The Empty Chair and Other Tales of Conference Calls

So you may have seen the video that has been doing the rounds on social media recently A Conference Call in Real Life. A humorous look at basically everything that can go wrong on a conference call and usually does, may favourite, the guy who is there all along but says nothing! I’m sure that you can relate with your own tales on conference calls gone wrong or not having the benefits you expected.

This video reminded me of one of my earliest experiences of using technology to replace the traditional face to face meeting, my first experience of video conferencing. So to set the scene it was probably 2009 or 2010, the organization I worked for had video conferencing suites in the main office hubs across the country and on this occasion four of us we asked to converge on a central location from different parts of the south and take part in a video conference with the VP Operations and his deputy from a new client in the north. All started well, introductions were made and the meeting began. Approximately 2 minutes into the meeting the VP took a telephone call and left the room … for the next 40 minutes we sat looking at his empty chair whilst his deputy, who obviously wasn’t expecting this, fumbled his way through the meeting. The VP never did return and we left the building more confused than when we came in!

So let’s look at 6 tips for getting the best out of your conference call:

1. Have a clear agenda circulated in advance. Ensure that everyone knows what you’re meeting to discuss and what actions are expected as a result.
2. Get to know each other. Don’t expect people to automatically recognize your voice, take time for everone to introduce themselves.
3. Be present. No multi-tasking – checking your e-mail or holding side conversations. I read this quote once “Attending a meeting is like being pregnant; one either is or one isn’t present at the meeting.”
4. Invite only the people that need to be on the conference.
5. Wait your turn to speak. Try not to interrupt when others are speaking. You have to listen and concentrate much more acutely over the phone than is necessary in person.
6. Start the conference on time. Nothing worse than everyone sitting waiting for things to start.