The first time I sat through a conference call i was quite amazed and overawed by the setting. A group of people sitting on either sides of the call. Round table. Possibly, men in suits and speaking sophisticated terms. Part of big institutions we hear about in the news. There was a thing about conference calls that made me nervous.
Here were two groups of people, probably never seen each other before. Maybe they had spoken or prior occassions, maybe not. I don't know. Sitting through the call, I used to watch the seniors talk, make gestures, type out things to be spoken and those not to be spoken. I am sure similar things happened on the other side as well. Mind you this was a teleconference call. Not a video enabled one. So, one did not know what the other side was doing. Were they sleeping. Did they understand the message. Was their reaction positive? The only thing available was the voice and tone. Ok.. i know. Not too many people will think so much about a small matter. But for me, feedback is essential. Is my communication accepted? Am I getting my point across consistently? What is their perception of me? None of this is possible without visual aids.
More than this, i used to wonder how people could talk into the phone and at the same time be monitoring what other people had to say. How did they stay focussed without losing continuity. I know my answer now. Practise. Since the time I sat through the first call, I have moved on to participating more. I know a little more about how fast i should be. How to evince feedback and know more about audience attention. When to pause. Those little things which go unnoticed.
More than all this, i have conquered the fear of having to face unknown people. I guess, all this is a part of growing up. There was a time when I used to shiver to read news in front of the school assembly. Now i don't fear con calls.
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