Teleconference Etiquette - Make Impressions During Successful Calls

Teleconference etiquette is a topic that became very important for my career. I worked for a company that had offices in multiple locations and we were constantly having teleconference meetings. In other words, I needed to master my teleconference manners in order to be successful. And this page is the result of my experiences...

This page will review teleconference tips so that you are effective and make the right impression during these calls. 

Once you have the call scheduled, make sure that you send out the pertinent information to all of the participants of the call. This would include the time of the call, phone number to dial, as well as the access code to join the call if applicable. To get the most out of the call, you should also include the topic to be discussed and the anticipated duration of the call. 

Proper teleconference manners says that you should mute yourself on the call if you are not going to speak right away. This will reduce the amount of background noise that can occur on teleconference calls. Most conferencing services provide the option to mute yourself and you should be familiar with these calls. 

In many cases when you are conducting the call, you are not going to be familiar with everyone's voice on the phone. So, especially if you are having a call with people that you are not familiar with, it benefits everyone to announce who is speaking before you make your comment. This will allow everyone to know who is speaking. 

I have participated in some teleconference meetings where there is a slight delay from the phone service. This would make it where several people would try to talk over each other in order to be heard. Simple etiquette rules here. Be polite and do not try to talk over others just to have your point made. It will be better if you exercise a little patience and then be heard.  This is good teleconference etiquette. 

Since no one can see you on a teleconference call, it is easy to be tempted to multi-task and accomplish something else on the call. If the meeting was not something that I thought was real important, I would try to use the time to check my email. That was a mistake...

There were several times when I was checking my email that people would call me by name and say, "What do you think?" When you aren't paying attention, it is hard to think anything! So, learn from my mistakes and avoid that urge to do other things during the teleconference meeting. It is just good teleconference etiquette. 

You can use these telecalls to show your etiquette and make a lasting impression. In the business world, you will be given opportunities to show your skills and talents. Following these etiquette principles will help you show good business etiquette and make the most of those opportunities.