conference calling tips for non-native speakers- Effective conference call

 

Needless to say, conference calling has been a widely used source of connecting, communicating, and transmitting pieces of information for decades. In business situations where the rush is imaginable, conference calling has and is still serving as a binder of foremost investors, marketers, managers, and significant authorities to a single platform. Since authentic documentation and future action items are addressed in a conference call, at times, it gets frustrating for Non-Native speakers. Quick responses, accent illusion, and a bundle of cultural differences push NNS (non-native speaker) to lose the floor despite their sound opinion. In this blog, you'll find some more than helpful strategies to overcome the fear of being Non-Native in a conference call.

Tip#1: Be prepared

Read the meeting agenda and the content (if provided) several times and thoroughly. I would recommend revising the passcode as well before the call. You can infer what questions you might be asked and note them down. You must have a surpassing command of the surroundings and back and forth of the plan going to be discussed in the meeting so that you can answer any of the asked questions comfortably. 

Tip#2: Articulate

The biggest issue of being a Non-Native I've observed as an ESL teacher is a panic of speaking not only this, faking accent is another one aligned to the same issue. NNS usually mistake speaking English by copying accents of Native speakers. You don't need to adapt to any of the accents if it's difficult for you, just speak clearly with a neutral accent in a flow. That's it. Further, conference calling with a Native partner doesn't mean you need to do the heavy lifting while speaking just because you need to copy their accents. Discourse clearly with a neutral accent in a flow (repeated line).

Tip#3: Find a quiet place to sit

Search for a feasible, comfortable, and fore mostly a quiet place to sit for the conference call. Background distractions during the meeting could likely derail you from the meeting's point so, don't risk and choose a fine place.

Tip#4: Announce yourself

The instant it comes to your turn to speak or present during the call it's good to introduce yourself first. It'll put a pleasant impact on others who've joined the call, you could be easily addressed by anybody who wants to ask you something and it's a good way to start before speaking. Example: "This is mike from accounts. " "This is Sandra from marketing."

Tip#5: Pay attention

Mus be obvious but often neglected. While conference calling mostly people wait for their turn only and choose not to listen to anyone else sharing ideas and discussing the agenda. Sometimes, it gets easy for you to skip others and share your perspective only but at times it derails the straight flow of the discussion you needed to put on smoothly. In the meeting connecting and building on other's ideas to an extent is positive and maintains balance throughout but the lack of attention to others won't give you that balance because you wouldn't have any ideas to connect your ideas with. It's better to pay attention to the addressed points in the meeting so that yours will stand out.

Some bonus tips:

• Check all your equipment before the call such as mike, headphones, laptop, charger etc. to make sure everything is working smoothly.

• Put your cursor on the mute button so in case some noisy distractions occur you can quickly mute your side saving your meeting from diverting.

• Dress yourself according to the meeting's aura.