Rules of the Conference Call

Anyone who has had to participate in conference calls, particularly ones that span several time zones, understands the frustration that they usually engender. And lately the conference calls that I've been on have started to get even more frustrating. This video encompasses many of the reasons why and I recommend that you watch it for a much needed laugh after your next conference call:

But on the off chance that the video is not enough to save your sanity, I have compiled this list of rules for conference call etiquette that you can use for your next conference call.

◊ Be On Time: As you could see from the video people arriving late to a conference call can be a big disruption. It's even worse when the person who is late is the one who called the conference or who is critical to the discussion taking place. Lately I've seen a trend for those people to get dragged into an emergency and not send a note rescheduling the call. I think the thought is that since its a conference call people can be working at other things while they wait for the leader to attend. But that's not true for people who gathered into a conference room for the call and even for the people who are sitting at their desk, waiting for the call to start is a distraction. So out of respect for everyone else on the call, please be on time.

◊ Focus on the call: When you are on the call, focus on the call. Don't check your email or have side conversations with the people in the room.

◊ Do a Roll call: Unless the conference call is a company wide announcement where one person is speaking to a large group of people, do a roll call at the start of the call so that everybody knows who is on the call.

◊ Announce Yourself: Unless you are on a small conference where everybody knows each other very well, announce who you are before you say something. That way people can associate the idea with the person.

◊ Don't Engage in a Monologue: Unless the purpose of the conference call is for everyone to hear one person speak, try and keep your comments concise and leave pauses so that you can hear if someone else is trying to say something.

◊ Know Your Equipment: A lot of problems around conference call revolve around people not understanding their own equipment, so I've grouped these issues together:

● Make Sure That Your Phone Equipment is Working: Phones or bluetooth headsets that have a lot of background noise or make your voice sound faint, or make it hard for you to hear the other people on the call are all sources of distraction.

● Use Your Mute Button: Make sure you know where your mute button is before you join the call and use it whenever you are not the person speaking. This will keep the other people on the call from being distracted by road noises, your children, your dog, the sound of your keyboard as you take notes, etc... By the same token, remember to take yourself off mute when it is your turn to speak.

● Don't Put The Conference on Hold: I can't tell you how many calls I've been on where someone has put the conference on hold while they take another call or deal with something in their office. Of course, they don't realize that they've condemned the entire conference to listening to their hold music or the busy signal that comes on when they've hung up after their other call not realizing they put the conference on hold.

◊ End the Call: Finally, when the call is over, formally end the call by wrapping up the meeting and hanging up the phone. I've been in meetings where at the end of the meeting, everyone gets up and walks out, forgetting the people who were on the phone.

I'm sure that this is not an exhaustive list of the do's and don'ts of conference call etiquette, so please feel free to add your own rules in the comments below.

-- Lisbi Abraham