Dealing with Interruptions During a Conference Call

Doing presentations via conference calls with up to a large variety of  people can be nerve racking for even the most experienced speaker.  There are potential interruptions and issues that can arise and derail the presentation, and make you seem unprofessional. Therefore, it is important to keep some tips in mind to minimize any time lost from unforeseeable interruptions. These tips can help the quality of all your overall calls and will make you a more effective conference caller.

How to Prevent Interruptions

Preparation For Conference Call

This is obviously vital to any call you hold. Being prepared for a conference call means predicting issues that may arise, like anticipating questions and making sure you are knowledgeable about the subject being presented. The more preparation made before a conference call, the more confidence your listeners will have in you, and the odds you make any kind of slip up would decrease dramatically.  

Silencing Your Cell Phones While on a Conference Call

It is always important to turn off your phone or silence your phone prior to a call to leave out any unnecessary noise in the background. This can also help participants hear the speaker more clearly. Make sure to remind your audience to silence their cell phones for best sound quality on the call. Having your cell phone ring during a conference call is on of the easiest ways to look unprofessional, so silencing it is crucial.

Stay Calm During a Conference Call

On conference calls, unforeseen issues can arise, so it is extremely important to stay calm and work through the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible. As a result, this will hold your audience and allow them to see how you operate under pressure.

Adhere to the Agenda of the Conference Call

The most important part of a conference call is this; sticking to the script of what you’re going to talk about. This keeps you from wasting your own and your audience’s time and keeps the call running with ease. Getting to and staying on the point is a good way of showing professionalism on a conference call.

Hold Questions Until the End of the Conference Call

In addition, it is also critical to hold Q&A until the end of the call. During your introduction speech you can convey to all participants that there will be a time for Q&A at the end and please hold all question until then. This will allow everyone to stay organized and make sure everything runs in a smoothly manner. Overall, conference calls can be very stressful for everyone. However, it is always imperative to follow the steps above to be successful in the teleconference industry. At the end of a call, you can take a deep breath knowing that you have completed it without any setbacks.