Group Audio Conference Call Basics for Participants
Participating in a group audio conference for the first time? Here's what you need to know to ensure a successful
group conference call.
Group Audio Conference Attendance
First, you'll need to know what time, in local time, you want everyone to call into your group conference call.
It's common these days for group calls to include international guests.
The call's start time might be expressed in GMT, UTC, or the host's own time zone.
Even domestic calls can involve multiple time zones.
A time zone map can assist to convert the time to local time to make sure that you know exactly when to dial in.
Next, you'll need to know how to join the group audio conference
The call's chairperson will send you the phone number along with a PIN or access code.
If the call is an international group conference call, you'll be issued a phone number that is local to your country.
From there, your call will be routed to the main group audio conference.
You'll be prompted to enter the PIN or access code. Once confirmed, you will be connected to the group.
Greeting the Group
Depending on how the group audio conference is set up, an automated voice might announce that you have entered
the room.
If not, you could briefly announce your arrival. In either case, you should be able to hear the moderator or music
leading up to the start time.
Muting and Unmuting Your Phone
Imagine a group audio conference with 100 participants, each with an unmuted phone.
The background noise would be unbearable! Do your part by muting your phone until called upon to speak.
If you have a mute button on your phone, use it. If not, most group audio conferences support keypad muting and
unmuting
(usually *6).
Speaking During a Group Audio Conference
Whether you've been asked to give a presentation during the conference call or have a question during the Q&A
portion, advance conference call services allow your group members to speak slowly and clearly.
If it's an international group conference call, this becomes especially important as second language listeners
may have trouble.
In addition, other participants may be taking notes. Repeat important information such as phone numbers and URLs.
Participating in a Group Audio Conference
Though no one will know if you call in from home in your pajamas, your full participation is expected.
This is not really the time for multitasking even though it's easy to be driving and talk on a cell phone.
It's a good idea to have some way to take notes and conference call services are intended to help you give the
group call your complete attention.
Listening to Recorded Group Conference Calls
Many teleconference moderators record group audio conferences and then distribute them for later listening.
These calls typically arrive as MP3 files which can be listened to on a variety of devices including computers,
tablets, smartphones, and MP3 players.
Some conference hosts post the recorded teleconference on their website and will send you a link.
As with any other potentially sensitive or confidential information, use care to ensure that only those authorized
to hear the call have access to the recording. However if the information is not sensitive, many customers use
the MP3 as a marketing tool on a website without any restrictions.
An advantage of listening to a conference after the fact is that you can take notes at your leisure instead of
trying to capture everything as it happens.
Participating in a group audio conference is straight forward and easy even
with international participants.
The moderator typically sends the guests the date and time to dial-in, their access number and a PIN in an email.
All you need to do as the moderator is dial-in on that date and time, enter your chairperson PIN and meet your
international or domestic teleconference guests in your conference room.
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