Today’s business world relies heavily on quick, informative communication. Organizations prize team members who possess the ability to participate effectively in teleconferences or other types of conferences.  This article looks at several insightful quotations from the famous American author, Mark Twain; and what his thoughts can teach us about conference calling, over a century later. We will examine the importance of cultivating respect, appreciation for others, and willingness to learn attributes that can help you get the most out of your next conference call.
1. Be Respectful

“Be respectful to your superiors, if you have any.” (Advice to Young People: Speech, April 15, 1882).

Any operation needs to have clearly defined leadership. Success hinges on the ability of leaders to bring the best assets of each member to bear. Successful conference calls take careful planning and the most successful ones hinge on a commitment by all sides to respectful dialogue.

2. Don”t get carried away in expressing your opinions.

“There are three things which I consider excellent advice. First, don’t smoke to excess. Second, don’t drink to excess. Third, don’t marry to excess.”
(Last public address, St. Timothy”s School for Girls, Catonsville, MD, 9 June 1909).

It’s important to maintain perspective during a conference call. Resist the urge to prove a point, or get into personal vendettas; these take you away from the purpose of the call, and away from the ethos of teamwork.

You decided to participate in the call because of the expertise, experience and skill that you bring to the table, and your opinions need to be heard. But never lose sight of the bigger picture.

When making a point, try to be concise, yet expressive. Make sure your voice is heard, so the team has the opportunity to benefit from your contribution; but once you?ve made your point clearly, move right along.

3. It’s okay to say “I don’t know”.

“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.”  - Life on the Mississippi

Understand that your role in the conference call is simply to contribute your knowledge and expertise to the conversation. You don’t have to have all the answers, and no one expects you to.

Be clear about what you should know, and make sure that you prepare carefully for the call beforehand. This way, whenever you don?t know the answer to a question, you can securely say ?I don?t know, let me get back to you on that ? without skipping a beat .

4. Encourage creativity and brainstorming.

“There are two times in a man”s life when he should not speculate: when he can”t afford it, and when he can.” (Following the Equator, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar)

When we get over other the impulse to have an answer for everything, it opens up an important door for us: the opportunity to ask questions. Brainstorming is a vital part of the creative process for any team. Teleconferencing is an ideal venue to encourage creativity because the format provides for joint participation and dialogue.

5. Remember the value of humility when expressing your opinions.

“There is nothing that saps one”s confidence as the knowing how to do a thing.” (Mark Twain, 3/30/1901)

Sometimes when we work really hard to learn all we can on a subject, we can lose sight of the fact that others may still know more. And no matter how knowledgeable and well-prepared you are, there?s a lot to be gained from hearing a fresh perspective.

Humility means being open to hearing answers from others. It also leads to having the wisdom to see the value in opinions from a diverse range of perspectives.

6. Encourage dissent.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” (Mark Twain”s Notebook, 1904)

Just because everyone agrees, doesn?t mean that you?re all right. You might all be certainly wrong. Remember to double-check at every stage.

An effective technique for double checking is to encourage dissent. In other words, encourage the team to think things through one more time and make sure that you didn?t miss something vital, which would change the whole picture.

Generally speaking, in conference calls it is sometimes a good idea to appoint someone to play the role of advocating for the opposite point of view. This can also be a rotating position even within the conversation itself.

It can be insurance policy to help the team make certain it won?t get carried away and miss an important point. A good team leader always encourages dissent in this way and helps keep everyone on their toes.

7. Listening requires silence.

“The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it.” (Mark Twain”s Notebook)

This point is especially important in teleconferencing, where participants can?t see each other face to face; but really it applies equally to other types of conference calling situations as well. It is a fact of life that you cannot listen well and talk well at the same time.

Give other participants in the call space to express their thoughts carefully, in their own time. Successful communication is only possible when speakers are able to explain their perspectives without interruption, with the knowledge that other participants will be paying close attention.

8. Everybody”s opinion has value.

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” (Mark Twain”s Notebook, 1898)

Keeping an open mind, and being willing to embrace new ideas are indispensable in the give-and-take of the conference call format. Give everyone a chance to participate freely and listen to what they have to say. It just might lead to your next great idea.

About the author:

Andre D. Vanier is the CEO of Rondee, the first free conference call service to offer web-based scheduling and attendance tracking.