Rising Star Systems

  1. Call in right on time, but not more than a few minutes early. Only call the bridge number at class time, not before or after the class. No one is ‘there’ at that number except during the scheduled class time. If you need admin help, contact Debra.
  2. The system will instruct you to announce yourself. However, if you are late calling in, please DON’T announce yourself until there is a natural break in the conversation or you are invited to speak.
  3. This is a conference call and it is being recorded for others to listen. You are giving your permission to be recorded by participating in the call. Keep in mind that this is not a private conversation.
  4. Whenever possible call from a land line and use a phone with a cord. No speakerphones please – they add LOTS of noise to the call and annoy everyone. Some cell phones and cordless phones can also cause problems on the line, so please use them only if necessary. If your cordless phone adds noise to the call, try moving closer to the base unit. Using skype can create a lot of problems, including a voice delay and feedback. Please don’t use skype.
  5. Disable call waiting before dialing in (dial *70, wait for a brief tone, then dial the bridge number).
    If this doesn’t work and you have call waiting, check with your local phone company for disabling instructions. If you haven’t used this feature before, please test it prior to the call so you know how it works. Your call waiting will be automatically restored when you hang up.
  6. Mute your phone whenever you’re not speaking. If your phone does not have a mute button, you can mute by pressing *6 on your phone and you can un-mute to speak by pressing *6 again.  It takes a moment to un-mute.
  7. Don’t breathe into your mouthpiece; it sounds obscene.
  8. Minimize background noise and distraction. Every side comment, dog barking or background noise is broadcast to the group, so please be considerate.  If background noise is unavoidable, please mute your phone.
  9. Never put a bridge line on hold – you will subject the entire class to your hold music!
  10. Tell us your name when you join the call (unless the class is already in session) and always say your name again when you speak (e.g. This is Jane, my question is…).
  11. When the class is over, feel free to say goodbye to everyone and just hang up.

You will incur ordinary long-distance charges when calling the bridge line. There’s no other charge for the call. An inexpensive long-distance service I have used and liked (less than 3 cents a minute) is www.onesuite.com. If you haven’t used this service before and choose to use it for the call, please test it beforehand so you’re prepared to call in at class time.

I look forward to meeting you on the call.

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