| Conference
Call Etiquette - the do’s and don’ts of
multi-way phone conversations.
by Lyndsay Swinton |
The
curse of every hard working manager. Love or
hate them, with geographically dispersed teams
and travel restrictions, conference calls are
here to stay as a communication medium in the
workplace. If you want to stand out from your
work colleauges, then follow these simple
do’s and don’ts of effective conference
calls.
Here are my favourite conference call
experiences;
·a barking dog drowns out the key discussion
point, bad enough, but the owner then starts
shouting at his pet.
·a thirsty caller uses the hold button whilst
slipping out to get a drink, unaware hold
music starts playing to everyone on the call.
·a talkative colleague uses the mute button
to moan about the call, stopping you answering
the question from the senior manager you are
trying to impress.
Obviously I would discourage all these career
limiting behaviours, so what are the do’s
and don’ts of effective conference calls?
Do get comfortable with the fact you will be
talking in front of a group and receiving no
visual cues or feedback.
Do use the right phone in a quiet, undisturbed
room.
Don’t use cell phones or phones that pick up
background noise. Calling from an open plan
office is the equivalent of having a
conversation in a nightclub. If you really
can’t find a quiet room, use the mute button
until you are required to speak.
To avoid a Homer Simpson style “Doh”
moment, do learn to use the mute button and
other phone technology. Your intelligent
contributions mean nothing if no one can hear
them.
Do set up the meeting in advance and
communicate the dial in number, passcodes and
other information. “Spring forward, fall
back” is something to keep in mind for your
timezone crossing colleagues. Don’t work out
time differences on your fingers – check on
the internet or even phone a colleague in that
country and ask what time it is!
Do start the meeting absolutely on time;
don’t reward latecomers’ bad behaviour by
waiting for them. Take a role call at the
start of the meeting, highlighting the missing
attendees. Go on, get tough, people will love
you for it!
Do treat the conference call as if it were a
meeting. You know the routine; prepare and
circulate an agenda, take notes ya-de-ya-de-ya.
Do get each caller to say hello and introduce
themselves. Even though you may never meet in
person, it’s a good relationship builder and
gets the shyest of people to at least say
their name.
Don’t assume everyone recognises your voice.
Unless you are dis-respecting the boss and
want to stay incognito, say your name before
you speak. This is particularly important for
the poor soul taking meeting notes.
Do make use of guest speakers. Invite a
special or important guest and get them to say
a few words at the beginning of the meeting.
No one will know they slipped out after five
minutes and you’ll get the benefit of
undivided attention and best behaviour.
Don’t allow the topic to wander. Be an iron
fist in a velvet glove – polite but firm if
people talk too long or over each other. If
your callers are at home sitting in their
pyjamas nursing a hot chocolate, be
considerate that all they want is to go to
bed.
Do ask for input by using a person’s name.
People will pay more attention to avoid the
embarrassment of needing the question
repeated.
Don’t shuffle papers; scrape chairs, pencil
tap, hum or other distracting, noisy
activities.
It…….drives…………people…………mad!
Do close the meeting formally, thanking
everybody for their time. That little bit of
recognition will make them feel good about
talking to you again.
And that’s about it. Apart from one very
personal tip. Do not sit on a leather chair.
Ever. The problem is each time you move
around, an embarrassing noise that’s at just
the right frequency to carry well over the
phone is emitted. Either you brazen it out and
suffer the comments about your defective
digestive system, or sit rigid until the call
is over. If you only take one piece of advice
make sure it’s this - do use fabric covered
seats!
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| About
the Author |
Lyndsay
Swinton is an experienced team leader, people
manager and business coach. Her website is
www.mftrou.com - 'Management for the rest of
us'. Subscribe to her free no-nonsense
Management Tips newsletter at mftrou.com
today.
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