When you have a very important call or meeting coming up, it’s a good idea to prepare the members of your team by holding a conference call. This is usually accomplished by setting up the call through the phone system.
Conference calls can be fun, but be careful. Only use the phone system when all members of your team are present and that they have their phones ready. You can also send an email or a text message, but only if everyone on the team has their phones ready too.
It is important to note that if one member of your team does not have a phone, then they cannot participate in the conference call. This will save you some time in getting everyone on the line and taking their calls.
Conference calls can be painful at times. Everyone is talking at each other, someone is ringing off the hook, and someone is telling everyone what to do. It is easy to get distracted during such calls!
If you skip the conference call for any reason, make sure to take your safety seriously by being on a phone call. Always use an approved method of communication before or during a conference call.
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They are inefficient
Conference calls are a failed attempt at keeping in contact with your team or company. They were an attempt at making the process more efficient and fun, but it has severely limited the number of people who can be on the call.
While it might seem like a quick way to connect, it is very inefficient. For example, a conference call can easily run up to an hour and a half as people rush to talk and share information.
This is why most companies do not use them- because of the time spent trying to get everyone involved and involved quickly. It is almost like having a meeting in person, but on the phone.
They lack accountability
Not only do conference calls lack accountability, they can be a drain on your time. When you are pressed for time, this can make the difference between doing something and letting it go to waste.
Even if you have the time to meet with your team members and go over reports on the call, you still have to put in your time. You cannot just hop on with a report and leave it there.
It is impossible to remain committed to a call when you have to take your time to look over reports and documents during the call.
Approached through a voicemail or email, the person who answers may or may not listen to you. If you leave an impression that you are serious about your job responsibilities, then people will keep their job responsibilities.
Having one-on-one meetings can help keep accountability in place as well as reduce the appearance of being rushed at all times. Conference calls lack this ability.
Participants cannot read body language
This can be devastating for Body Language Professors, especially if you are a victim of the “Trump T Arm’s Length” signal.
Body languageprofessors.com says: “When a conference call is set up to be telephone-only, participants cannot read body language, expressions, or interactive processes. This is damaging for those on the call who are not trained in this area.”
It may seem like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in an incident such as terrorism or natural disaster response.
If there is an emergency and someone has to take immediate action, they may need to do so without asking questions or reading signs from people else on the call.
Body language experts say this is one of the biggest mistakes they see people make when on a conference call. It causes people to become distracted and less focused on the issue at hand, which can backfire.
There is no clear beginning or end
A conference call is a set of telephone conversations coordinated together to discuss a single topic. The calls are automated, meaning that the person on the other end of the line can only speak or listen and respond to questions from everyone on the call.
The calls are designed to be focused and specific, so people participating in the conversation can answer all their questions at once. Since there is no real end to a conference call, people on the phone can easily get sucked into talking for hours without realizing it.
This can happen with anyone who is heavily invested in the conversation, from those taking notes to those answering questions. It is easy to become involved in the conversation and talk without thinking, which can lead to some interesting conversations that stretch beyond what each person was hired for.
There may be gaps in the conversation
While a conference call provides all participants the ability to respond to questions in unison, it may also leave some members of the group without a chance to discuss or answer questions.
Many organizations schedule conference calls by phone. These calls are designed for conversation and sharing, rather than question and answer.
As a result, people on the phone are less likely to ask very specific questions.
For example, did someone mention something important earlier? Does this topic intrigue you enough to want to hear more about it? Or does this person need to get in touch with their business first before you can help them?
These were all good questions that could have been asked on the phone, on the spot. Instead, people must ask these questions at a later date after they understand what was discussed on the call.
Hard to keep topic focused
While a conference call is a great way to gather the team, it can also be hard to keep focus after the call.
After several calls with team members, I can tell you that the topic of every call is how busy they are. It’s expected that they will take time to message you after a call to let you know how much time they spend answering your questions and letting you know what next step you should take.
This behavior is expected as it is their job description. Having everyone on the team work independently and solely for their own projects is what makes their job look good.
They don’t think about how this will affect other projects or if they will want to join up with them. They don’t see why others need help with their projects until they ask for help on the conference call themselves.
Too many people on the call can make it hard to hear
When there are a lot of people on the call, it can be hard to hear. Since there are other voices in the conversation, you have to concentrate more to make sure everyone is understood.
This is due to the way voice communication works. When someone speaks, an adjacent sound signal in the line-up must be muted to make room for the new person.
This requires more attention than when using a traditional phone line-up. Even though your phone may be set to automatically mute when a new call arrives, you still have to pull down the button or put another item in your hands to answer the call.
It can also be difficult to tell whether an argument was about something specific or just semantics. With so many people talking, it can become difficult to distinguish which is who and what is what.
Pulling out a pen and paper can help help keep things quiet and clear.
People can tune out easily by not paying attention
When a conference call is scheduled, it’s important that everyone is participating. If someone is not attending,iping off and answering a call can be as easy as turning off your phone’s speaker and dialing through.
By taking the time to participate in the call, you show that you value your colleagues and are invested in what they have to say. By not calling in, you show that you do not value their work or think they are worth the time spent on the phone.
You can also run into issues when people are not taking turns on the phone or answering calls. When someone does not answer a call, it can be difficult to know if they didn’t get it or if it went to voicemail. If someone does not take care of their phone while on the phone with another person, there can be issues with reception and hearing. It is important to know how to deal with these issues as well as listening.