Zoom and Skype aren't the only ways for a dialogue between colleagues working remotely, and the conventional conference call using ye olde telephone has once again proven its merits during the pandemic.
And yet there's a significant problem to conference calls: People taking part in phone conferences generally don't get much visual input.
This means the role of the moderator matters a lot, and the person leading the conference needs to make all cues audible for everyone who is attending.
Moderators are essentially the eyes of the participants. For someone who dials in after everyone else, that means letting them know who is already on line. Sharing that information is just the first step, however.
Anyone who is leading a telco should also give everyone else a chance at the outset to introduce themselves and say something. That key step will allow the other participants to recognise the speaker's voice when they say something later on during the call.
If the participants don't know each other, the moderator can ask them to say their name before they say anything else, each time they speak.
It also helps greatly if the moderator addresses the participants by name. Lastly, moderators should also make sure that everyone gets about the same amount of time to talk, and to summarise contributions regularly throughout the call. – dpa
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