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READING 5 B2 INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED Conference call tips 0/2
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Lecture1.1
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Quiz1.1
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READING 5 B2 INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED Conference call tips
Conference call tips
Check connections first
Sounds pretty straightforward, I know. But in people´s busy schedules often they feel there isn´t time to check things over first. Arriving late to a conference call because you hadn´t got the right extension number, or your microphone isn´t working can be very frustrating for the other participants.
Send/ask for an agenda
Like in any meeting, an agenda is very important. However, it even more important in a conference call where participants are likely to be less comfortable, have shorter attention spans, and may struggle with the language. Keeping the call as brief as possible is also a good idea.
Don´t be afraid to ask
If you haven´t fully understood something, or didn´t quite catch that Australian accent, don´t be afraid to ask for repetition, or ask if it could be explained in another way. You probably won´t be the only person who wasn´t 100% sure.
Record the call
If possible, request that the call be recorded, so you can go back through it in your own time to clarify any doubts you might have. If it isn´t possible, check to see if you can do it yourself (often easier on a mobile phone than a land line).
Be aware of your whereabouts
If you aren´t confident with the language to start with, don´t make matters even more complicated by being in a setting where background noise can distract you. If you can´t help being on the street or in a shared office, make sure you pack a headset so you can cancel out chatting colleagues, buses and trains, or the disco music.
Encourage participation
If you are leading the call, try and encourage as much feedback and interaction as possible. It´s also a way of checking people undesrstood you and are following correctly. Inversely, make sure things stay on track and no one is drawling on about something irrelevant.