Our first two articles in this series have met with an enthusiastic response. So we’ll continue to examine additional insights from Shakespeare’s powerful writings to see how these ideas can be applied in the modern professional context of conference calls.

Phone conferences play a pivotal role in the development and day to day operation of many organizations, and you may be called upon to participate in a conference call in your line of work. The goal of this article is to help you prepare mentally. Let’s look at these insights and see what insights we can develop from them.

1. Share the encouragement. (“I will praise any man that will praise me.”)

The single most important element of a successful phone conference call is teamwork. The ability to work well with others, creating an atmosphere that nurtures and encourages open discussion and analysis, is essential. Without it, people in the conference call are liable to become markedly less productive.

You will find that teamwork increases when you take the time and care to commend others on the quality of their contributions. Your fellow participants may well return the favor and in so doing encourage you to help you build on your ideas. Together, participants on a conference bridge who embrace the principle of teamwork are much more creative and effective than they would be acting independently.

2. Know when to cut a debate short. (“In a false quarrel there is no true valor.”)

Remember, you are not on the conference call to argue and win a debate. State your case calmly, quietly, and clearly; then step back. Some conferencing services allow you the ability to mute yourself; if you cannot hold your piece, you may want to avail yourself of this feature!

Some people feel the need to defend their statements, and force everyone to agree with them. But on a business conference call, there will typically be someone on the line whose job it is to referee.

That person will listen to what you have to say and presumably the others will as well. Having presented the idea, you may wish to step back so that others on the conference bridge can engage in the discussion.

3. Set ground rules for the discussion. (“Lawless are they that make their wills their law.”).

Regardless of what conferencing service you use, all conference bridges have one thing in common; they provide an open forum for discussion and this forum can either be orderly or chaotic.

There’s a temptation in conferencing to keep things too informal. While everyone in the conference call will appreciate a relaxed and free environment, and probably be more productive because of the security in feeling that they can conference in free form fashion, some level of structure is also helpful.

At the beginning of a conference call or even before it starts, be sure to communicate the purpose of the call, and the ground rules for the discussion. Once those basic principles are firmly planted in the mind of each conference call participant, things will go much more smoothly.

4. Use time productively. (“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”)

Ultimately, the success of a phone conference hinges on the willingness of each participant to respect others on the call. Respecting the time and energy that others have devoted to developing expertise and knowledge is a crucial ingredient in that success.

This fundamental respect and appreciation for what other people contribute to the conference call is the basis of using everyone’s time productively.

Author Bio: A California native, Andre D. Vanier has written extensively about the power of technology to transform organizational productivity. Vanier was an early co-founder of Rondee, a leading phone conference service. Small businesses, non-profits, government agencies, religious groups and independent professionals throughout the United States rely on Rondee for conference bridges and other free conference tools.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: Rondee, free conference call, conference bridge, phone conference, conferencing services