How to Behave During a Conference Call

With telecommuting and home offices as abundant in the workplace as corporate cubicles, conference calls rank as an important meeting option for all companies. Conference call participants, including the moderator, must follow certain rules of etiquette to make the virtual meeting a success.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Call from a land line in a quiet environment. Avoid calling from a cell phone because static and dropped calls can be a problem. If you are calling from home and have a dog, make sure that it's in another room when you make your call. Turn off TVs, radios and other appliances, and let other people in your house or office know that you are on a conference call.
2. Block call waiting until the call is over. One misplaced call waiting beep can throw off the entire conversation and irritate the other participants.
3. Introduce yourself. A good moderator begins a conference call by having the participants introduce themselves by at least stating their name. This helps develop good camaraderie even before the meeting gets into full swing.
4. Say your name before you speak. It is very hard for most people to sort out voices during a conference call, so it's proper etiquette to state your name before making a point. It will also help people to remember you after the conference call.
5. Address participants by name. This will make people feel at ease and allow the conversation to flow smoothly from person to person.
6. Wait until the person speaking finishes before making a point. If you talk over someone, neither of you will get your message across and it will frustrate the moderator and the other conference attendees. Be patient, and wait for the person speaking to pause or definitively conclude their statement before you begin talking.
7. Announce the agenda for the conference call clearly at the beginning, and let the callers know when the meeting is over. Always ask if there are any additional questions after you have covered the predetermined topics.