7 Essential Tips for a More Productive Conference Call

Not everybody enjoys conference calls. Talking to a group of people, potentially regarding a very important subject, without being able to see their body language is something that takes some adjusting to. Whilst some struggle with conference calls the reality is that as VoIP technology continues to mature (and become cheaper and cheaper) being able to thrive on a conference call is going to become a necessity in business.

So, the stage is set, you have that fateful interview with Van Morrison. You know fine well that he’s a grumpy and does not suffer fools gladly, if there are any issues he will probably hang up. So how do you make the call go as smooth as possible?

Be Early!
Remember the ‘holy couplet’ of conference calling. Dial the right number and be on time/early! Furthermore remember to familiarise yourself with the phone conferencing system you will be using beforehand. Like most things technical the most common problems with conference calling is down to user error. Furthermore like most things in life it is the most basic errors that are the most common. So note down the number, access code (if there is one), and be ready to join the call on time. Some conference call systems do not allow late entrants and to be honest you wouldn’t be late for a face-to-face meeting. It is important to remember that there are subtle differences in etiquette on conference calls the core principles are the same as a face-to-face meeting.

Make Yourself Known to Attendees
Introduce yourself and encourage others to do the same. Participating in a meeting on the phone is a little un-natural to some people and a little introduction will help them get involved from that start. Of course an introduction does not include what indecent acts you got up to on the weekend, but an opportunity to introduce your opinion on the topic of the call and to show you are open to the ideas of your fellow participants.

Familiarise Yourself With Who’s Attending Beforehand
Names are extremely important in a conference call. Learn everyone’s name beforehand and use them regularly. This will help to prevent callers answering the same question at the same time and talking over one another. Names were invented to distinguish ourselves from one another and without the visual cues to establish who you are addressing on a conference call they are essential. Each point you make should be pre-fixed with the person you are addressing. Although it may seem obvious to you who are addressing do not assume that everyone else feels the same way.

Avoid Background Noise
Use a quiet, undisturbed room with no background noise. A quiet room is exactly what it says. The only thing that should have the capacity to make unrestrained audible noise is you. In an ideal world your audience will find it amusing to hear you tussle with Fido screaming expletives at him. However in reality your audience would find it much more amusing to watch hamsters surfing on You Tube but can’t because their boss said they have to talk to you. Using headsets is common and useful when undertaking a conference call. However a problem arises when as a result of your headset you can’t hear the background noise in your office but remember the microphone your are using does not have that luxury and it will be sure to annoy your fellow participants if they can constantly hear the chit-chat around you. So to re-iterate; find a quiet room where you can be sure that there will background noise.

Avoid Calling From a Mobile Phone
If at all possible do not use mobile or cordless phones. Remember when the 3G network was being touted about with people proclaiming that everyone would have crystal clear connection wherever we were. It didn’t happen. If your goal is to trick your fellow callers into thinking you are Stephen Hawking in the midst of a sneezing fit go ahead, otherwise use a land-line. Of course this does not apply to all mobile and cordless phones but the problem with these types of devices is that their inconsistent call quality. The potential to catch a bad line is high and this will no doubt annoy those participating in your call.

Be Cautious With the Mute Button
If you must use mute in order to make a private comment to the people in the room for your sake be careful. The reality is that a conference call, like everything else we encounter in our lives, follows sod’s law. You may be well versed when it comes to how to mute conference calls effectively and you may even have done it before. But you know as well as I do that when you use it in order to have a moan about one of your callers it won’t work. So, if you must use it be careful and leave the bitching till you are safely off the call.

If You Mute, Make Sure There’s No Holding Music!
If you must nip out to relieve yourself during a conference call make sure that using the hold button does not commence some ridiculous novelty on hold music. Everyone loves a novelty jingle but it may distract Dave from accounts in his final year financial analysis. He doesn’t participate in much human interaction, so be nice and don’t ruin his time in the sun. The ‘Final Countdown’ does not accompany the end of year accounts as well as you might imagine.

Take these tips on board and go forth and conquer phone conferencing in all its glory. Good luck and god speed.

This is a guest post by Powwownow, a low-cost conference calling service with the ethos of no booking, no billing and no fuss. (The customer does not need to book a room when using conference calls and never receives a bill from Powwownow, just the cost of a 0844 call added to their bill). The company is based in Richmond, London and operates in 15 countries, including the US and major European markets with a projected turnover of £8m for 2010.