Last night I had two conference calls with team members on the US West & East coasts and in China. We were all on different time zones, with some of us who should have been in bed, and some who were just arriving at work. No, I was not sitting in my first ever conference call. It was not my first rodeo.
What was nice though was we were able to instantly loop others into the conversation who were not on the original meeting invite. We didn't have to postpone or cancel, we merely extended the meeting. Setting up the meeting took no more than two minutes by reviewing their calendar.
Five years ago, it would have taken a lot of time to set up a conference call with that many time zones and participants. Ten years ago, even longer. Twenty years ago?
The conveniences of the interwebs extend beyond having almost effortlessly coordinated online meetings. The true value of conference calls is the diminishing need for traveling to meetings. Having to no longer sit in overcrowded airplanes eating crappy food. No longer missing a family event because I'm in a meeting somewhere else in the country. Conference calls are good for the body and the soul.
What was nice though was we were able to instantly loop others into the conversation who were not on the original meeting invite. We didn't have to postpone or cancel, we merely extended the meeting. Setting up the meeting took no more than two minutes by reviewing their calendar.
Five years ago, it would have taken a lot of time to set up a conference call with that many time zones and participants. Ten years ago, even longer. Twenty years ago?
The conveniences of the interwebs extend beyond having almost effortlessly coordinated online meetings. The true value of conference calls is the diminishing need for traveling to meetings. Having to no longer sit in overcrowded airplanes eating crappy food. No longer missing a family event because I'm in a meeting somewhere else in the country. Conference calls are good for the body and the soul.
