Am I the only person who finds it incredibly difficult to pay attention during conference calls. Sometimes I hear the words being spoken but don’t exactly have an idea of what the convo is about

likefunnyhelpful
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Different people work differently. I was like you. Having ppl from different parts of the world joining a conference call with very different accents probably didn’t help either. So I tried different methods - just listen in, take notes only, listen and take notes, anticipate what person was going to say etc, I found that the most effective approach for me was to take notes first and then try to recall what was said in the meeting. Refer to notes and check if they corroborate. Now my team tend to refer to me for what went on in a meeting. So I guess it works

likehelpful

Go to bars and learn to talk/listen through the background noise. Conference calls get easier.

likefunny
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I bet half the people talking feel the same way.

likefunnyupliftinghelpful

@OP as the most junior person on the team you can also get in the habit of taking notes and forwarding them to your manager; they'll most likely find it useful

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Take notes like your MD depends on it

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Let people know that the call is being recorded or you may run into some potential legal and client issues if people find out.

likesmartfunny

Are these calls the one where you have to take information and act on it? Maybe force yourself to say something on them or prepare to volunteer for an action item that comes out of it. That way you are active because you are responsible for it

likehelpful

Well no I am a pretty junior person on my team

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I think Deloitte 3 has had a little too much to drink :p

likefunny

Once you hit consulting Jedi status you’ll be able to zone out, have no idea what’s going on, but interject with seemingly insightful comments with perfect timing

likefunnyhelpful

Well hopefully I’ll be in a position to drive these calls.

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I’m just worried because I know at some point in my career I’ll be driving these calls and I just feel so lost.

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Practice IELTS listening tests, there are lots of free apps out there, take as many practice tests as you can or until you can get a score of 9. This should resolve your issue, try it. You will see improvements in 2 weeks.

likefunnyhelpful

I record the calls

likesmart

My advice is this is normal. I think everything depends upon the familiarity with the topics. When a topic is familiar to me all conversation starts making sense, and when it’s not, even the simplest sentences seem unrelated. As you grow into your role/team/project you’ll learn more and be able to contribute more. Don’t stress take it easy

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I know a guy who’ll get you adderall

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Does anyone have any tips?

likehelpful

Mute yourself and then type furiously away in these 2 pointers: Action Items, Discussion Notes. Also, assign names to each of the line items. For eg. Alan to catch up with Mark on ZBB excel completion status. Currently at 80%

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Same, i like to throw in a "sounds good" here and there to seem engaged.

likefunny

Thank you for the advice, all. I always feel like my sticking points are the types of things one cannot really improve in: articulation, understanding content from conference calls, etc. I made a concerted effort to get good in excel, taught myself Alteryx and have become certified in multiple ERP tools, but continue to feel behind in some basic skills.

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