7 days a week
10pm                   Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
12 midnight       Thursday

GET NAMES AND NUMBERS FROM PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO GIVE THEM
 
PASS MEETING TO NEWCOMER GREETER: Secretary turns the meeting over to the newcomer greeter for approximately 25 minutes after the meetings closes.

 
FORMAL MEETING IS NOW CLOSED: