Effective Conference Calling

Conference calling is an amazing way to talk with a lot of people at the same time, no matter where they are in the world. While it is easy to have a decent conference call, with just a little more effort you can have a great conference call.

1. The first thing to do is to make sure that only the right sounds are heard. Encourage your speakers, participants, and yourself to pick a quiet place in which to participate in the call. Ideal locations are ones that have a door to ensure privacy and quiet. Turn off or silence cell phones and anything else that might suddenly cause noise during the call. You could even go as far as to use a different chair than that creaky, overstuffed leather one that you normally sit in.

2. At the beginning of a call, you should make sure you can hear everyone all right. More importantly, your voice should be coming in loud and clear. This can be accomplished by a simple, “Does everyone hear me okay?” When they say yes, you can hear how good they sound and know that they can hear you too.

3. Sound quality is more than what you can hear; it is also about blocking unwanted sound. Find and be familiar with your mute button and encourage your participants to do the same. Ask that anyone not speaking at the moment to mute their own line. This way, all background noise, including breathing, coughing, creaky chairs, and sudden dog barks are kept from interrupting the conference call.
   

4. Since you cannot see your participants, identification can be a problem. Don’t assume that everyone recognizes your voice. Say your name when you ask a question or begin speaking. Encourage your participants to do the same. Unless you are asking a generic – and rhetorical – question, use the name of the person to whom the question is directed to. For example, “How was last month’s sales?” is not as effective as “John, how was last month’s sales?”

5. Sound quality and control could be even easier. Check with your conference call service provider. A good one will have many conferencing features. One such feature is called “lecture mode.” Lecture mode mutes everyone in the call except for the hosts and the speakers. Participants cannot unmute themselves, but they can use telephone keypad commands to let the moderator know they have a question or comment. This feature is invaluable for quiet, well ordered calls.