Conference calls

littlegreenman

A business conference call is no more distracting than "are we there yet?", really?

As above, idle chit chat is one thing. A proper business meeting requires focus. That can't be given whilst driving at the same time, one or the other will suffer, most likely the driving focus. Ergo, not a good plan as far as I've noticed.

Emp_Fab

littlegreenman

Axe_meister said:

I see the rozzers on the blower all the time, whilst eating donuts and drinking coffee

Monkey see, monkey do? That makes it OK then.

PC_Dave

Axe_meister;1095435" said:

I see the rozzers on the blower all the time, whilst eating donuts and drinking coffee

Yeah, course you do. Because that's all the Police do, eat donuts and sit waiting to catch people.... They get specific driver training and only use the phone or radio when on the move where absolutely necessary.

PC_Dave

Adam_MD;1095430" said:

How is using hands free to talk on the phone anymore distracting than talking to someone else in the car?

Some studies have found that using your phone while driving, hands free obviously, is worse than drink driving. Having a conversation with someone in the car is completely different - they can see what's happening around them so they can stop talking if you are too distracted, and you can easily tell them to shut up if you need to. Not so easy on a business conference call or important phone conversation.

thecolourbox

I was driving my girlfriend to work the other day and she was talking to me about her recent accounting exam and asking me about discounted cash flows and internal rates of return whilst I was driving - at least twice trying to think about that (and not even taking about it) my forward observation dipped and I had to reverse back to allow cars through the other way. Very small matter indeed yes but if I'd carried on like that who knows what I might have done.

I'm sorry but as a fellow road user, I don't think your business is more important than my or fellow drivers' lives

stickyfiddle

I take the odd work call when driving (bluetooth through the car's system, entirely hands free apart from pressing the answer button on the steering wheel). But I wouldn't want to sit on a conference call while driving if I was on for anything beyond 95% listening.

EricTheWeary

Some teleconferencing , some video conferencing, use Fuze on my iPad. We have a video link room for talking to people in prisons although I rarely use it. Never whilst driving. Had someone else do it recently and it was very annoying - lot of noise and if they lost signal you'd get the Barry has left the conference announcement followed a second later by Barry has joined the conference. By and large people seem to keep to the point more than in an actual meeting so I'm fine with them. Had a teleconference thing yesterday about 80% of which was irelevent to me so caught up on here at the same time, which would be harder to do if they were all in the same room... ">

Chalky

Using handsfree while driving is OK for simple calls. Conference calls are a step too far. And bloody irritating to other people on the call who have to make allowance for the fact you are driving.

Joining a conference call while driving is just your ego pretending you and your time are sooooo important. But you aint. Grow up.

Jalapeno

Driving issue aside.

Conference calls are a modern curse, like email. People feel empowered to chip on topics they have no experience of, rarely read the briefing materials, and the higher up people are in organisations seems to reinforce the lack or preparation and need to comment.

thecolourbox

Axe_meister;1095283" said:

Most business is done that way these days.

If most business is done via telephone, where are you driving from and to that's so important? Stay in one place on your important calls and you'll make even more money by saving on fuel too

Sporky

Most of my business (euphemisms aside) is done in person. Conference calls are for people without work to do.

PolarityMan

Sporky said:

Most of my business (euphemisms aside) is done in person. Conference calls are for people without work to do.

That's rather dismissive. If I was feeling as uncharitable as you I might suggest that your work can't be that important if it only involves people in a single country.

PolarityMan

Real-time working on bridge calls can fuck right off though.

Axe_meister

My territory is Europe Middle East and Africa with headquarters in Dallas.
When I'm not working from home I'm either in a car or in an aiport lounge when I have to get on the blower.
I'm still working on my light speed drive so I can be in all places at once.

Sporky

PolarityMan said:

Sporky said:

Most of my business (euphemisms aside) is done in person. Conference calls are for people without work to do.

That's rather dismissive. If I was feeling as uncharitable as you I might suggest that your work can't be that important if it only involves people in a single country.

My work does not only involve people in a single country. Where did you get that from?

PolarityMan

Sporky said:

PolarityMan said:

Sporky said:

Most of my business (euphemisms aside) is done in person. Conference calls are for people without work to do.

That's rather dismissive. If I was feeling as uncharitable as you I might suggest that your work can't be that important if it only involves people in a single country.

My work does not only involve people in a single country. Where did you get that from?

I was making a deliberately rash generalisation to indicate the absurdity of your statement. To be honest I had you pegged as a reasonably smart guy and I'm surprised I needed to explain that to you. At least now if it happens again you won't appear so confused.

Sporky

I was responding to the rash generalisation that most business is done via conference calls - hence using the same "most business" phrase. I had thought that the "euphemisms aside" bit would clearly indicate a less-than-po-faced-tone.

To be honest I have no idea who you are, but clearly you're not a very observant chap or you'd see the context, know my fondness for flippancy, and not think that being a patronising twit would make you look superior. I assume if it happens again you'll be equally confused.

I will certainly concede that a smiley at the end of my post would have been useful for the slow amongst the audience.

Chalky

Axe_meister;1096614" said:

My territory is Europe Middle East and Africa with headquarters in Dallas.
When I'm not working from home I'm either in a car or in an aiport lounge when I have to get on the blower.
I'm still working on my light speed drive so I can be in all places at once.

Your last line says it all really. I absolutely categorically guarantee that your colleagues would disagree with your self-perception. Your acceptance of your total lack of time management and communication control is what gives me confidence in my assertion.

Axe_meister

I do not get to manage my diary, a customer needs a call it will be at their convienience.