| You can't be an office worker and not know what a | | | | falsetto. This will surely keep all the attention focused |
| conference call is. After all, a conference call is as | | | | on you. |
| inevitable to office life as reports and promotions. In | | | | Reminders for Dr. Jekyll |
| fact, the more geographically dispersed corporate | | | | If, on the other hand, you want to take the road |
| teams are and the costlier the travels, the more | | | | commonly traveled, do the following while you |
| important a conference call becomes. Conference | | | | participate in a conference call. |
| calls fall under the bracket of social interaction. As | | | | 1. Keep in mind that you will be interacting with a |
| such, there are rules of etiquette that have to be | | | | group where you will not receive any visible prompts |
| followed. | | | | or feedback. Speak clearly and slowly. |
| Tips for Mr. Hyde | | | | 2. Mobile phones, or any device that picks up |
| If you want to lose credibility and send your career | | | | background noise, are not ideal for conference calls. |
| surely and quickly into a downward spiral, do the | | | | 3. Familiarize yourself with call-conferencing |
| following during a conference call. | | | | technology to avoid any blunders on an actual |
| 1. Make sure a doorbell rings incessantly in the | | | | conference call. Use the mute button sparingly and |
| background. For more impact, try to make your dog | | | | remember to deactivate it when it's your turn to |
| bark during the most important part of the discussion. | | | | speak. |
| This will ensure that you miss the most vital and yes, | | | | 4. Check on your colleagues' time zones, especially if |
| boring, information covered in the meeting. | | | | they are a continent away. Arrange the time of the |
| 2. Make a point of standing up and leaving your seat | | | | meeting long before it will be held and gather all |
| several times during the conference call. Get | | | | necessary information, such as contact data and |
| something from the fridge, a glass of water, for | | | | access numbers. Be sure to distribute these to the |
| example. When you do this, put your call on hold. | | | | rest of the participants. |
| Everyone participating in the meeting will hear your | | | | 5. Start the meeting on time. Take notes. Prepare |
| hold music, so be sure to choose one that's really | | | | reports. A conference call is, after all, a meeting. |
| loud and confusing. | | | | There is no excuse for being unprepared. |
| 3. Indulge your secret obsession with the mute | | | | 6. Introduce yourself whenever it is your turn to |
| button. Press it every time you get the chance. The | | | | speak. It is wrong to assume that people will know |
| mute button is very useful because when utilized | | | | you from the sound of your voice. |
| properly, it could keep participants of the meeting | | | | 7. Address people by name when you ask for their |
| from responding to a crucial question put in by your | | | | opinions or input. This way, you minimize the need to |
| boss. | | | | repeat yourself. |
| 4. Make faces. You can ape Jim Carey, your boss, or | | | | 8. Bear in mind that pencil tapping, chair scraping, or |
| that annoying old lady from the Marketing | | | | paper shuffling could be irritating. Avoid these. |
| Department. You could suddenly develop a tic in your | | | | Conference calls are important. They could make or |
| left eye. Meetings are boring. Your antics will surely | | | | break your career, depending, of course, on whether |
| add spice to the lecture. If these do not prove | | | | you choose to take the call as Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. |
| enough, however, you could also try speaking in a | | | | |