Top 5 Audio Conferencing Faux Pas You Should Avoid!

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Audio conferencing has been around for sometime now. Almost everyone who has worked in an office environment has used it and many people use it multiple times a day. Typically, when you jump on your first conference call you don’t receive an email of do’s and don’ts or Google “best practices”, you just dial the conference number, enter the access code and then awkwardly wait for everyone else to join and start the call.

Have you ever seen the popular YouTube Video,Conference call in real life?  Check it out, it is hysterical and sadly, pretty accurate.

Conference calls are best utilized when you need to meet with a small group of people who work remotely and need to discuss a specific agenda.  Take note on our top five audio conferencing faux pas you should avoid to ensure you don’t embarrass yourself on your next conference call! Or at least some takeaway tips for being your best self over the conference line.

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1. Not announcing yourself

We’ve all done it. Joined a conference call and because there was a large group, you didn’t even bother to say, “Hello, Barb is on”. Or you announce yourself at the beginning when only one person is on and never say hello again. Conference calls only work if you participate and people know who is on.

Our tip? Designate an attendance taker! This person should jump on the call 5 minutes early to greet all attendees and prior to the meeting officially starting, can announce everyone who joined the call.

2. Stopped listening

This is so common, it’s almost encouraged. You’re on a long conference call with a million-billion updates that has “nothing” to do with you and your work, or some long winded co-worker is going on and on about something that is so irrelevant. So you stop listening and put your speaker on mute. Now you get to answer emails, catch up on last night’s sports scores or read conferencing tip blogs, whatever works for you.

Stop doing this! At someone point the nonsense will stop and you will miss out on need-to-know information that IS important to you! Instead be a part of the solution and request that your long-winded co-worker takes this topic off-line, or suggest a separate meeting so that you can stick to the agenda. Remember, if you’re bored, chances are someone else is too.

3. Your dog joined the call

We get it, you love your dog and he is probably at your feet ALL day as you work from the comfort of your own home. But truthfully, if you’re dog is trying to play during a conference call we can all hear what is happening.

Put the fluffy guy away prior to the call beginning to eliminate the possibility of distraction. Or at least put your phone on mute so you can pretend to listen. Sorry for being so harsh, here is a picture of a yawning puppy to make up for it:

4. Not speaking directly or clearly

Communication is everything! We hear it over and over. So make sure when you are communicating, you are speaking directly into the phone mouthpiece, speaker or headset microphone.

When you talk, don’t speak softly, use a medium voice that is confident and direct. It can be a battle to be heard, make sure what you are saying counts and that everyone can hear you.

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Don’t forget, conference calls have a purpose!  Don’t be a time-waster, use the conference calls to your advantage and if others are abusing the call, step-in and keep everyone on track if no one else is doing so.  

What are some other faux pas you have experienced? Interested in more tips on audio conferencing? Check out recent blog, Audio Conferencing Done Right, for more tips.

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