Business Class

Working for an international company, I am frequently engaged in conference calls with peers from Shanghai to San Francisco and Charlotte to Cancún. The roll call at the beginning of a call reminds me of how easily we can connect worldwide. I’m occasionally also reminded how important it is for everyone to mind their manners during the call. One time a gentleman neglected to mute his phone and had it on speaker. Everyone could hear him and his colleagues eating, joking and laughing. The corporate office figured out who it was and asked him to mute his phone, but only after the damage had been done.  

Here are a few tips to be sure you’re on top of your conference call etiquette.

 • If you’re the organizer of the call, the primary responsibility lies with you. First, set up the call well in advance (typically a week), create and distribute an agenda, and be sure that your memo provides clear details of the call. Include the number to call, the passcode and, if participants are in other time zones, specify the time zone from which the call is originating. 

 • Participants should dial in a minute or two before the call begins to eliminate the continuous “beep, beep” as callers connect. (The organizer can obtain a list of all participants, so if your boss or corporate office is conducting the call, they will know if you’re on the line—and the exact time you called in.) I recommend using www.timeanddate.com to be certain that everyone’s clock is in sync. Obviously, if the call involves people in different time zones, be considerate of those in different locations, and schedule the call to accommodate everyone as much as possible.