Friday 8pm - 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:
Al-Anon’s Friday 8pm How Al-Anon Works Meeting
"To the Chairperson: If you don't have the leader code please feel free to ask if there is a member on the Bridge Line who would be willing to call back in on the leader code to clear the line if necessary."
INTRODUCTION:
1. Hi, my name is ____________________, a grateful Al-Anon member and your secretary for this meeting.
2. This meeting last for one hour and fifteen minutes and will at the stop at ten minutes after the top of the hour for members to share their telephone numbers.
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.
3. Let’s open with a moment of silence for those family members still suffering inside and outside of these rooms, followed by the 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. 10)
READINGS:
SUGGESTED AL-ANON WELCOME
Would someone please read Al-Anon’s “Welcome” from How Al-Anon Works page 8 or in the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual, page 10 or 12 in the olde version.
ASK FOR A VOLUNTEER to read;
PREAMBLE to the Twelve Steps (front of Hope for Today and Survival to Recovery)
THE TWELVE STEPS (Back of all Three Meditation Books)
THE TRADITION AND CONCEPT OF THE MONTH (Back of Three Meditation Books)
INTRODUCTIONS:
Are there any newcomers on the line today? Please press *1 so that we can greet and welcome you.
Now let’s go around the globe and introduce ourselves.
Hi, I am ______ (Name)_____ from (_______State___)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. 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 stating that your payment is FROM the Friday 8PM How Al-Anon works meeting, and/or WSO (read slowly please) #00504111 , or make donations at face to face meetings. We will give that information after the meeting closes.
2. Do we have any available Al-Anon sponsors?
3. Do we have a volunteer who will stay of the line after the meetings to answer questions about Al-Anon or to explain the phone etiquette? We reserve the last ten minutes of the meeting especially for newcomers to share, however, newcomers may share at any time, as well as members who normally are quiet, so that everyone on the phone bridge has an opportunity to share.
4. All meeting schedules will be read after the meeting closes after telephone #’s are given.
5. Are there any Al-Anon related announcements?
[Business meeting is on the 1st Friday of the month]
MEETING TOPIC:
6. This is a read and share meeting. We will be reading How Al-Anon Works. We read one story from the second half of How Al-Anon Works then open up the meeting for sharing. Let see how many people have Books. So let’s count off, as follows “I have 1 ,,,,, next I have 2 and etc.” I’ll start… I have 1
7. Ok so we have _________ many books. Let’s start the reading.
8. 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 programs 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.
9. For the anonymity and safety of all members we suggest that;
1. We refrain from commenting on member’s shares by keeping the focus on ourselves.
2. We refrain from repeating details of others shares when requesting phone numbers.
We ask for names only.
10. We have three minute shares. Do we have a volunteer to be our spiritual timer to come in and out of mute to save time? Would the spiritual timer like to share first?
11. Fifteen minutes before the meeting closes: We are now at fifteen minutes before the close of the meeting; we will now open up the sharing for newcomers or for those members who do not regularly share.
CLOSING (Ten minutes after the hour):
12. Please call out the names of members you would like telephone numbers from after we close the meeting?
13. Leader reads the Suggested Al-Anon Closing found in How Al-Anon Works page 396 or page 380. In addition “The Closing” can be found in the Al-Anon Alateen Service Manual page 22 or 24.
All who care to please press your *1 key and join me in ….The Al-Anon Declaration: It can be found in Paths to Recovery Roman Numeral page 9 and the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual page 22 or 24.
14. Hello is
_____________ still on the line. Would you like to give out your number? What
time zone are you? Is it safe to leave a message on your machine?
15. 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 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 Zones on the same phone and pin number you dialed in for this
meeting.
6am Saturday
8am
Saturday and Sunday
9am
Weekdays (Monday thru
Friday)
10am Saturday
11am
Sunday
Noon
Monday ----- Saturday
4pm 7 days a week
6pm Saturday
8pm
7 days a week
10pm Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
12 midnight Thursday
16. We now open up this space for anyone to announce any other Al-Anon meetings on different phone #’s and pins. Is there any that someone would like to announce?
Secretary turns the meeting over to the newcomer greeter as long as there are two or more members on the line.
17. Does anyone want the detailed (books and topics) list of the meeting schedule?
(All in Eastern Standard Time Zones)
6:00am
Saturday Just For Today Three Meditation Books
8:00am
Sunday, Early morning Rise & Shine Step Study
Saturday Early Morning Speaker Meeting
9:00am
Monday 3 Daily Meditation Books ODAT/Courage to Change/Hope for Today
Tuesday Step 1 How Al-Anon Works/12 and 12/ Paths to Recovery/ 3 Meditation Books
Wednesday Step 2 How Al-Anon Works/12 and 12/ Paths to Recovery/ 3 Meditation Books
Thursday Gratitude 3 Meditation Books
Friday Step 3 How Al-Anon Works/12 and 12/ Paths to Recovery/ 3 Meditation Books
10:00am
Saturday Paths to Recovery Tradition Meeting
11:00am
Sunday Step/Tradition/Concept/3 Mediations Paths to Recovery
12:00 Noon
Monday Day A Topic from the 3 Meditation Books
Tuesday Al-Anon 12 & 12
Wednesday from Survival to Recovery
Thursday Al-Anon’s 3 meditation Books
Friday Speaker Meeting
Saturday Hope for Today Meditation Book
2:00pm
Sunday Paths to Recovery Book Study Meeting
4:00pm
Monday Beginners Meeting 3 Meditation Books/How Al-Anon Works/Beginners Pamphlet
Tuesday 10th Step How Al-Anon Works/12 and 12/ Paths to Recovery/ 3 Med.Books
Wednesday 11th step Guided Mediation Paths to Recovery/ How Al-Anon Works/3 Med
Thursday Slogans How Al-Anon Works/3 Mediation Books
Friday 12th step
Saturday Opening our Hearts
Sunday Transforming our Losses
8:00pm
Monday from Survival to Recovery
Tuesday Topic discussion from 3 meditation books
Wednesday Beginner’s meeting How Al-Anon works
Thursday Step/Tradition/Concept/3 Mediations Paths to Recovery
Friday How Al-Anon Works
Saturday Speaker meeting
Sunday Steps and Traditions How Al-Anon works
10:00pm
Monday 4th Step WRITING Workshop Blue Print for Progress
Tuesday Discovering Choices LBGTO
Thursday 4th Step WRITING Workshop Blue Print for Progress
Friday Recovering in Al-Anon The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage
Saturday Traditions Meeting How Al-Anon Works/Paths to Recovery
Sunday Sharing Our Recovery The Forum Stories
12 midnight
Thursday 3 Daily Readers 3 Mediations Books