Conference Call Etiquette - Do you Know the Basics?Written by Joy A. Harrison
As more and more people begin using conferencing as part of the standard way to conduct business---the question is poised, what are the do's and do not's of conducting a conference call? We seem to have business etiquette for introductions, making presentations---but for those who are venturing into webinars and demos via web conferencing---how can I ensure a professional call and experience?
Like any meeting the key is to practice and prepare ahead of time. If you are using a new audio or web service for the first time-make sure to test out your dial-in number and passcode, check your equipment (speaker phone, handset or web cam) and of course make sure that you have all your documents or presentation materials ready (if you are conducting a demo or sharing).
Here are 5 official tips:
- Plan ahead for an efficient and effective meeting. In the conference invitation, inform participants of the purpose, agenda and time limit for your meeting.
- Forward the Audience Invitation to each individual invited to attend. This will provide them all the information they need to quickly and easily enter you're audio and web conferences.
- Dial in to your conference 5 to 10 minutes before the start of your meeting to prepare yourself and to prevent your guests from waiting for you on hold.
- Start the conference with a roll call to confirm attendance and inform all participants of who is on the conference.
- Advise participants who are not actively speaking to mute their phones in order to eliminate background noise.
Thus, as you can see planning and practice are a must to pull of a successful conference call. It is worth mentioning that conference calls have the double benefit of saving on the time and expense of business meetings. With the proper conference calling etiquette and planning, you can pull off a successful call that helps your business [ministry] and that saves you time and money.
Joy Harrison blogs and writes regularly on communications and education. For more conference calling servicetips she recommends checking out the Fly Conferencing blog. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_A._Harrison |