A conference call is a wonder. Each time I teleconference I can’t help but think how this has changed the face of communication and saved us a lot of trouble. I cannot imagine life without the teleconference calls that I have to make for work purposes or otherwise. All thanks to teleconference I don’t need to sit in a plane for 4 hours just to attend a half an hour meeting on the other side of the globe. A conference call is a blessing, yes, but there are certain things that need to be kept in mind while teleconferencing. If you don’t follow these simple tips then it is sure to have a very negative effect on the people who you are conferencing with. So here are the 10 call conference etiquette’s that you need to learn before you are a part of an actual conference call.
Formal introductions
Once the call gets connected you need to introduce yourself clearly so that all the people who are on the call can hear and understand who you are. In case you are connected to people who do not belong to your company then you will need to clearly state your name, designation and the company that you are working at.
Check the sound quality
This is a very important aspect that you need to be very careful about. Have a test run so that you get to know about the sound quality before hand. Also, it is not very prudent to use the speaker phone as the mic will catch the sounds that are present in the background, such as the fan or maybe someone’s footfalls.
Sit in one place while you are on the call
It is very important that you are seated at one place while the call is in progress, preferably a place where the network is the strongest.
Sending out the reason for the meeting in advance
It is necessary that you sent out the purpose of the conference call to all the people who will be attending it, well in advance so that they get ample time to prepare themselves and are not caught unawares when the call is made. The whole aim of the call is to discuss a certain topic with a group of people and if they do not know what it is, the conference call will be a failure.
Etiquettes while you are on the call
There are certain things that need to be taken care of while you are on the call and you must not think that since it is an audio conference people will not be seeing you and thus will not know what you are actually up to.
Don’t keep the conference call on hold
The call that you are making must never be kept on hold and in must be avoided as much as possible. When you put a call on hold (in case of a local call) then the other people on the call hear a music due to which they cannot hear and speak to each other.
Give others a chance to speak first
Since you are on the call, you need to give the others a chance to speak and they must not feel slighted in way. If you start speaking while they are in the mid sentence, then you come across as a rude person, and that you do not care for their views.
Never shun ideas
Even if the person on the conference call says something that is irrelevant to the topic and you do not feel like carrying on with the point, you must not cut that person short and tell them that their views do not make any sense.
Mind your language
While you are on the call, be careful of the language that you use, even though it is your colleagues that you are talking to. The conversation must be formal and talk only what is relevant to the topic.
State when the call ends
When you have reached your conclusion and it is time to end the call, make yourself clear to the people who are on the call so that there is no chance of you cutting the call while someone still has something left to say.
These are the ten voice conference call etiquettes that you must learn before you make an actual conference call and if you do follow these tips then conference calls will be the easiest thing to do.
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