Telephone Conferencing - The Underused Technology

Phones may be the one technology that we are very comfortable using. However, the Conference button on your office phone may be one its most underused features, and its range of use might surprise you.

There is a quick procedure to create a telephone conference with more than two people using the Conference button on office phones. This applies whether you are dialing on-campus, off-campus or a mix including local and long distance numbers.

1. Dial the first person you want to participate in the call. Once you have them on the line press the conference button.
2. Dial the next person and get them on the line and press the conference button again. At that point both parties should be on the line with you. That is, for every person you call, you will press the conference button twice.
3. You can repeat these steps for up to 6 persons.