How to Succeed in English Conference Calls: Facilitation and Management Techniques for Multinational Teams

English conference calls demand a fundamentally different skill set than video conferences. In an audio-only environment where you can't rely on facial expressions, chat, or screen sharing, the ability to 'verbalize and confirm' is everything. Furthermore, in multinational teams, a variety of accents like Indian or Singaporean English are common, dramatically increasing the difficulty of listening.

In this article, based on the expertise ELT has accumulated from coaching over 10,000 business professionals, we will explain three unique challenges of conference calls and provide concrete strategies to overcome each one.

Conference Calls Are a Different "Sport" Than Video Meetings

In video conferences (like Zoom, Teams, or Meet), you can supplement audio with other information channels such as facial expressions, gestures, chat, screen sharing, and reaction buttons. If someone nods, you know they understand. If they look confused, you can infer that more explanation is needed.

In a conference call, however, audio is the only source of information.

It's not uncommon for 'video off' to be an unspoken rule due to time differences, with participants joining early in the morning or late at night. Poor connection quality can also make video unusable. The reality is that weekly meetings with overseas offices often become de facto conference calls.

What's required in a conference call is the 'power to verbalize the unseen.'

Agreement that could be conveyed with a nod in a video meeting must be spoken aloud in a phone call, such as "I agree with that point." A section you could point to and say 'here' on a shared screen must be verbalized as "On page 3, the second bullet point under 'Timeline'" to be understood.

In our experience at ELT, we've seen many cases where professionals who handle video conferences with ease suddenly see their performance drop in a conference call. This is not an issue of English proficiency, but rather a matter of skills for adapting to an audio-only environment.

From here, we will break down three of the most significant challenges in conference calls and explain specific strategies to overcome them.

Challenge #1: Difficulty Understanding Accents in a Multinational Team

Why is Listening in a Conference Call Uniquely Difficult?

There are three reasons why listening in a conference call is harder than in a video meeting.

1. You can't read lips.
   We unconsciously supplement auditory information by reading the speaker's lip movements (lip-reading). In a conference call, this supplementary information is completely absent, which reduces listening accuracy.
2. Poor connection quality.
   High-frequency consonants (like s, t, th) are often lost over phone lines or VoIP, and call quality can be particularly unstable when connecting with India or other parts of Asia.
3. Difficulty identifying the speaker.
   When several people in a 5-6 person call speak one after another, it's easy to lose track of who is saying what. In a video conference, the speaker's window is highlighted, but this feature doesn't exist on a phone call.

Three Techniques to Overcome the Accent Barrier

The advice to 'get used to the accent' is valid, but it won't help you in next week's conference call. Here, we introduce practical techniques you can use immediately.

Technique #1: Prepare Three Different Phrases for Asking for Clarification

It can feel awkward to repeat the same phrase every time you don't understand something. By using three different patterns, you can ask for clarification more naturally.

• Ask directly: "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat the last point?"
• Paraphrase to confirm: "Just to make sure I understood correctly — you're saying that...?"
• Request a summary: "Could you summarize the key takeaway from that point?"

The second phrase, 'paraphrasing to confirm,' is especially useful. Instead of directly stating 'I didn't understand,' you present your understanding and ask the speaker to confirm if it's correct. This approach is less direct and can be used multiple times without causing friction.

Technique #2: Summarize After Each Agenda Item (For Facilitators)

If you are the facilitator, providing a summary at the end of each agenda item gives participants who may have missed something a chance to catch up.

• "Let me summarize what we've agreed so far: first, ... second, ... Does anyone want to add or correct anything?"

This summary also serves as a check for your own understanding. It is the most reliable way to confirm that everyone is on the same page using only audio.

Technique #3: Thoroughly Share the Agenda in Advance

Your greatest ally in a conference call is 'advance preparation.' If you share the agenda by email beforehand, participants can use the context to guess any words they can't catch.

• "I've shared the agenda by email. Let's start with item 1: the Q3 budget revision."

If the agenda includes technical jargon or proper nouns, mentioning them in the email can reduce the listening burden for all participants.

Challenge #2: Finding the Right Moment to Speak Using Only Audio Cues

Three Common Ways to Miss Your Chance to Speak in a Conference Call

The problem of 'becoming invisible' in a conference call happens even to those with strong English skills. The causes can be broken down into the following three patterns:

1. Falling behind the speed of the discussion; by the time you've processed the content, the topic has already moved on.
2. The moment you decide to speak, another participant starts talking, and you can't interject.
3. Being unable to tell if someone has finished speaking from their voice alone, and fearing the awkwardness of speaking over them.

In a video conference, you can signal your intent to speak with a 'raise hand' button or in the chat, but a phone call has no such features. Speaking up is the only way to 'raise your hand.'

Three Techniques for Speaking Up in a Conference Call

Technique #1: State Your Name Before You Speak

In a conference call, participants must identify speakers by voice alone. Stating your name at the beginning of your turn clarifies 'who is speaking' and also serves as a declaration that 'I am about to speak.'

• "This is Hayashi. I'd like to add a point on the timeline."
• "Otada here. Can I jump in on that?"

If you are the facilitator, you can prevent silence by calling on people by name.

• "Before we move on, let me check — Hayashi-san, any thoughts from the product side?"

Technique #2: Use Transitions Between Topics as Your Window to Speak

The easiest time to speak in a conference call is the moment the facilitator gives a cue like the following:

• "Any questions on this topic?"
• "Shall we move to the next item?"
• "Does anyone have anything to add?"

The key to contributing effectively in a conference call is not to miss this 2-3 second window. Practicing the following phrases until they become second nature will help you seize these opportunities.

• "Before we move on, I'd like to raise one point about..."
• "Actually, I have a question on that."

Technique #3: Use "Connecting" Phrases Instead of "Interrupting"

Since it's hard to tell if someone has finished speaking in a conference call, 'interrupting' carries the risk of cutting them off. You can enter the conversation more naturally by 'connecting' to the previous speaker's point.

• "Building on what [Name] just said..."
• "That connects to a point I wanted to raise..."
• "If I may add to that..."

These phrases act as a bridge, allowing you to transition to your own point while showing respect for the previous speaker.

Challenge #3: Facilitating the Meeting Using Only Audio

Facilitating a conference call requires a different skill set than facilitating a video conference. The biggest difference is that you cannot see the participants' reactions at all. There are no nods, no confused faces, and no '👍' reactions in the chat.

A Collection of Facilitation Phrases

1. Starting the Meeting: Roll Call + Agenda Confirmation

In a conference call, you can't see who has joined, so it's important to confirm attendance at the beginning.

• "Let's do a quick roll call. Who's on the line?"
• "Good morning everyone. I know it's late in Singapore — thanks for joining."
• "We have 30 minutes today. I'd like to cover three items. The agenda was shared by email."

Acknowledging time zones at the start of the meeting can make a big difference in building trust within a multinational team.

2. Verbally Confirming Participant Understanding

In a phone call, you must verbally check for understanding, something you could gauge with a nod in a video conference.

• "Can I get a verbal confirmation from everyone? Are we aligned on this?"
• "I'm going to pause here. Any questions or concerns before we move on?"
• "[Name]-san, I'd like to hear your perspective on this."

Always be aware that silence in a conference call may not mean 'agreement,' but rather that 'no one is listening.' If silence lasts for more than three seconds, it's safer to check in by calling on someone by name.

3. When the Discussion Gets Sidetracked — Phrases for Re-focusing

A conference call can quickly become chaotic if multiple participants start discussing different points. As a facilitator, it's crucial to have phrases ready to organize the discussion.

• "Let me summarize what I'm hearing. There are two key points: first, ... second, ..."
• "I want to make sure we're all on the same page."
• "It sounds like we have different views on this. Let's take them one at a time."
• "We're getting into the details. Can we take a step back and agree on the overall direction first?"

4. Time Management

Conference calls tend to run over time. While participants in a video call might notice the time on their screen, it's easier to lose track of time on a phone call.

• "We're running short on time. Let's table this for the next call and focus on the action items."
• "I want to make sure we cover the last item. Can we keep this discussion to 5 more minutes?"

5. Ending the Meeting: Confirming Action Items + Acknowledging Time Zones

The most critical part of ending a conference call is verbally confirming 'who will do what, and by when.' In a video call, this can be noted in the chat, but on the phone, there is no record unless it is confirmed aloud.

• "Before we wrap up, let me confirm the action items."
• "[Name] will finalize the proposal by Friday. [Name] will follow up with the Singapore team on the data."
• "I'll send the meeting notes by end of day."
• "Thank you everyone. I know it's early morning in Singapore — appreciate you joining."

Practical Techniques Before and After the Call That Make a Difference

Beyond just memorizing phrases, carefully preparing before the meeting and following up afterward can dramatically improve the quality of your conference calls.

Pre-Meeting Preparation

1. Share the agenda via email in advance.
   This not only aids listening comprehension but also gives participants time to organize their thoughts beforehand.
2. Check the participant list and their time zones.
   Knowing who is on the call makes roll calls and addressing people by name much smoother.
3. Jot down what you want to say in 2-3 sentences beforehand.
   It's more reliable to read from prepared notes than to construct English sentences on the fly. There's no need to feel embarrassed about writing down important points in English.

Post-Meeting Follow-Up

• Send out meeting notes.
  Conference calls are often not recorded, making the meeting notes the only official record. Summarize them concisely in a format like, "As discussed, the key decisions were: 1) ... 2) ... Action items: ..."
• Individually confirm anything you couldn't understand right after the meeting.
  If you feel awkward asking for clarification multiple times during the call, following up immediately afterward via email or chat with a message like, "Just wanted to double-check one point from today's call — when you mentioned [topic], did you mean...?" is actually seen as a courteous and thorough gesture.

Are Your Conference Call Skills Ready for the Real World?

You can start practicing the phrases and techniques introduced in this article on your own today.

However, skills like facilitation and quick responsiveness in conference calls can only be honed through actual experience conversing in an audio-only environment. Even if you memorize phrases, the practical ability to find a 'window' to speak when multiple people are talking, or the skill to listen to different accents and respond instantly, cannot be trained alone.

At ELT, we offer free counseling and trial lessons for intermediate and advanced business English learners, taught one-on-one by certified native-speaking instructors.

• Conference Call Skill Assessment: A professional evaluation of your listening, responsiveness, and facilitation skills in an audio-only setting.
• Simulated Conference Call Experience: Role-playing based on realistic industry scenarios, with instructors playing the part of overseas team members or clients.
• Feedback for Improvement: Identification of specific areas for improvement, such as 'timing your contributions,' 'how to interject with summaries,' and 'handling different accents.'