Christine Jalleh

As I’m finishing up a feature article on HIV/AIDS, following up on some French translations, a multimedia DVD and website updates, I’m also coping with food aversions

In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, seeing another published article brings a smile to my face and adds a spring to my step! I wonder if seasoned writers/journalists get tired of seeing their articles appearing after a while?

“Shall we have a conference call?” appears in The Star’s Mind Your English column and I hope that readers will find it useful…

* * * * *

WITH the increasing use of free Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technologies on programmes like Skype, MSN and Yahoo, today’s office worker cannot escape the conference call.

Similar to yet unlike face-to-face meetings, conference calls are meetings held over the telephone.

I organised my first conference call in 2002 when I connected with colleagues in Argentina, India, Mexico, South Africa, Tokyo, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Due to the different time zones, we wished everyone “Good morning”, “Good afternoon” or “Good night” at the same time!

Also, underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure saw participants getting disconnected midway through the calls and had to be connected again.

Amusing episodes occurred too when we lost a caller midway in his sentence because his train entered a tunnel or when a caller forgot to press the “MUTE” button when flushing the toilet!

Another multi-tasking caller could be heard washing the plates or frantically whispering, “No, Daddy can’t play trains right now!”

If you’re due to join or organise a conference call soon, here are some best practices to ensure an effective meeting with people you can hear but can’t see.

read more »