Can You Hear Me Now? Avoid the Most Common Conference Call Faux Pas

What are the worst conference call faux pas?

The rise of video calls and remote teams have engendered new ways to breach business meeting etiquette while cementing familiar conferencing faux pas. Here are some of the worst conference call etiquette breaches — on the phone or during video calls — to be aware of and avoid:

• Not being on time
• Speaking over others
• Having an untested and unprepared tech setup with glitches
• Allowing excessive background noise into the call
• Not paying attention to the proceedings
• Having an unattractive, unprofessional or distracting background on video calls
• Looking in the wrong direction on video calls
• Having a poor setup that displays too brightly or darkly
• Speaking while muted 

Stay aware of these unprofessional behaviors and annoyances to host productive video conferences or traditional conference calls. 

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How can you improve your conference calls?

Conference calls, video conferences and in-person meetings serve the same purpose: They help you and your team plan and prepare for projects and future responsibilities. But because conference calls and video conferences rely on technology, it’s crucial to follow specific guidelines to ensure the proceedings run smoothly. 

Joanne Blake, a business etiquette expert and CEO of Style for Success, believes preparation is the key to improving conference call productivity. “A lot of faux pas can be eliminated if ground rules are set in advance or reviewed periodically,” Blake advised. 

Here are 12 guidelines to help you run effective conference calls. These tips hold true whether you’re conducting a traditional call or hosting a video conference via Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Meetings, GoTo Meeting or another service. 

1. Start on time.

If you’re worried about latecomers missing out on information, assign one of your team members to fill them in later. Most of your group will already be on the call, so it’s essential to respect their time and start and end the meeting on schedule. After all, with a small team, every minute of every employee’s day counts.

2. Have an agenda. 

Prepare and disseminate a copy of your agenda well in advance of the meeting so everyone is on the same page. Sending an email will do whether your team is fully remote or you all share a small coworking space. Ideally, attendees should spend time reviewing the agenda before the meeting starts. 

3. Appoint a leader. 

A conference call shouldn’t be a free-for-all, said Barbara Mitchell, a human resources and management consultant and author of The Big Book of HR. Mitchell advised that whoever initiates the meeting should ideally guide the call. Or, since your business is small enough that all your employees probably know you and see you as the head of all the action, you can lead every meeting.

4. Take time for introductions. 

For larger groups, it’s often recommended that, when people join the call, they announce themselves. Additionally, for these groups, once everyone is present, it’s helpful to do a roll call to be sure no one is missing. However, for small team video conferences, you can forgo these formalities — you’ll know when people join and who they are, and you’ll see everyone clearly on the screen.

During meetings with new people such as clients, before sharing your thoughts with the group, introduce yourself. Jacqueline Whitmore, a business etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, says introductions are crucial. “If you are talking to somebody who isn’t familiar with you or the people in your company, it is helpful to know who is speaking.” 

5. Manage background noise. 

Conference call hosts and participants should choose their call locations carefully. “Choose a quiet location, whether you’re a participant or the person chairing the call,” Blake advised. “If [you’re] calling from a home office, barking dogs and children running around can be heard.” On video calls, this can be even more distracting.

Blake also advised ensuring everyone knows how to mute their phone, computer or other device to avoid distracting noises during the meeting. Silencing yourself lets you sneeze, shift and make sounds without disturbing others on the call. “You want to block out any ambient noise,” Blake noted. 

6. Encourage participation from all attendees. 

Making everyone feel included during a call is essential. It’s very easy for participants to disengage. On audio calls, some may believe that because they can’t be seen, they can attend to other tasks, such as working on other assignments, eating, typing or rifling through drawers. “When you’re distracted, you may stumble when called on to speak,” Blake said. 

Encourage your team to ask questions and share their opinions. Avoid monologuing, and come prepared with questions for your team. This encourages participants to focus and contribute to the call. 

7. Appoint a note-taker. 

During the meeting, appoint someone to take notes or minutes. Even with just a few people on a call, various ideas get shared, and it can be difficult to remember everything. Have someone keep track of key decisions and outcomes from the discussion. “Send out a follow-up email with what was agreed to, just as you would if you were meeting face to face,” Mitchell advised. 

8. Let others know if you need to leave early. 

Let everyone know at the start of the meeting (or beforehand, if possible) if you can’t stay for the duration of the call. It’s less distracting if those on the call know you will be leaving so that no one’s confused when you hang up or depart. 

“If you have to drop off the call for any reason, let the facilitator know you are leaving so we don’t call on you and waste time,” said Mitchell. Or, if you’re leading the meeting and can no longer make it, reschedule with plenty of notice. You’ll come off as a responsible and trustworthy leader if you get the whole team involved in choosing a new date rather than postponing or canceling at the last moment.

9. End on time. 

Respecting everyone’s time is essential, especially when you’ve only got so many employees and each has their hands pretty full. Keep your remarks to a minimum to get through the agenda and avoid exceeding the allotted time. According to Blake, not ending conference calls on time is viewed as disrespectful. “It affects productivity and can make you come across as a poor time manager,” Blake said. 

10. Summarize action items. 

Toward the end of the call, you should summarize the assignments, tasks or other action items that team members have accepted during the call. This helps your team understand what they are expected to do after the call ends. 

11. Follow up with key contacts. 

If you are supposed to connect with specific team members after the meeting, shoot them an email or link up with them before the workday is over. This mini-meeting can help everyone quickly confirm that you’re all on the same page about what was discussed. 

12. Jot down your own notes. 

Even if another team member took notes for the group, write down your own notes after the meeting. This helps you remember action items assigned to you. It also reinforces critical aspects of the call that pertain to you that may not be included in the minutes. If you take notes by hand on your mobile device, use a handwriting recognition app to translate and organize your thoughts. 

Why is conference call etiquette important?

Brushing up on conference call etiquette is crucial because it’s easy to slip into bad habits that make virtual meetings and calls annoying and inefficient. Proper etiquette is especially important for small remote teams — conference calls, whether via phone or video, are your bread and butter, so you should get them right every time.

“While it might seem as if a conference call is just another telephone call, it isn’t,” Mitchell said. “Conference calls need some guidelines to be successful.” 

If you’re still experiencing impolite behavior and unproductive conference calls and virtual meetings, Mitchell recommends putting together a task force to address new practices and processes to implement going forward to get everyone on the same page. Although the phrase “task force” may conjure images of corporate HR endeavors, a small business version that designates two employees to collaborate on ideas is another example.

Get conference calls right

Virtually every small business relies on conference calls and virtual meetings to communicate and connect with people they don’t see every day, including remote workers, vendors, advisers and partners. These calls are an opportunity to make an excellent impression and maintain healthy business relationships. Taking the time to prepare and adhere to conferencing best practices shows your participants you care and respect their time.

Alex Halperin contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.