Conference Call Etiquette Ideas - How To Run A Successful Conference Call

Conference call etiquette is becoming increasingly important. As more and more businesses have employees that work at home, and as companies continue to work with vendors, conference calls are going to continue to happen. So, how do you act or run a conference call?

With the unstoppable advancement of technology, anyone can do his/her business without going to the workplace. In fact, nowadays business people can conduct their meetings through a conference call. Because of this, conference call etiquette is becoming increasingly important. As more and more businesses have employees that work at home, and as companies continue to work with vendors, conference calls are going to continue happening. So, how do you act or run a conference call?

The first part of conference call manners is that you need to make sure that everyone who will be participating on the call is aware of the meeting time, how to join the call, and the purpose of the meeting. This shows good business etiquette.

Remember that the meeting time must be clear to people especially if they live in a different time zone. If you are not careful about the time, people will miss the meeting because they were unaware of the meeting time. This will make the organizer of the meeting look unprofessional and that is not the reputation that you want. 

When you are beginning the call, make sure that the attendees announce themselves so that everyone knows who is on the call. Do your best to begin the call on time and end the call on time. 

With a conference call, proper etiquette is to follow business meeting etiquette, and teleconference etiquette. If you have not reviewed those principles, you should because many of them apply to conference call etiquette as well. 

One major thing is to ensure that you are in a quiet room when you are on the call. Background noise is the mortal enemy of a conference call. I have learned that from experience. How do I know that? Hmmm...let me count the ways:

1. I have heard kids fighting in the background.
2. Dogs barking.
3. Babies crying.
4. Static from people on a cell phone. 
5. People in the bathroom (Yes, the phone was NOT muted).
6. People having full conversations with others and thought their phone was muted. 

I could go on, but you get the point. You, and the other participants, need to ensure that you are conscious of things that add noise and take precautions to eliminate them. That would include cell phones. Take a few minutes to show good phone manners.

Learn how the mute key works and ensure that you are muted. Otherwise, your brilliant comment will not be heard, or you will end up doing something embarrassing on the call.

At the end of the call, use your conference call etiquette to thank the participants for their comments and their time. This small little touch will continue to impress people and raise their impression of you in their mind. After all, this entire section on workplace manners is all about how to influence and persuade others. This just contributes to that goal.