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Studies have shown that conference calls can save 30% of your company’s travel costs, and 70% of employees prefer them.
But a bad conference call can quickly go horribly wrong. With people talking over each other, and voices you don’t recognize speaking over each other, a disorganized conference call can be seriously unproductive.
In order to get the most from your time, it’s important to follow conference call etiquette.
Read on as we look at some key points for how to run your conference call.
Be on Time
If there are several people who are going to be involved in your conference call, then they’re not going to be happy if you keep them waiting.
We all have busy schedules at work, and none of us want to waste our valuable time sitting around waiting for a conference call to start. So make sure you’re ready in plenty of time so that your call can kick off exactly when you said it would
Be Prepared
If you’ve never used your conference call system before, then don’t try to wing it on the day.
There’s nothing less professional than someone desperately trying to work out how to use their system whilst in the middle of a call. Try to ensure you have the best free conference call system you can find, and learn how to make the most of all of its features well in advance.
Use The Mute Button
When someone else is talking, they don’t want any distracting sounds to knock them out of their stride.
Use the mute button to ensure that whilst they’re talking, no sound will reach them from your end of the call. Once it’s your turn to speak, unmute the call, and carry on as normal.
That way you can be certain that any accidental noise from your end isn’t going to be picked up at all.
Introduce Yourself
If you’re using an audio-only conference call system, it can be easy to lose track of who is speaking.
Make sure that you introduce yourself when you first speak so that everyone on the call is aware who is speaking. If the call involves a lot of people with reasonably similar voices, then reintroduce yourself again if you haven’t spoken for a while.
It will make the call much easier to follow for everyone involved.
Stick to the Agenda
A conference call can quickly stray from the matter at hand with so many people offering their input.
Be sure to stick firmly to your pre-agreed agenda. That way you can be sure that when the call is completed, you will have covered everything that you wanted to. And you won’t waste time discussing topics that aren’t relevant to your call.
Up to Speed on Conference Call Etiquette?
You may know the ins and outs of conference call etiquette, but there’s still plenty more you can learn.
We have a ton of great content to help you with your life at work, from articles on everything from video conferencing to working from home. We also have articles on a wide range of other topics, including health, technology, lifestyle, and politics.
Feel free to take a look around.
