Business Protocol: Becoming the Vanderbilt of Conference
by: Jerome Henchley

Don't Forget your Business Protocol on Conference Calls

As rapid, streamlined and efficient become the catchwords of today's business, it's easy to forget common courtesies in our fast-paced business world. Because of this, we have to make a greater effort to maintain the common courtesies that were once an everyday part of life. Conference calls is one of these areas. They save time and money, but we should not let it be at the cost of using proper etiquette, especially when dealing with clients. You will project your company's image in a more favorable light if you use the proper etiquette, just as you would in any meeting.

Just as you would in the board room or some other social arena, always introduce yourself to the other conference call participants as an opening to business. Depending upon who may be included in the call, especially if there are several participants, not everyone may recognize your voice and, by identifying yourself, and including your title and function, you might just avoid possible misunderstandings that may come up, otherwise.

After your introduction, the first thing that you should focus on is making the guidelines and expectations of the conference call clear to everyone before any interaction takes place. Not only should you discuss general protocol, but be sure to outline any specific guidelines that you may have in order to reach a successful goal. If you don't want to take time away from the conference to do so, make arrangements with the operator, or individual who connects the participants to the conference call, to go over these simple rules before they're connected to the call.

Just as you would in a physical environment, it's necessary to introduce the various members of the conference call to other participants. A brief description of each person's title, responsibilities and relationship to the others in the conference will help to clarify everyone's role, which is particularly necessary when one or more of the members are guests or newcomers to your company's environment.

Since most people, particularly those who are in a business forum, rely on a variety of communications devices in order to stay in touch with others, it's to be expected that conference call participants will have their cell phones nearby. Before the conference begins, participating members should be cautioned to turn their cell phones off until business has been completed. Not only will the interruptions cause a disruption in the flow of the conference, but cell phones often cause problems with connections or are the catalysts for static in the phone lines. Speaker phones, too, should be muted, unless they're required in order to accommodate others that are in the room with you during the call.

You and all the other participants disable any call waiting features on the phone system. The beeping of this feature will be distracting and will cause parts of the conversation not to be heard. You, as the leader of this meeting, should allow nothing to assert itself into the conference call to interfere or detract from it.

Everyone who's conducting business is always quite busy, but it's never acceptable to keep others waiting when a conference is pending. Make sure that you, as the host, arrive in advance of the conference call, and encourage others to arrive on time, as well, by sending some form of communication to them prior to the meeting.

One of the rudest things that can be done during a conference call is to put the other participants on hold. Either they won't know that you've stepped away and will continue the meeting without you, sometimes even directing comments or questions to you that will be left unanswered, or they'll be forced to listen to "on hold" music, which is an annoyance or distraction in itself.

By setting firm guidelines and taking an active role in promoting good etiquette during the conference call, others will be left with a positive impression, and this may well be the catalyst for more business for your company.

About The Author

Jerome Henchley operates the website Fed Conference which a site dedicated to researching Conference related topics and contains all the very latest Conference news and views. Please visit http://www.fedconference.com if you have any questions or comments concerning this article.