With Halloween upon us, you may expect to see a whole host of monsters at your door, with the familiar “Trick or Treat?” refrain. What you may not expect is something frightening in the workplace: conference call horrors. If you haven’t got the right service, or if your fellow conference call attendees have all the meeting etiquette of a gremlin, conference calls can be downright scary. Here are just a couple of the worst terrors:
The ghost on the line
Ba-doop. A shiver goes down your spine as the unknown participant joins your call. “Who just joined?” is followed by an eerie silence, as the ghostly guest refuses to identify themselves. If you can’t see a live readout of who’s on your call, then there’s no telling who may be on your line.
When things go bump on the call
You’re trying to make a point about Q3 results, but there’s a mysterious noise in the background that’s bothering everyone. Someone’s working from home and they haven’t mastered the mute function. If you can’t mute them yourself, then you’re powerless to prevent this noxious noise.
This kind of meeting mischief is perfectly captured in the YouTube video on a Conference Call in Real Life, and its huge popularity is testament to the widespread nature of these nuisances. The fact is, people dislike conference calls. It’s time to put a stop to these horrors! Conference calls shouldn’t be like this, Halloween or no Halloween. There are better alternatives out there – the question is, “Who you gonna call?”
For more posts on communicating effectively, read:
Why People Dislike Conference Calls…or…Why LoopUp Exists
Spotlight on: a Conference Call in Real Life
4 Tips to Stop Wasting Time on Online Meetings
