Do you hate conference calls? Many of us find conference calls to be a waste of time – but, in many cases, it’s because we’re not doing them right. Here are a few things that could be causing your conference calls to feel unproductive.

No Preparation

Not preparing for conference calls can often result in them being unfocused and messy. You could find that they drag out for ages or that you forget to ask necessary questions. Make sure you allocate some time beforehand to do your research and gather any necessary resources (you don’t want to be scrambling to find important documents during the conference). Plan out the key points you want to discuss and don’t be afraid to put a time limit on them. Your conference calls will feel more organised and professional by doing this.

A Bad Connection

A bad connection could make it hard to communicate efficiently. You could find that you both have to keep repeating yourself – or worse the connection could cut out completely throwing you both out of the call. If you’ve got problems with your telecom cabling, considering hiring a company such as www.jabbercomm.com to fix the problem. If it’s a virtual call and it’s a case of a bad internet connection, consider whether you need to upgrade your wi-fi. When conducting conference calls on the go, try to find somewhere with a strong mobile or wi-fi connection first.

Not Understanding the Tech

Whatever type of technology you use to communicate with, it’s important that you understand how to use. You could embarrass yourself if you misuse the technology. This could include failing to mute people correctly while discussing delicate matters, not knowing how to transfer calls or not knowing how to turn on the camera in a video call. Make sure that you’ve familiarised yourself with the technology before diving into a potentially important conference call.

Too Much Background Noise

A lot of background noise will make it hard for people to hear each other during the call. Consider whether you need to move to somewhere quieter before starting the call or whether you need to turn down any music that might be playing (or tell noisy colleagues to be quiet). Conference calls in the car while driving may also result in a lot of background noise and you may want to avoid them. This guide at https://www.cnet.com/ offers more tips on eliminating background noise in conference calls.

Inviting Too Many People

Video conference technology has made it possible for multiple people to take part in conference calls, however you may not always need the entire team in the call. If people aren’t likely to have much to contribute, it could be a waste of their time – it could be more productive to simply ring them or email them afterwards with a recap of the conversation. Focus on only inviting key people to the conversation so that it’s as productive as it can be.