📞😡 Conference Call Hell! – I dialled in to a conference call a year ago, there were reps from 7 countries on the line.

The meeting started with frequent interruptions from late comers, each apologising for being late.

It was impossible to hear what some people were saying as their headsets were rubbish.

Nobody led the call. Everyone started talking over each other. Attendees were dropping off & dialling back in.

Background noise was constant. Dinner sounds. Traffic noise.

And then the heavy breathing started, it was really off-putting – And no matter how many times they were asked to go on mute, they either didn’t understand, weren’t paying attention or thought it wasn’t them.

Confusion, chaos & absolutely nothing productive happening at all. No clear agenda had been sent out, the goal & objectives of the meeting were unclear.

It was a disaster.

A real Dogs Dinner of a meeting.

I added up the cost in time & money for those who were in attendance. A humongous waste. When I hung up I decided to put together a document I’ve entitled:

“23 Top Tips for Productive Conference Calls”.

Having hosted and participated in conference calls with attendees from all over the world over the past 10 years I decided to put together a list of top tips to help everyone get the most out of these
calls and suffer the least amount of disruption.

  • If you are out and about keep track of conference call dates/times. Make sure you know when your conference call is, and be sure to keep the conference call number and pin handy
    so you are not scrambling to find it at the last minute. Your meeting reminder shouldn’t come from a call or email from someone who is on the meeting when you aren’t.
  • Call in to the conference line a couple minutes early. Try to avoid being late, especially if you know you will have to contribute to the discussion. No one wants to be the reason
    why the conference call discussion is held up, because they are waiting for you to arrive.
  • Introductions are doubly important when you’re conferencing with people you’ve never met. In that case, go around to everyone in your team, and allow each person to state his or
    her name and title and what interest they have in the upcoming discussion.
  • Mute your phone when you are not speaking. To help avoid distracting sounds, conversations, or noises that are not applicable to the conference call, the mute button
    should be used. Muting the line avoids others hearing Skype pinging on your computer or the children banging on the door.
  • State your name before speaking. Since the conference call attendees are not all in the same room, it is important for others on the line to know who is speaking so that they can better
    understand the context of your comments. In some cases you may also want to state your role, company, or location after your name; this is most relevant when your conference call
    includes people from other groups or organizations that have never met you face-to-face.
  • If you are organising a conference call, then a clear agenda should be included in the email invite. Also, the conference call details should be in the Location field. When typing
    numbers, leave spaces to aid readability. For example: 0800 279 5072 PIN 8689 7444, is a lot easier to read than 08002795072 PIN 86897444.
  • Be sure to stay on topic (the leader of the call should be responsible for keeping everyone on track). If additional items need to be discussed that are unrelated to the reason of the
    conference call or items need to be discussed in greater detail than the time allows, take the conversation offline. You can call the individuals in which you need a further discussion
    with following the conference call.
  • If you are late to a call, stay silent until the leader asks who has joined the call. Announcing that you have arrived and apologising for being late will interrupt the flow of the call. So
    wait until the conversation reaches a natural pause before joining in.
  • Define a clear leader. Every conference call should have a clear, defined leader. The leader should be the one that emails out the agenda ahead of the call, directs the conversation,
    makes sure everyone sticks to the agenda, pays attention to time, and sends any follow up action item emails or additional meeting invites.
  • Be prepared to discuss the topic at hand. Like with all meetings, you should do a little preparation work or note down items you would like to bring up on the conference
    call. You want the meeting to be productive and not spawn other meetings because of lack of preparation.
  • Keep background noise to a minimum. When you take your phone off mute to speak, make sure that you are not distracting the other callers. This noise may be generated from
    standing outside in the wind, typing on your computer, children running around, pets barking, side conversations with people in the office just to name a few. It is best to find a
    quiet location for the meeting.
  • Pay attention. When you call in to a conference call there are a host of distractions in front of you: emails, people on Skype asking questions, work piling up and so on. If someone
    asks you a question on a call and you don’t realize they are talking to you until the end of their question, it will be obvious that you weren’t paying attention. Don’t be the one who
    always has to ask the person to repeat their question.
  • Maintain a good mobile phone reception. A bad mobile phone connection can cause static or make your voice beak up when you speak, making your input to the conference call hard
    to understand. Sometimes it can even lead to a dropped call, in which you have to call back into the meeting. All of which detract from the meeting.
  • Pause before speaking to ensure that others have finished what they are saying.
  • When speaking be clear and distinct. Make sure that you have a good microphone and talk into it. It’s very difficult to understand someone whose voice is faint and distorted.
  • When addressing someone specifically, say his/her name to ensure you have that person’s attention.
  • Respect others on the call. Everyone’s opinion is valid.
  • Explain acronyms the first time you use them.
  • If someone is talking, don’t talk over them. Wait for a pause and ask if it’s okay to make a point.
  • If you are talking and someone else starts talking, then stop and wait. Nobody can understand two people talking at the same time on a conference call. Even if the other
    person has interrupted (and is being rude). Be patient and wait your turn to speak.
  • Never be abrupt, rude, talk angrily or aggressively to Customers on conference calls. Even if they are not being respectful. We do not have to stoop to their level. They are still our
    Customers and pay our wages.
  • Account for Dead Air. Silence is fine during an in-person meeting, but on a conference call, the quietness can lead to confusion. If the air stays dead long enough, the participants
    may assume that the other side is having technical difficulties, or simply being unresponsive, perhaps even rude. If you’re in a situation where you are trying to find an
    answer to a question, try to describe the actions you’re taking. For example: “I am just checking through my emails. There doesn’t seem to be anything from last week. Let me
    search for a keyword. Hmmmm. Aha. Here it is”. By narrating a small sequence of events, you can actively tell the other participants that you’re still engaged in the call.
  • Do not accept another call while on a conference call and put the current call on hold. This can result in On-Hold announcements or even On-Hold music which can derail the
    conference call and force it to be abandoned.

Hope this has helped.  If you’ve got a growing business and might need a hand,  please drop me an email on PaulBedford@ActionCOACH.com