With so many people working from home and in satellite locations, conference calls offer flexibility and a way to stay connected.
But, unfortunately, conference calls can also be a negative experience for some people. Maybe someone on your conference call is dominating the conversation. Or you can hear someone gnawing on their lunch. Maybe the call wasn’t necessary in the first place and could’ve been handled via email. Don’t be that person.
“The most annoying thing that anybody can do on a conference call is to be late joining the call,” said Drew Hubbard, a freelance marketing consultant and owner of Foodie Content Studios, a media production house. “That’s seriously rude.”
In this post, Drew offers his top conference call tips.
5 ways to make a conference call positive
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Stay the course. Good conference calls have an agenda and enforce a time limit. To avoid one person dominating the call, those leading should ask for participation from all attendees.
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Say hello. Since attendees are not all in the same room, it’s important for others to know who is speaking.
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Have fun. A good conference call contains a bit of levity, but getting too far off topic is an inconsiderate waste of participants’ time.
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Keep it short. Efficient meetings don’t have to be long meetings. (Most people would agree that’s a good thing.)
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Mute yourself when you’re not speaking. It’s considerate and will help you avoid embarrassing sighs, munching noises and background chatter.
5 ways to break a conference call
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Waste people’s time. Be honest: Is your conference call really necessary? If the answer is no, replace the call with an email.
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Join late. It’s just rude.
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Invite everyone. Large group calls result in cluttered, unproductive calls.
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Be chatty. Side conversations distract those in the room and make it hard for people on the phone.
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Get distracted. You’re on the call to get something accomplished, so reply to texts or emails later.
Interested in reading even more conference call tips? Then check out Drew’s seven deadly sins of conference calls.
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