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Posts Tagged ‘Conference Calling’
Conference Calling Peer Group: Is it right for you?
You’re reading this blog so that must mean you have some interest in either Conference Calling or Peer Groups or possibly both. Visiting our blog is a great first step.
Many folks ask, with conference calling and peer groups, is it possible to have one without the other? The short answer is yes but we are quick to ask, why would you want to do that?
Sure, you could have a peer group that meets in person at a designated location on a regular basis but that can really be an impediment on the attendance and participation; not because folks don’t want to be there, but if you have an elite group of people to interact with, chances are, they’re pretty busy and might not be able to always be available to meet for coffee on the other side of town twice a week.
Plus, doing your peer groups in person is going to limit your selection of who you have as a part of that peer group. You are limited to participants within a significantly smaller area than if you were meeting over a conference call. Often times, when your radius of participants is small, it really makes it difficult to create the “no competition” atmosphere that fosters ideas and sharing. The broader your group, the less inhibition there will be, allowing the participants to talk freely about what works for them in their field and what doesn’t.
Many people think a peer group is the same thing as a club or group with a common interest. While this is somewhat true, in order for a peer group to have all the true benefits it can provide, you want it to be comprised of people with a common interest or goal but with each of them bringing their individual interest or talents to the table to share with the rest of the group. A great example would be sales. You can develop a peer group of participants all involved in sales. What makes it different from a group or club, is they might not all be in the same ‘field’. By using this theory, a participant who handles sales for a pharmaceutical company could very well be part of a peer group with a participant who handles sales for a home theater company. The two very different areas of expertise share the common bond of sales and one can benefit the other by sharing the sales techniques that work for them in their specific field. This is the best illustrated difference between a club or group and a peer group.
When you utilize conference calling to facilitate the meetings of your peer group, you are able to reach out and include people from all areas of the globe and in turn benefit from their regional and geographical differences. I’m pretty sure a fellow in Rockport isn’t going to be able to meet the group twice a month at the local coffee shop in Boca Raton. (As much as he would love to be able to.)
Get hooked up with conference calling, and the Rockport fellow is sure to be in attendance. By using conference calling, you can classify your participants with even more similarities without horning in on anyones’ territory. Utilizing conference calling will allow you to create a peer group of individuals all within the same field of specialized interest. A perfect example of that would be a group of life insurance representatives spread out from coast to coast. No chance of a rep from California stepping on the toes of a rep in New Jersey when you use conference calling.
So again, yes, you can do peer groups and conference calling by themselves, but they work so much better when they work together.
photo credit: Nat W
Conferencing Headset Product Information and Review
First up is Plantronics CS50 Wireless Office Headset. While other brands are out there and have some great products, Plantronics is an industry leader in office headsets and can be quite costly. If you don’t have to watch a budget, for $260 you get a noise canceling microphone, an eight hour talk time, and a hands free range up to 300 ft. It also has an optional handset lifter which allows remote answering/disconnection capability. The only two cons to this headset are that it doesn’t have a mute feature and it doesn’t work with cordless phones.
Next is the AT&T TL7610 DECT 6.0 Digital Cordless Headset. The Pros of this headset are the noise reduction microphone, the 500 ft range, it works with both corded and cordless phones, and it comes with a mute feature. A big pro to this headset is its very versatile style. It can be worn 3 different ways (over the ear, over the head and behind the neck). With all these features and more this headset covers it all, for less than $150.
For those of you watching your budget, and who isn’t now a days? We have found two different models that are in a friendlier price range.
A good headset under $100 is The Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth Headset. This headset goes for about $88, is Bluetooth and features noise canceling and WindSmart technology. It comes with up to six hours of talk time, a pivoting microphone, and a mute button.
For under $50, you can get the Plantronics S6239816 or the Plantronics MX500i 3-in-1 VoIP Headset. Many headsets under $50 don’t work with corded phones and they aren‘t wireless, but they do feature a mute button, volume control, voice activation, and a wind shield feature.
The bottom line is what features do you need? And how much can you afford to pay?
Happy Shopping!!
photo credit: William Hook
Conference Call Hell
Are you addicted to conference calls or do you fear them? Most people either love them or hate them. It really doesn’t matter if it’s over the phone, Skype or in an actual meeting room.
Do you suffer from conference call hell? We can’t stand them yet we have to have them as part of our weekly schedules. 3 out of 4 people working full-time, suffer from conference call hell. Out of these, at least half say that the average call is NOT as effective as it should be.
Most of us would agree that the interruptions during an average conference call are often and take away from the point of the meeting. We can’t hear what is being said over people eating, typing, dogs barking, babies crying or someone’s phone echoing. Once the speaker is back on point, they tend to take too long to make their point.
If you feel like maybe you are carrying on your topic too long and your colleagues are Facebooking, Tweeting, texting or even cleaning up their desks while they should be listening to you, then you could be right. Most people will admit to doing other activities once their interest has been lost.
So, what can you do to spice up your next meeting?
- Distribute information that your colleagues cannot miss out on
- Be IN CHARGE—not everyone’s friend. This makes them feel like they are now on your level and you lose respect.
- Start and stop ON TIME. Promptness is key and your co-workers will know you respect their time.
- Have people use their mute button unless they need to speak. This will cut down on outside noise and keep the meeting professional.
- Stay on topic so everyone keeps their interests up
- And finally—be interactive!!! This keeps people excited and paying attention because they want to be ready in case they are called upon.
You need to be more than just a great public speaker to lead a conference call. You need to be able to grab your audience’s attention and keep it there.
Convey energy and enthusiasm to your audience rather than just speaking plainly. Phone and video chatting is never as satisfying as face-to face conversations or meetings but we need to do the best we can to NOT put our colleagues through conference call hell.
Sometimes, as the host of the conference call, you are doing everything right on your end and it’s the attendees that create the scenario of a less than perfect conference call. Check out this hilarious video from David Grady over on YouTube and see how sometimes it’s not the host’s fault when conference call hell occurs.