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[excerpt]1) Use speakers
This way you save your ears and have free hands to use your PC, if needed. If you are on the go, use a bluetooth headset or the speakerphone. Long conference calls made through you mobile phones can easily lead to headaches that can compromise the rest of the day.

2) Water
Have a bottle of water near to you, if you can. Try to drink every 15-20 minutes.[/excerpt]

3) Take notes
If you spend a day making conference calls continuously, take notes on your PC. Alternatively, if you can, record the call to listen to it later. A conference call can mean business and it’s not good if you lose something important thinking “I will remember everything…”.

4) Use Iotum’s Free Conference Call
Even if only you and another person are involved, it’s useful to manage the call, to keep track of what’s happening and to record it (or send links during the call, share it etc.). When more than 3-4 people are involved, it’s definitely a good choice. In addition, they offer a bridge to you, so if you don’t have one it’s useful and free.

5) Save money
If you make lots of conference calls, take costs under control. A Skype conference call can save you much money or, alternatively, use a cheap VoIP service, in particular if international attendees are involved. Other services like Lypp are great as well.

6) Don’t save too much money…
Even if you must pay attention to (5), don’t hesitate to work as a conference call bridge in specific cases, if you can. I often used my Polycom IP phone to act as a bridge for unscheduled conference call on the fly. If business is involved, don’t hesitate (but you don’t need me to tell you, right?)

7) Mute your microphone when many people are involved
When many people are involved in the call, it’s likely you talk with people in your office or your mobile phone can ring etc. With two-three people it’s something you can manage, but when lots of people are involved noise can disturb.
Don’t be late
Especially when many people are involved, do your best not to be late. It’s always not nice.

9) Language
If you are not english-speaking and the conf. language is english, even if you are in your office with your colleagues, avoid to speak in your native language but speak in english with your colleagues as well. It’s not polite to use a different language when someone, who cannot translate, is listening to you.

10) Get advice by IM
If you need to know something useful for the call during the call, try to involve collegues/partners through IM. It’s usually helpful to get quickly to the point without postponing something to future calls (decisions, evaluations etc.) because you miss a piece of the whole picture.

11) Avoid distractions
Don’t get emails answered, don’t surf the web etc. during the call. Try to avoid distractions, it’s very bad when during a call you are not paying attention for a while and someone asks you something during the call…

conference calls, luca filigheddu