Just because you aren’t attending a meeting in person, does not mean you can scroll through social media, make a sandwich, or go watch television while you are speaking to colleagues over the phone.
In today’s global business conference calls are an essential part of conducting meetings with colleagues. But in order to have a productive call, there are a few rules of conduct that should be followed.
Read below for quick tips on conference call etiquette and how to make the most out of a conference call meeting.
1. Be On-Time
This one should be obvious, but it bears repeating. You wouldn’t walk into a conference room five or ten minutes late – in fact, you probably show up a few minutes early to get yourself settled. The same should be true for a conference call!
Respect other’s time and expect the same from your coworkers by stressing the importance of punctuality. Dialing in to a conference line a few minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start will also give you time to troubleshoot any technical issues you may have.
2. Set An Agenda
Despite our best efforts, it can be easy to get distracted or sidetracked during a conference call. The best way to prevent this from happening is to have a predetermined agenda and goals for the meeting.
Are you meeting to solve a particular issue? Set a budget? Review a timeline? Create specific agenda topics or points that the group can use to stay focused for the duration of the meeting.
3. Pick a Reliable Conference Call Service
There is nothing more frustrating than a meeting that is delayed or interrupted because the conference call line is not working as it’s supposed to. There are plenty of free conference call services that are easy to use and reliable.
Test out your conference line before the meeting to ensure that it is working properly and be sure to use a service that you can depend on.
4. Use Visuals
Keeping people engaged while on a conference call can be challenging. Using visuals is a great way to gain and keep people’s attention during meetings, especially longer ones.
Charts, graphs, pictures, and animations are all different visual components you can add to a presentation to engage the audience and lead an overall more productive meeting.
5. Encourage Participation
One of the reasons people zone out during a meeting is because they are not expected to participate. Therefore, they may believe they can multi-task or ignore the topics being discussed.
If you want to avoid this, create an opportunity for each person on the call to participate.
Conference Call Etiquette 101
Now you know some of the basics of conference call etiquette that you can bring to your next meeting.
When in doubt, think to yourself, would I do this during a typical in-person meeting? If the answer is no, then it is likely not appropriate for a conference call either.
If you’re looking for more helpful business and career information, check out our other blogs!
You must be logged in to post a comment.