Last week, a potential client contacted me about helping them to improve their virtual meetings. I was invited to a 7 a.m. conference call to talk about the challenges they were facing. Unfortunately, I’d already committed to drive Bernice to the airport at the same time. In answer to your question, yes, I did the unthinkable. I joined the conference call while driving to the airport. This was a perfect example of one of my favorite expressions: “efficient is not necessarily effective!”
Knowing my potential client was extremely busy, it was best to agree to the call time AND let him know what I was driving to the airport. Fortunately, approval was given to record the call. There was no way to capture notes and recording the call with my AudioAcrobat.com account worked flawlessly!
One clear message emerged after the call: never, never, never do this again!
Multi-tasking on conference calls is neither effective nor efficient. Just because you can multi-task does not mean it is a smart thing to do! Replay of the mp3 file highlighted my inability to ask subtle questions around the challenge. Unlike the momentary lapse from responding to a text message or email, driving a car safely requires constant attention.
Thankfully, being perfect is no longer an issue for me. While my choice was efficient, it was not effective. Fortunately, my potential client understood the situation and was flexible concerning the recording of the call. The best news of all – I’ll be traveling to Atlanta next week for a one-on-one meeting.
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Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Author – 16 Secrets to a Great Conference Call
ConferenceCallTraining.com
Have you tried telling a customer you couldn’t attend the conference call you set up because your cell phone didn’t work?