Conference call tips

TOP 10
CONFERENCE CALL TIPS

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #1

Conference calling should be done at a quiet location where there is minimal noise.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #2

When a conference calling appointment has been scheduled, make sure all parties are
on time. If you are the host of the conference call, it's a good idea to arrive a little early
so you can make sure all the participants are present, and let them know when you are
ready to begin.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #3

Always use the proper equipment for conference calling. For example, avoid using
cordless phones. (Always use a telephone where the handset is wired to the phone).

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #4

During conference calling, always introduce yourself before you begin to speak. Not
everyone will recognize your voice.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #5

Before you begin any conference calling, make sure you test the equipment first. If you
use cell phones or cordless phones for conference calling, you are likely to get
interference such as static that can be picked up on airwaves.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #6

The use of speakerphones for conference calling can pick up background noises, and
can sometimes cut off parts of your conversation If you must use a speakerphone for
conference calling, try to use one that is "full digital duplex". which allows all parties to
speak at the same time. Use the "Mute" button during conference calling when no one
in the room needs to speak. This will prevent any interference from background noises.
When anyone in the room needs to say something, simply release the "Mute" button
and speak.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #7

During any conference calling, if you have "call waiting" - be sure to turn it OFF. Call-
waiting features can usually be deactivated by pressing star, then 7, then 0 (*70). After
you hang up, call waiting is automatically reactivated. If this method does not work for
your particular area, check with your telephone service provider for instructions.
 CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #8

Never put your phone on HOLD if your hold feature plays background music. Any
background interference will make it difficult for the other participants to hear any
conversation.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #9

During all conference calling, always try to stick to the agenda and stay focused.
Always respect the other participants' schedule.

CONFERENCE CALL TIPS - #10

When ending your conference calling appointment, always be clear and to the point.
Thank everyone for their participation and be sure everyone realizes the meeting is
officially over.

Make Meetings Work

15APR
If you work with executive managers who do a lot of meetings through conference calls, this was the
talk to attend; not only was it lively, it was spot on in terms of how to help our business learners
participate in meetings more effectively.

Barry invited us to brainstorm some problems our business learners have in conf calls. One
particularly interesting cultural issue came up in the discussionhow to do small talk before a virtual
meeting, how long should it last, and how to stop it. Rapport building is thus a problem for conf call
meetings, as well as native speaker insensitivity or rather unawareness as Barry preferred. By this,
we meant native speakers making little or no effort to make their language more understandable and
also not taking cultural issues into consideration. Imagine Canadian workers trying to socialize about
last weekends hockey match with a group of south Indian workers and you see what he meant.

Barry pointed out that of course, there are issues of confidence, hierarchy, and accent that get in the
way of communication. In terms of comprehension, learners can often feel they lose 30-50% of the
conversation and feel too intimidated to speak as much as they should or would like to. We as
language trainers can help them with these problems.

Barry suggested building up systematic organization, showing learners how not to lose control, and
how to intervene or interrupt. These problems are particularly present in the French context, but are in
no way limited to French business people .

Barrys plan for building confidence in conf calls includes:

A framework for conf calls and meetings

Agree who will take the minutes
Go through each item
 Summarize at the end
Main conclusions
AOB (this is a problem because foreign participants dont know what acronyms mean or even
what we mean by business in this context)
Date of next meeting
Stock phrases to help learners manage turns
Introductions: Have them say their name and what they do so people can start to get used to the
accent.
Thanks: Thank you all for connecting.
Welcome: Id like to welcome everybody here today
Apologies: wont be here because
Minutes of the last meeting: Did everyone get the minutes from the last meeting?
Another important cultural issue came up in the discussion. Americans tend to dominate meetings
and many non-native speakers feel they cant get a word in! But, by using the techniques above,
learners can better keep control when with dealing with Americans. Not only will this lead to more
balanced exchanges, but more confidence and higher self-esteem.

Remember, a trainee may have difficulties in L2 but in L1 they are used to making decisions, wielding
power, and being the leader of the pack. Having to bow to a linguistically superior other can feel
humiliating. Barrys strategies for establishing and keeping control will help our business trainees
match their L1 and L2 selves.

Barry suggested trainees take 4 steps to intervening in a meeting

1. Get the agenda in advance to identify points of interest

2. Tell the convenor in advance that they want to contribute on a certain point
3. Make sure the convenor can see/identify you in the conf call
4. Make your point firmly. Keep it clear, light, tight, polite. If they can express one idea per sentence
in short sentences, theyll be much more effective. Trainees must also make sure theyre not too
serious, especially in meetings with Brits and Americans. Of course, politeness is something to be
aware of as well.
This led to something that we should remind learners of when working on conf call etiquette: How to
be concise. This means being:

Short: One idea per sentence, no sentences over 25 words

Sharp: To the point, no waffling
Sweet: Say it nicely and say it politely
As teachers, we can elicit or teach one stock phrase per stage of the meeting then practice the
meeting and the phrases. This way the participants have a library of simple stock phrases for each
stage. Theyll come away with a framework and phrases for each part.

Barry reported that his learners take more than just English away from these lessons. Citing feedback
from his learners, he mentioned increased confidence, savings of time, and we should use this
structure in our own country-type remarks. Youre then teaching them not only language but meeting
management techniques. This is a powerful motivator indeed.
 To put this all together into a lesson, Barry suggested having trainees select the content of a meeting,
decide on a framework then run the meeting while the trainer takes notes on the language to look at
after the activity.

Again learner feedback suggested that this tactic gave them more confidence and a feeling of being
much more effective in meetings. Learners came away feeling more confident and more effective.
Some even reported that these were effective tips I can use in French as well.

To finish, we came back to the difficulty of building rapport in meetings where you cant see the other
participants. One must also be aware of the role of hierarchy in certain cultures. For example, light
questions would be met with silence at the beginning of a conf call to India or China. It would be a
good idea to find out who is the leader, address questions to the leader, and the leader designates
someone on his team to answer. This notion would seem completely foreign to Western business
culture.

An interesting suggestion was to save 10 minutes for participants to ask any questions they want
about family, weather, sports, whatever once the meeting is over. This does take some time to
establish as a habit. At first, the meetings may just end very quickly, but after a few sessions, this
often becomes a highly anticipated part of the meetings.

Also, we should not underestimate the importance of seeing participants in meetings. This means that
all kickoff meetings should be done through video conferencing. We should suggest this to our clients.
If a company does not have the means to do so, suggest that the participants exchange photos of
each other. Simply being able to see the person youre talking to, even in a photo, greatly changes
the amount of rapport.

To finish, Barry also suggested that we can help deal with native speaker unawareness. In a very
practical activity, he has native speakers read their business card, pausing after key information. This
helps them to slow down and remember that their listeners may need that extra bit of processing time.
If you cant understand a persons name, generally you avoid talking to them. So to build rapport, it
pays to pronounce your name clearly, pausing afterwards.

Agenda Preparation
Have an agenda that includes goals, participant expectations and timing if appropriate.
Keep it as short as possible. Our attention spans on the phone are often shorter than F2F.
o Dont cram the agenda. An hour on a teleconference generally cannot accomplish quite as much as
an hour F2F. Plan accordingly.
If you expect active participation from all participants, consider the impact of volume of comments
on time available when determining the number of agenda items. On a 10 person call with the
expectation that everyone comments on each agenda item, and their comments range from 1-3
minutes, that means you can accommodate 1-2 agenda items in an hour.
Decide on roles. The meeting chair does not have to be the same person who is looking after the
call facilitation duties.
Ask participants to review the agenda prior to the call.
If part of the group is in a face to face with a long (i.e. full day) agenda, consider scheduling
shorter phone segments for critical business. It is hard to stay on the phone for a full day! ;-)
 Identifying Roles in Advance
Facilitator or master of ceremonies - support meeting process
Having a greeter who arrives 5 or more minutes early to welcome people as they arrive on the
phone line helps them orient socially
Having a tech person who can help people (say, by means of a chat room or instant messenger
(IM) if they have difficulties)
Designated presenters or speakers who are experts in the topic
Having a note-taker (say in a chat-room, that also supports the tech person)

Technical Set Up
Consider if telephone is the best communication tool for your task or purpose. Should you use
VoIP (Skype), or a web meeting tool instead? If you have to share visuals, these tools may be
useful.
Cheap and useful telephone services and tools
o http://www.freeconferencecall.com
o http://www.highdefconferencing.com/ (combines regular phone calls and Skype calls)
o http://www.skype.com
o http://www.gizmoproject.com/
o http://www.nocostconference.com/
o http://www.vyew.com/content/ Simple tool to share screens, etc.
Send all participants the dial in number and pass-codes (if any) needed.
Be clear to participants if you are offering a toll free number or if they are responsible for long
distance costs. With international groups, make sure your number includes the international
country code.
Providing a jumping off point where people can look up the details if theyre lost or if the
technology fails. (email, URL, etc.)
Integrate a phone call with other media and modes of communication (online, face-to-face,
presentation media and print resources). E.G. Collect topics from asynchronous discussions (email
lists or web boards)
Consider using more than one channel. This means audio with a visual. Often this helps focus
more attention and understanding. For example, integrate visuals by sending images in advance or
using a web meeting tool. Use an online white board to generate shared images and notes during
the call.
Consider arrangements for hearing impaired participants (TTY, simultaneous transcription in a chat
room, etc.).
Have a back up plan for potential technology failure.
If the call leader controls the start/stop of the call and may have to leave early, have a second
person with leader privileges so the call does not get cut off. Be careful of teleconferencing and we
bmeeting tools that only allow one person to have the controls. This is risky.
Plan to record the call so you can post audio recordings or notes so that they support
asynchronous interaction or give people who couldnt make it to the call a sense of belonging. If
you plan to record the call, recording, playback and transcription tools/services include:
o http://www.audioacrobat.com
o http://free.conferencecall.com
o http://www.highspeedconferencing.com
o http://www.skype.com with external plug ins (tools you have to add in)
o http://www.learningalliances.net/CoP_Resources/Recording-phone-meetings.htm

Scheduling and Preparation

Consider participant availability just as you would for any other meeting.
Consider time zones when scheduling. How to pick a time that works for people around the globe.
Time zone meeting planning tools include http://www.TimeandDate.com and
http://www.Doodle.ch
Communicate local time or how to calculate local time when sending meeting announcement.
TimeandDate.com
 Distribute supporting documents/files well before the call start.
Inform participants if they have to have a file or website open on their computer desktop.
Have an attendance list with name, email and phone number in case you need to contact an
individual before, during or after the call.

Starting the Call

As the facilitator, it is helpful to log on early and be the first online (5-15 minutes).
If you are using multiple technologies, have a separate tech facilitator to help people.
Greet and know who is online (roll call, use the clock, etc.) or some other agreed upon call
joining practice. (Consider a leaving practice as well!)
If appropriate, ask early arrivals to greet subsequent arrivals as a team-building activity.
Establish protocol of announcing name when taking a turn speaking.
Review and, if needed, adjust agenda.
Find out if there are any individual time constraints (I have to leave early) and adjust
accordingly. This is particularly important if you need the input or participation of the person
leaving early to achieve the goals of the call.

General Call Etiquette

You might want to share this via email in advance.

Call from a quiet location.

Avoid cell phones. If you use a cell phone, put on mute when not talking.
Avoid speakerphones or if using speakerphones, use the mute button.
Use quality headsets to avoid tinny sound.
Avoid low quality cordless phones as they sometimes create a buzzing background sound.
Dont use the hold button if your phone system has built in background music or announcements.
Avoid paper rustling.
Caution with multitasking - some is unavoidable, but remind people about attention and
occasionally call on silent folks to keep their attention. Listen for keyboard sounds (those doing
email!).
Announce if leaving/returning.
On long calls, offer bio breaks and quick stretches remember we are more than just ears!
Consider kind treatment of bodies!
Speak clearly. Slow down if you are a fast talker
Be aware of the impact of accents and slow down accordingly.
Be enthusiastic and use a tone appropriate to the group. The first impression is important.
Vary voice tone avoid monotone presentation.
Articulate body language (Im making waving motions with my hands.)

Attention & Engagement

Use guest speakers or multiple speakers to avoid boredom with one voice/presenter
If appropriate, use games and interactive activities. See Just Three Words
Track who is talking so you can call on those who have not had a chance/chosen to speak up.
Use peoples names to get their attention.
If the group gets off the agenda, refocus but take note of the side issue for later attention.
Break up long stretches of one speaker
When appropriate, go around to circle for inclusive participation
Listen for folks who may be more comfortable talking (avoid dominance) or very quiet.
Consider break out sessions where pairs get off off the main call, call each other, interact and
call back on to the phone bridge.
For decision-making processes, restate or repeat key issues as they are honed down to a decision
point.
 If your participants can be online at the same time they are on the phone, consider web-based
collaboration tools to create shared electronic notes, flip charts, etc. Sometimes allowing side
chats or chat breakouts can increase participant engagement.
Generally, the larger the group, the more directive your facilitation needs to be to keep a small
number of people from dominating the call.
During the call, stop and ask for feedback.
If you dont want to ask each person to respond to a general query (do you understand the new
procedure?), ask questions such that silence means assent. There is a drawback to this technique
in that sometimes silences does not truly mean assent and understanding can be lost.
Share leadership duties to help less engaged people become more involved in the call. Ask
individuals to lead sections of the agenda.
Assign people different roles note taker, timekeeper, keeper of unanswered questions, etc.