In my last placement,
teleconferences were the norm.
In any given cubicle row,
there’d be at least one teleconference
on speaker phone.
There were pro’s and con’s
to the teleconference.
More people attend them,
and they tend to multitask
during the call
and don’t ‘waste’ the time in a meeting.
On the other hand,
since they’re often on speaker phone,
there’s no confidentiality,
and the meeting is only getting
a sliver of the person’s attention.
According to a Robert Half Survey,
45% of executives confessed
to frequently doing other things
while in teleconferences.
Teleconferences are a great tool
for transferring information to everyone
but may not be
for making critical decisions,
confidential projects,
or
brainstorming.
They are NOT a replacement
for every meeting.