The best way to introduce yourself on a conference call

• Don’t assume everyone knows you
• Don’t ramble on
• Don’t forget your colleagues
• Set out your agenda clearly

We’ve talked about conference call etiquette an introductions play an important part. Getting the most out of your conference call is a learned skill – But one of the most important things to get right straight off is the way you say hello. Without the visual and physical cues like smiling, shaking hands or eye contact to fall back on, you’ll have to rethink the way in which you come across when introducing yourself. Follow our list of must-do’s and you won’t go wrong.

Don’t assume everyone knows you

‘Hi, I’m Jane!’ might work when you’re greeting people face-to-face, but on a conference call, it doesn’t quite work the same. It may feel awkward, but you should always fill in a few of the gaps if you’re talking to people outside your company. You should introduce yourself and your job role or relation to the topic of the call. For example, ‘Hi, I’m Jane Smith, Marketing Director at Fictional Company,’ or ‘Hi, I’m John and I’ll be leading this project.’ This way, people can put you in context of why you’re on the call.

But don’t ramble on…

On the flipside, it’s just as easy to suddenly develop verbal diarrhea when introducing yourself, along the lines of, ‘Hi, it’s Jane Smith here, Marketing Director since 2013, working across the Example and Standard accounts. I’ve helped amplify our brand strategy across the print sphere and am really looking forward to moving across into digital as we begin cultivating our new online clients into Q3…’ Droning on during your intro is a sure-fire way to give the wrong impression.

Don’t forget your colleagues

If you’re the most senior person from your company on the call – or hosting the call – then it’s good manners to introduce those you’ve brought along. Again, follow the format above in introducing your colleagues briefly and simply and most importantly, give them a chance to say hello, too. Voice recognition is hard enough on a conference call – even more so if the person speaking hasn’t had a chance to identify themselves.

Set out your agenda clearly

If the call’s been scheduled to get a particular task done, you should incorporate this into your intro to ensure things progress as you need them to. “The other people on the call should know what you want from them right away,” says The Muse. For example, ‘Hi, this is Jane Smith, Marketing Director at Fictional Company. I’m here with Marketing Assistant John Jones, and we’re looking forward to locking down the new brand strapline this morning. John, would you like to introduce yourself?”

And you’re off! So now you know how to make the best start possible to a  call, see which package is right for you.