Teleseminars Basic Instructions
If you have call-waiting, we ask that you first disable
it before dialing into the teleconference. For most local
phone companies, you disable call-waiting by picking up the
phone, waiting for the dial tone, dialing *70 (that's star
seven zero), waiting for the dial tone again, and then
dialing the bridge number.
Please dial the teleconference number at the appointed
time. You will be connected to the other callers
automatically without dialing any further numbers.
Those already connected will hear a beep when you join
the call, and the call leader will usually say something
like, "Hi, who just joined the call?" or "Welcome, hold on a
moment while everyone joins the call." If you're late, the
leader may not acknowledge you. That doesn't mean you're not
welcome. Just listen silently until you catch up with the
meeting topic before speaking.
In general, please say your name before speaking so that
people will have no difficulty identifying you.
When Something Goes Wrong
If the phone rings but won't connect, one of two things
has occurred. You might have mis-dialed, or your timing is
off. Check the number and redial. If still no success, then
check the time. The usual convention is to state meeting
times in Eastern Time (New York Time). To find the time for
your own time zone within North America:
Eastern Time 6pm
Central Time 5pm (subtract 1 hour)
Mountain Time 4pm (subtract 2 hours)
Pacific Time 3pm (subtract 3 hours)
If the phone rings and you receive a recorded message
saying something like "All circuits are busy, please try
your call again later," it means that not enough long
distance lines are busy to connect you to the
teleconference. This sometimes happens between the hours of
7PM and 11PM Eastern Time. Keep trying, or put your phone on
auto re-dial if you have that feature.
If you receive a busy signal, it means that you either
mis-dialed, or the teleconference bridge is full. Check the
number and dial again. If you still receive a busy signal,
then the bridge is full and is likely to remain full for the
duration of the teleconference.
TeleConference Etiquette
There are several things elements of teleconference
etiquette, please review these before you call. They
include:
1. Mute Button. Use your telephone's mute button, if
there is one. Background noise, the dog barking, radio,
etc., could be a problem for the other participants. If you
don't have a mute button, don't worry. Just try to call from
a quiet location.
2. Breathing. Some people breathe 'heavier' than others.
Most of the heavy breathers don't realize it. (Who, ME?) So,
we ask everyone to hold the mouthpiece or telephone headset
microphone a bit away from their mouth and nose, unless they
are speaking. This sounds pretty silly, but when you're on a
call with a heavy breather, you'll understand why it
matters!
3. 2-line phones. If you have a two-line phone, please
turn the ringer off of the second line. If you don't, and
you get a call during the TeleClass, it can really be a
shrill noise that everyone hears.
4. Pets. If you're on a smaller TeleConference (like
10-30 callers), your dog will probably woof at exactly the
time needed for some comic relief, so it's not usually a
problem. But if you're on a larger TeleConference (30-150
callers), please put pets in another room.
5. Speakerphones. Please don't use them, unless you use
the mute button. Speakerphones are wonderful things, but we
ask that you not speak into them when sharing. The
clarity/quality simply isn't good enough. Pick up the
handset when you share and put the mute button on when
you're just listening.
6. Sharing. The leader will usually ask for callers to
share or respond, throughout the call. However, please wait
to be prompted -- don't just speak up, unless invited.
If/when you do share, say something like, "Thomas (or the
leader's name), this is Bob from Tampa." The Instructor will
say,"Yes, Bob, go ahead." Then you can say whatever you'd
like to. Always use the leader's name and wait until they
respond, indicating that you can proceed. On smaller calls
this formality isn't usually needed and there is a natural
flow to people sharing and discussing.
7. CrossTalk. If another caller says something that you
want to comment on or ask more information about, go through
the leader, don't speak to the person directly, at least at
first. Let the leader play traffic cop. You could say
something like, "Thomas, can I ask that Marlene rephrase the
point she just made?" Again, on smaller calls, this isn't as
necessary, but on the large calls, it really is.
8. Early/Late Please don't call the bridge before the
scheduled time -- another conference may be in session. If
you're late to the call, no problem, just dial in and be
silent until you catch on to what's being discussed. The
leader may or may not officially welcome you -- but probably
won't so as not to disturb the flow of the call. That
doesn't mean you're not welcome! And, finally, if you're
more than 10 minutes late, be really careful about asking
questions, as they may well have been asked earlier.
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