If you’re not a fan of conference calls or meetings in general, they can often be a nerve-racking experience to participate in one. For those of us that get nervous during conference calls, here are some tips on how to reduce anxiety.
Know the Topics of Discussion
The first thing you’ll need to do to reduce your anxiety is to know the content you’ll be discussing in the call. Remember that agenda email you skipped over yesterday when you were cleaning out your inbox? It’s time to open it and take a look at what’s being discussed during the call. If you have no idea what you’ll be talking about, you’re only going to stress yourself out more.
Know what topics you’ll be going over, and research anything you’re unfamiliar with. It can’t hurt anything to put some extra work into familiarizing yourself with the topics, and, in fact, it can actually make you seem much more knowledgeable on the subjects.
Take Notes
If you get lost easily during conference calls, it’s time to bust out a notepad and bring it with you to the call. Taking notes can help you keep track of information, and it’s been proven that writing things down can actually help you retain them better.
Even if you’re participating in a video meeting instead of an audio call, writing things down can help you organize your thoughts and reduce the stress associated with losing track of information.
You don’t need a fancy notebook or journal for your notes. As long as you’re writing down what you’re hearing so you can craft better questions and retain the information, you’re in good shape. Your fellow callers will appreciate that you’re not asking questions that have already been answered previously during the call, and you’ll look back days later and remember everything that was discussed.
Breathe
Did you know that certain breathing exercises have been proven to help reduce stress? It’s true! When stress and anxiety take hold, learning to control your breathing can actually help you navigate the stress better. Breathing exercise help regulate the flow of oxygen to the brain, which can become disrupted when your breathing becomes shallow during stressful moments.
Taking a moment to breathe will help prepare your mind for what’s to come by providing it with enough oxygen. If you find yourself getting nervous or stressed out during the call itself, don’t be afraid to excuse yourself for a few moments to catch your breath and realign yourself. You don’t need to give a reason; simply excuse yourself and take care of your needs. You can do this in both an audio call and video meeting to regain your composure.
Introduce Yourself
Introducing yourself can help you get acquainted with new people, thereby reducing the overall stress of a conference call. All of us experience some level of nervousness when we’re around new people and situations, but introducing ourselves with first and last name and title can help ease that anxiety and make the interactions feel more personal.
This is especially important with new clients or team members. It’s easy to get lost in an audio-only call, and this can only add to the nervousness and stress of the situation. Don’t be afraid to ask for someone else’s name and title either if you’re having trouble familiarizing yourself with their voice. It may take a few calls before you can recognize their individual sound.
Ask Questions
Asking questions about the content is perfectly acceptable, as long as you’re paying attention and not repeating questions or asking about things that have already been explained (hence the note-taking suggestion). Questions should be relevant to the material and well-thought-out. While there may be no such thing as stupid questions, there are redundant ones. These kinds of questions derail the conversation and often cause the meeting to go backward instead of forward.
Keep your questions short, simple, and specific. Don’t ask general questions if you can help it, as they’ve probably already been addressed in some fashion.
Don’t Hang Up
Conference calls are a vital part of the business professional’s life, and can’t generally be avoided. Reducing the stress associated with them is possible if you follow these simple guidelines for a better experience overall.
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