Dear Jacquelyn,

I am in the process of making the shift to working remotely from home. I haven’t normally spent a lot of time on conference calls and could use a refresher. Can you please provide some guidelines for successful productive conference calls?

Dear Reader,

When you are not typically used to handling business communication via conference calls, it might seem uncomfortable and overwhelming.

By following basic protocol, conference calls can be just as productive as face-to-face meetings.

Start preparation before the conference call starts. Check your conferencing device and be sure it’s charged and be sure to choose a quiet area for the call.

If you are the moderator, make sure everyone has the right number to call to avoid confusion, and make sure to inform all the participants about who will be attending the meeting.

This way, people will know who they will be talking to and what they need to prepare. Just like any meeting, prepare an agenda. An agenda is key and a guide for discussing everything on topic.

During the conference call, respect everyone’s time. The same way you would be on time in real life meetings, a conference call is also a meeting. Treat conference calls similarly, be on time.

When starting a conference call introduce yourself. It’s important that people know and understand who is talking. While talking, pause regularly. This will give an opportunity for participants to ask questions or clarify something.

If you leave the conversation, let other people know since it will be rude if somebody talks to you and then finds out you left the call. When it’s time to wrap up the conference call, use this time to say a final word or ask questions.

Preparing your at-home work environment is more than downloading the appropriate software to do your job. It’s also about following simple etiquette guidelines to make the transition as seamless as possible.

Respectfully Yours,

Jacquelyn

Have a question? Email: jacquelyn@ptd.net. Jacquelyn Youst is owner of the Pennsylvania Academy of Protocol, specializing in etiquette training.

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