7 things in regards to conference calls

1. Being on time is being too late. You join conference calls 5 (FIVE) minutes beforehand, any later is too late. There can be some technical issues y'all need to root out.

2. Use a freaking phone. Most every conference call system has local/international dial-in numbers. Don't use Skype or other VoIP Systems. 

3. If you use a mobile phone, USE A FREAKING HEADSET.

4. There is NO REASON to use speakerphone functionality. NONE!

5. Use a phone that you can mute. We're not interested in what happens in your open space office or your living room. You can unmute yourself when you need to speak. At any other time, MUTE! MUTE! MUTE!

6. Be in a place where you work. Real office, home office, hotel room. Those are about the only places where you should be to do a conference call. Bar, playground, movie theater, your car, amusement park, casino, massage parlor, the gym? HELL NO! 

7. Be prepared. This should be a given but especially in a meeting where you can't see eachother, being prepared is not only courtesy, it is a must.