MA phone meetings are hosted through the Free Conference Call service. You can join our meetings by phone, the Free Conference Call mobile app, or computer VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make phone calls and other communications over the internet instead of a traditional phone line.
When joining the call by phone, use these key commands to participate:
*61 Enter or remove yourself from the queue during Q&A mode
*6 Mute and unmute your line when the call is not in Q&A mode
*2 Participant count: pressing *2 will tell you how many people are on the line.
The chairperson of each meeting will always provide instructions throughout the call on how and when to participate. While each of District 28's three phone groups may conduct their meetings a little differently, this basic structure will give you a general sense of what to expect.
There are two different modes used throughout most meetings:
- Muted/unmuted mode at the beginning and end of the meeting. During this time, you may be heard by others on the meeting. If you do not wish to be heard, mute your phone locally (on your phone keypad) or by pressing *6. This will reduce background noise on the line for everyone else.
- Question and answer (Q&A) mode for the sharing portion of meeting. During Q&A mode you press *61 to join the queue. "Joining the queue" is like getting in line to speak. When the system says, “You may now ask your question,” that means it’s your turn to speak. You can remove yourself from the queue at any time by pressing *61 again.
There are multiple opportunities to participate throughout the meeting:
- Opening and closing with the serenity prayer: During this time, the all participants are welcome to join in the serenity prayer. Make sure your phone is unmuted to participate.
- Introductions at the beginning of the meeting: The chairperson will invite newcomers to introduce themselves. This is a quick introduction where you simply state your name, location (state), and day count, if you wish. There will be time for sharing later.
- Sharing during the meeting: Everyone is invited to enter the queue and share. The chairperson will let you know if there is a topic or time limit (e.g., 4-minutes). If there is a time limit, the chairperson will give you a 1-minute warning and then say, "gentle time" when your time is up. There's no need to stop abruptly, just wind down your share.
- Seat claiming at the end of the meeting: the chairperson will say, "it is now time to claim seats." Seat claiming is simply a way for people who did not share during the meeting to let people know they are on the line. To claim your seat, simply state your first name and, if you’d like, your location (state) and day count.
- Fellowship after the meeting ends: This is an unstructured time for people to connect outside of the meeting, ask questions, and welcome newcomers.