Blunders to Avoid on a Conference Call

If you work remotely or have clients in far-away locations, conference calls are very valuable for helping everyone on your team stay connected. A simple conference call can bring everyone up to speed on a project and save your company thousands of dollars on domestic or international travel. If you plan to use conference calls to stay in touch with colleagues, clients and vendors, be sure to avoid these blunders.

Showing up late is one of the biggest blunders you can make, especially if you are scheduled to talk to a prospect or an important client. A late arrival gives a bad impression, and it can cost you a new client or hurt your relationship with an existing customer. Avoid being late by scheduling reminders about the conference call on your phone or tablet. If you carry a planner with you, write the date and time of the conference call in a prominent place.

If you are supposed to be participating in a conference call, you shouldn't be eating lunch, taking care of your pets, watching a baseball game, or doing anything other than speaking or listening to other participants. Even if you think you are being clandestine about it, someone is bound to realize you are working on another task while you are supposed to be listening to the call. If you have other tasks to do, work on them after the call ends.

Being unprepared for a conference call makes you look bad and may cause other people to question your professionalism. Before you join a conference call, take time to review your notes from the last meeting. If you promised to follow up on any action items, make sure you've completed your tasks. Gather any materials needed for your upcoming conference call well in advance of the call time. Being prepared makes you look more professional, and it can help you head off problems.

The rules of phone etiquette dictate that you shouldn't be making a lot of noise on your end of the line. No one wants to hear you shuffle papers, wash your hands or do anything other than participate in the call. If you absolutely have to make noise, mute your telephone. It's also important to take the call in a quiet location. If you are traveling for business, you might need to use an airport conference room or ask the hotel manager to let you use a meeting room. If you are taking the call from home, make sure someone is available to take care of your children and pets so they don't make a lot of noise.

Following the rules of phone etiquette is one of the best ways to avoid major blunders on a conference call. If you have a call coming up, arrive on time, keep noise to a minimum and give your full attention to the topic of the call.

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