Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

This July I moved to Oregon and began my career as one of Capstrat's remote employees. An amazing opportunity and growth experience. On average I have one or two conference calls a day. I have learned a few things about what makes them successful. My top 5 tips:

1. Be an active listener - this tip is for those that are remote. Take notes, ask questions and speak up. This might require turning off your IM, closing your email program and your numerous open applications (that means you Facebook and Gmail). Without having the physical connection of sitting in the same room as someone it is easy to zone-out. However, by actively listening you can continue to stay connected to the conversation and ensure you continue to stay engaged with the rest of your team and clients.
2. Be strategic about where the conference phone is - this tip is for conference calls happening in large groups. Nothing makes me more flustered during a conference call than the sound of someone typing (click-clack on loud speaker for an hour would make the most saintly person nuts). The phones pick up everything and magnifies the noise. This also goes for paper movement, sounds silly I know. However, the sound of papers shuffling across a desk or being leafed through sounds likes a tornado coming through a conference phone. This goes for projectors as well, don't place the conference phone directly beside a projector. That little fan can get loud.  (Note: this tip also goes those calling into conference calls. Phone microphones pick up more than you think.)
   
3. Whispers and shouters sound the same on a phone as they do face-to-face - if you are a soft talker it makes sense for you to locate yourself near the phone microphone. This goes for shouters (which I am) if you can be heard from ¼ mile away you don't need to sit by the phone. Trust me you will be heard no matter where you are.  
4. Cut the cross talk - when you don't have the benefit of seeing the people you are speaking to your ears have to work double time. This means having four people speak at once is near impossible to understand. It makes sense always to have one person speak at time and not to have your own side conversations during group meetings, having someone call in just encourages this more.
   
5. Be prepared - if you plan to talk through a document or present something send it out ahead of time. If everyone in the room has a document they are reviewing, the person calling in is virtually helpless in following along without it. Same goes for presenting, send your PowerPoint in advance or even better, setup a WebEx.

 

Having a business relationship completely over the phone can be a challenge. It does; however, encourage you to be prepared, listen hard and ask questions, which can't be a bad thing.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the start of the new year?

Below, I’ve summarized some best practices for time management, brought to you courtesy of an engaging lecture by David Wanetick, Managing Director at IncreMental Advantage, at the last Triangle AMA gathering.

1.  Take a few minutes each night to determine your goals for the next work day.

• Determine and prioritize your goals before you step foot in the office and get hit with inevitable, unplanned chaos.

2.  Do not multi-task.  

• Eliminating all instances of multi-tasking in agency life seems to be an unrealistic goal.  I believe the ability to multi-task to a certain extent is essential to balancing multiple project deadlines.  However, if you make a true effort to focus all your energy on one task at a time, you’ll likely produce work of higher quality than if your mental energy is processing multiple tasks at once.  

3.  Make your meetings more efficient.  

• Send out agendas 48 hours in advance.
• Calculate the cost for each minute spent in the meeting. - If time is being spent in an unproductive manner, you can quickly calculate exactly how much budget was spent on that side story about your in-law’s snoring problem.
• Make everyone stand. – I found this tip very interesting.  Think about it, if everyone’s standing, it’s less likely that attendees will launch into discussion of their dog's latest allergy.
• Meet for breakfast – There’s less risk of cancellation in the morning, everyone is more alert, the menu is simple and thus less expensive, and attendees save time on the commute.