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This YouTube video shows how and where to NOT join a conference call. Notice all the distractions; notice the lack of success. Watch it here.
We’ve pointed this out many times in the past: a quiet private setting increases the likelihood for a successful, productive, conference call for you and the other callers.
Or put another way: There’s a ratio between the number of distractions in your setting for your conference call and the risk of its failure. It’s a 2:1 ratio. The likelihood of your conference call being unproductive grows twice as fast as the number of distractions in your setting to join the conference call.
This YouTube video, compliments of CourtTV and the Florida State Patrol, shows what happens when you’re the host of an important conference call….and you’re late…and you’re caught speeding…on TV.
As I’m watching the driver be pulled over, talk with the state trooper about her speeding, wait for him to print her ticket, etc, I noticed she has a cell phone…
Cell phones are not ideal for use with conference calls. We don’t encourage cell phone use on conference calls for all the requisite background noise from your surroundings, less than ideal connections and we DEFINITELY don’t encourage you to use a cell phone while driving to join a conference call, much less driving on one of the most dangerous roads in America…speeding…and being the host fo your conference call…That’s a recipe for disaster for at least your conference call.
But…if for someone reason she couldn’t be at the office by…10:30 AM!!!…she could pull over, stop the car and conduct the conference call, on time, settled, prepared and focused (at least to the listeners). Then resume her efforts to reach the office.
This is a true story. I know that because it’s my story and my confession.
I used a cell phone a few weeks ago on a conference call. It was a conference call with a customer, too.
I happened to be driving through Michigan at the time of the call. It was important, too important to miss. So my wife took over driving and I dialed in.
I may as well not attended. Here’s why: The traffic noise with trucks rolling by every 10-15 seconds along with the distraction of being a passenger trying to handle my laptop and listen (I was using a blue-tooth connection.) made my contribution almost worthless. And then I had calls coming in to the cell phone, further distracting me, forcing me to jump off the conference call and then back on, making me a further distraction.
None of this would have occurred had I been in my office. My cell phone would have been turned off. My IM service would have been set to DND. Calls to my office would have dropped into VM. Juggling my laptop on my desk would not have been Cirque du Soleil like challenge.
So. Showing the flag by being their on the call was …nice. But after that, it was a distraction. At best.
DON’T use a cell phone on a conference call. If it’s not important enough to pull over…it’s not important enough to attend.
MightyLost shares a pretty funny sketch on conference calling titled Who’s Afraid of a Conference Call?
The Kathleen Turner character’s excellent. Does she remind you of a guest participant or a host on a conference call you’ve been forced to endure? Share the story in the comments section here.
The best place from which to join a conference call is a quiet, secluded, private setting. Your office (if you can bar the door), your home if you can keep the kids out, your car (if it’s really quiet and you’re not prone to dialog with the other drivers).
Your other participants will hear most if not all of the background noise in your setting. If you’re a guest participant, you can mute your individual line to minimize that distraction for your other participants. If you’re a host, you need to arrange to call from a quiet location with no distractions.
Conference calling and public speaking don’t mix. Call from a quiet location.
Remember: everyone hears what you hear on a conference call. Putting your line on hold while attending a conference call will allow the other participants to enjoy your on-hold music and NOT the speaker (who could be your boss, your customer, your prospect…)
It’s better to mute your line first and then deal with the interruption. Our conference call services all allow individual callers to mute their individual lines. That way an interruption to an individual caller doesn’t serve as an interruption for the other participants, including your boss.
Most background noises aren’t as amusing, charming and funny as these shown, heard, on this conference call. Ok, if they’re your children…maybe. But to your listeners, probably not.
We’re not encouraging you to mute your children or any children. But for the most productive conference call it’s best to call from a quiet location to allow you and your guest to focus on the call at hand.
3-Part Series, Part 2.
Author: Shawn Frey, Industrial Recruiter/Industrial Sales Trainer for Harper Brush Company.
These concepts will make your calls more effective, inspiring, and productive.
In part 1, we discussed these four common mistakes and how to avoid or correct them:
1) Failing to use a good toll-free, reservation-less service.
2) Failing to have an agenda
3) Failing to give each participant a personal reminder
4) Failing to take notes and distribute
Now let’s discuss mistakes 5-8 AND a solution for each.
Mistake # 5 – Failing to pick the right conference call participants.
Solution: Do your homework. Put people on your call that are results oriented. You want motivating calls that inspire and persuade. In order for this to happen you must have participants who will share openly and communicate freely. Let’s be honest, without the right call participants’ sleep is more productive.
Mistake #6 – Failing to elect the “right” facilitator & scribe.
Solution: Elect someone to be the call facilitator that is results oriented and make sure that individual has a high need for immediate results. You want someone that gets complete satisfaction from a job well done. You also need someone who will record, type and distribute the conference call notes. This portion of facilitating can be handed off, but the facilitator needs to have final approval of all notes before they are distributed.
Mistake #7 – Failing to solicit call testimonials.
Solution: Ask your participants for testimonials after they have been on your calls for at least 6 months. Why? Because you want them to be able to articulate what they are getting out of the calls. This will inspire others and further cement their commitment to the conference calls. All great training masters perform this “testimonial exercise”. Why? Because it works. But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask any pastor or priest.
Mistake #8 – Failing to create a conference call decree.
Solution: You have to have rules. A simple list of call conditions and expectations should be distributed to all participants prior to having your first call. Failure to do will result in chaos and calls that are unproductive, lethargic and in fact, a total waste of time.
Now, let’s recap these four solutions:
Pick the right call participants. Be picky here. You can afford to be. So what if it takes a little while longer for to have your first call. Rest assured the right participants will make that first call a great call.
Elect the right facilitator and scribe. Again be picky, if you make a mistake here nothing else really matters. Do it right the first time.
Ask for Testimonials. After 6 months ask for testimonials from your participants. Testimonials work. Ask and you will receive.
Create a conference call decree. The world has rules; you and your call participants’ need them too.
Next time will discuss call timing, where to end, what to leave out and building caller motivation.
Here’s the link to 12 Most Common Mistakes in Conference Calling, Part 1.
When you shout at your audience on your conference call…your listeners may conjure up this mental image of you. Watch the YouTube Video titled: Splashytime Conference Call.
That’s why we recommend you don’t do it. Don’t shout on a conference call. Otherwise your callers will hang up and then you’re left with your rubber duck and no one who’ll listen.
It’s very easy, really. Many people do it unwittingly.
Here’s how you turn Gold into Garbage. Convert your WAV format conference call recording into a MP3 Format using the slowest bit-rate or processing speed possible.
That’s all you have to do. It’s easy.
Why would you do this?
Convenience. You’re in a hurry, excited about the content, you’ve got a deadline. You have a number of other applications running at the time you convert your WAV file recording. You keep the other applications running while you convert your recording from WAV to MP3 in the hopes you’ll complete 2 tasks at the same time as one.
You’re partly right. You’ll complete both tasks: converting your call recording from WAV to MP3 and the other processes. But the end result is a call recording of far lower quality than the original WAV file provided. That reflects poorly on you, your brand, your message and your respect for your listening audience.
A conference call recording is easily shared with others. Make sure it’s the highest quality recording to communicate the best impression of you and your message.
You’re concerned about the size of the file for your conference call recording. You think that condensing the file-size through using a slow processing speed and shaving the size from 10 megs to 3 megs will make it easier to send and share and download.
You’re partly right. Size does matter in file transfers. Smaller size files transfer faster, download faster, listen to quicker. But again, it’s accomplished at the sacrifice of quality. Why invest so much time sharing a wonderful story, or new product, or mission critical data only to have it lost when bits of data are eliminated by reducing the file size?
You don’t know any better. Surprisingly, most don’t. It’s an esoteric point to the majority of the population who listen to both file formats.
How many of you know about processing speeds, and file sizes in relation to quality, which format is better?, how do I convert a WAV to a MP3? Why?
How many of you think it’s a good use of your time to master these points. Sure, some will and they’ll be right. But most will find their time is better delivering their message and letting a knowledgeable expert handle these details.
Solution? Use the expert. Let us convert your conference call recordings from WAV format to MP3 format with the maximum bit-rate to insure the highest quality recording is delivered for your audience.
Your conference call recordings are gold. You should treat them as such. They are a direct link to your audience. Your voice, your message, shared with your audience and recorded in a format that makes it easy to share with those yet to find your message, those who couldn’t attend live…Make sure it’s a format and a quality you’ll be proud of.
We can do that. Just ask.
