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44-433: A meeting refers to a gathering with a specific agenda and not just mere gathering of people casually talking to each other. Meetings may occur face-to-face or virtually, as mediated by communications technology, such as a telephone conference call , a skyped conference call or a videoconference . One Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a meeting as "an act or process of coming together" - for example "as [...] an assembly for

88-491: A common purpose [...]". Meeting planners and other meeting professionals may use the term "meeting" to denote an event booked at a hotel, convention center or any other venue dedicated to such gatherings. Anthropologist Helen B. Schwartzman defines a meeting as "a communicative event involving three or more people who agree to assemble for a purpose ostensibly related to the functioning of an organization or group." For her, meetings are characterized by "multiparty talk that

132-527: A company or organisation can lawfully request flexible working . In recent years, there have been a number of different types of flexible working options as a result of conference calling technology enabling employees to work remotely. In November 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a 732-page Order on InterCarrier Compensation (ICC), including rules governing revenue sharing. Citing Section 251(b)(5) of

176-597: A dominant position in the conferencing niche; servicing many of the world's biggest brands. However, the Internet and improved global VoIP networks have helped to significantly reduce the barrier of entry into this niche. Free conferencing is different from traditional conference calling in that it has no organizer fees, no human operator, and allows for multiple people to connect at no cost other than that of any other phone call (local or toll). Companies that provide free conference call services are usually compensated through

220-452: A fixed monthly cost. Because telecommunication carriers offer free long-distance bundled with local service, this alternative is gaining widespread popularity for budget conscious businesses and non-profits. In the UK, there are conference services offered on a pay-as-you-go basis where the cost of the phone calls (using 0843/0844, or 0871/0872 non-geographic revenue sharing numbers) from each of

264-405: A hook flash for special action is to switch to another incoming call with the call waiting service. It is also commonly used for placing calls on hold, initiate inquiry, conference calls, or for call transfer to other extensions in a PABX Another use is to indicate a request for voice conferencing, for example, a user may use a procedure like the following to initiate three-way calling . This

308-444: A hook flash, this was quite different. Rather than simply flashing the hook, the phone would go completely on-hook (hanging up) several seconds and would present a new dial tone, while retaining a credit balance on the phone (coins or card). This allowed the user to make a second call without needing to collect unused coins or re-insert their card on phones that used prepaid cards. It is not hook flash signaling, but rather just hanging up

352-454: A landline telephone, mobile phone, or computer, and there is no need to buy additional expensive telecommunications hardware or add/switch long-distance service. Some services allow one to start or join a conference call from virtually any country worldwide—with appropriate telephone access. Large telecommunications providers such as AT&T , Embarq (formerly Sprint), Verizon and other large to medium conferencing service providers maintain

396-412: A manual hook flash. In most systems based on European standards, a precisely defined loop disconnect pulse is used, typically 100 ms or 120 ms in duration, similar to a single pulse on a pulse dialing telephone. These systems are similar, but may be mutually incompatible. The longer flash time programmed on a North American telephone, or a manual hook flash, may cause a European switch to clear

440-537: A revenue-sharing arrangement with the local phone company, sharing the termination charge for incoming calls to a phone carrier. In the case of free conference calling, the conferencing company strikes an agreement with the local phone company that hosts the conferencing bridge (equipment connecting lines) to receive a share of the terminating access charge received for connecting the call. At large carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, they keep these access charges for their own conferencing services in addition to charging

484-515: A service provider using a combination of keys on a users' (sometimes only the moderator) telephone keypad. The most common recall function is *0. (asterisk and the zero/operator key) Businesses use conference calls daily to meet with remote parties, both internally and outside of their company. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, project meetings and updates, regular team meetings, training classes and communication to employees who work in different locations. Conference calling

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528-723: A technical specification (TS 24.147) for conferencing within the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), SIP Events, the Session Description Protocol (SDP) and the Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP, aka RFC4582). Hook flash On analog telephone lines with special services, a flash or register-recall signal is used to control functions on

572-458: A topic. Silence is often used to indicate agreement to this final formalization. Turns within a topic are expected to be related to previous turns of the topic as a whole. In settings turns are long and more loosely related to the previous turns. In these cases, the speaker may introduce the subject matter of the turn and related it to the agenda topic. Conference call A conference call (sometimes called an audio teleconference or ATC )

616-601: A variety of features. Conference calls are also beginning to cross over into the world of podcasting and social networking , which in turn fosters new kinds of interaction patterns. Live streaming or broadcasting of conference calls allows a larger audience access to the call without dialing into a bridge. In addition, organizers of conference calls can publish a dial-in number alongside the audio stream, creating potential for audience members to dial in and interact. The UK government has changed flexible working rights since 2014, so that employees who have been working full-time for

660-420: Is a telephone call in which several people share a telephone line at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into the call and cannot speak. The more limited three-way calling is available (usually at an extra charge) on home or office phone lines. For a three-way call, the first called party

704-407: Is dialed. Then the hook flash button (or recall button) is pressed and the other called party 's phone number is dialed. While it is ringing, flash/recall is pressed again to connect the three people together. This option allows callers to add a second outgoing call to an already connected call. Conference calls can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to

748-637: Is episodic in nature, and participants either develop or use specific conventions for regulating this talk." The term "meeting" may refer to a lecture (one presentation), seminar (typically several presentations, small audience, one day), conference (mid-size, one or more days), congress (large, several days), exhibition or trade show (with staffed stands being visited by passers-by), workshop (smaller, with active participants), training course , team-building session and kick-off event . Common types of meeting include: Other varieties include breakfast meetings off-site meetings (or Awayday meetings in

792-411: Is included for free to the host and participants of the conference call. A distinct difference between sound quality of paid and free conference calls has been noted by customers who have claimed to hear background noises when using the free conferencing services, which rarely happens on paid conference calling services. Here participants dial in on a premium-rate number such as a toll free number in

836-468: Is pressed) placing the current call on hold and returning a dial tone. A new number is then dialed and when the phone is hung up, the call is transferred. In European systems, pressing R before hanging up, typically retrieves the call on hold and cancels the process without transferring the call. Some PBX systems, notably in Europe, use an Earth Recall. This signal connects one leg of the telephone circuit to

880-491: Is the typical procedure in most North American networks and some office systems: The second "flash" signals the Central Office Switch to link the two active conversations, so that all three parties are connected to the same logical telephone line. In European networks an “R” button is used in combination with touch tone digits to select various call handling functions. For example: Call Waiting: Pressing

924-471: Is used would be removed. Systems were soon moved to 0844 and 0871 prefixes in order to retain the revenue sharing arrangement, this means that whilst you wouldn't pay the conference call provider directly, you would dial an expensive premium-rate number to access your conference call. Recently in the UK, a very small number of conference call providers have begun to use 03 numbers, which are included in bundled minutes under Ofcom regulations. This has provided

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968-435: Is viewed as a primary means of cutting travel costs and allowing workers to be more productive by not having to go out-of-office for meetings. Conference calls are used by nearly all United States public corporations to report their quarterly results. These calls usually allow for questions from stock analysts and are called earnings calls . A standard conference call begins with a disclaimer stating that anything said in

1012-406: The "R" button. These signals perform similar functions, but are not necessarily identical. The flash signal briefly disconnects the local loop circuit by momentarily depressing the hook switch or using a dedicated button. In systems influenced by American standards, the switching system will accept quite a long disconnection time, within a duration between 300  ms and 1000 ms, typical of

1056-478: The R button during a call usually places the call on hold and returns a dial tone. A second number can then be dialed. Calls can then be toggled between with R2 or conferenced together with R3. On Centrex lines, PBX systems and VoIP ATAs a hook flash or the R-button is also used to perform call transfer (blind or with an enquiry) on analog extensions. During a call the hook is flashed (manually or Flash or R

1100-575: The Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC mandated that terminating access rates for all calls (not just conference calls) be leveled in 2012 and 2013, then reduced in three increments over the subsequent three years until they reached $ 0 in 2017. These mostly sub-1 cent charges are replaced with an access recovery charge (ARC) that is added onto every customers' bill by their phone carriers. In other words, every phone company will get to keep

1144-451: The UK), and " stand-up meetings " where participants stand up to encourage brevity. Since a meeting can be held once or often, the meeting organizer has to determine the repetition and frequency of occurrence of the meeting: one-time, recurring meeting, or a series meeting such as a monthly "lunch and learn" event at a company, church, club or organization in which the placeholder is the same, but

1188-503: The US. The conference is typically hosted by the party that perceives value in the call in order to justify the cost: this could be a business owner, a non-profit board member, an educator, lawyer, or expert in any given field. That person then usually pays for the cost of the call. Premium conferencing can also be used for charitable fundraisers. Premium conferencing feature sets include: The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined

1232-517: The United Kingdom, the 0870 prefix was originally used by UK-based free conference calling providers in order to receive a rebate from every call from a telephone company that owns the number. However, in April 2009 Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, announced that the rebate that is payable to the telecom's supplier when an 0870 number

1276-412: The agenda and topics to be covered vary. In Russian, a "flying meeting" ( Russian : летучий митинг , romanized :  letuchij miting ) is a hastily called brief meeting. Meetings have been studied using conversation analysis . Meetings are thought of as a distinct speech exchange system with different norms and rules. Participants may move in and out of the conversation exchange system during

1320-501: The call to view content such as corporate reports, sales figures and company data presented by one of the participants. The main benefit is that the presenter of the document can give clear explanations about details within the document, while others simultaneously view the presentation. Care should be taken not to mix video and audio source on the same network since the video feed can cause interruptions on sound quality. Business conference calls are usually hosted or operator-assisted, with

1364-405: The call; however, participants are usually able to call into the conference call themselves by dialing a telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge," which is a specialized type of equipment that links telephone lines. Companies commonly use a specialized service provider who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial to access

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1408-404: The customer for the conference service. With free conference calling, as mentioned above, there are no organizer fees so these services do not double-dip: the consumer pays for a regular call with the same three components – origination, transport, and termination – of any call. In other words, the call costs the same as any other call under the customer's calling plan, but the conferencing

1452-414: The duration of the call may be a forward-looking statement , and that results may vary significantly. The CEO , CFO, or investor relations officer then will read the company's quarterly report. Lastly, the call is opened for questions from analysts. Conference calls are increasingly used in conjunction with web conferences, where presentations or documents are shared via the internet. This allows people on

1496-509: The functions of the register are carried out by software and computer hardware, but in previous generations of electromechanical exchanges, using technology such as crossbar or reed relay , the register was often a system of analog electronics or even relay logic. The term "flash" or "hook flash" is commonly used in North America, while in Europe a similar signal is referred to as a register-recall or more commonly "Recall" or simply

1540-440: The ground momentarily to signal the exchange. It's usually not used in public two-wire networks, but was common in analog office systems. Many European telephones have a switch to configure the R button to perform this function instead of a timed break recall. A related service was often found on payphones in Europe and some other parts of the world where a Follow on Call (FC) button was often provided. While similar in some ways to

1584-593: The line, while a short pulse from a European phone may be ignored by a North American switching system. Many modern telephones, sold across multiple markets, allow the end user to define the flash time in software or with a switch setting. For example, some devices allow this to be set between 90 ms and 1000 ms. This means that the phone can be configured to be used with various public PSTN networks, PABX and business systems, or devices like analog telephone adaptors (ATAs) used for connecting simple analog telephones to Voice over IP (VoIP) services. A common use of

1628-481: The line. The switchhook is the device that senses whether the handset or receiver is in its cradle. The term "flash" originated from the cord circuit of the early telephone switchboard that telephone company operators used to connect calls. The calling party and called party each had an indicator light on the cord circuit . When the subscriber cycled the telephone on-hook/off-hook, the light would flash. Actors in old movies often demonstrate this method, seeking

1672-457: The meeting or conference call. These service providers can often dial-out to participants, connecting them to call and introducing them to the parties who are on-the-line. The operators can also take additional information such as question and answer details and also enable and disable advanced conferencing features such as muting lines, muting participants and enabling a recording feature. An operator can often be summoned to conference call hosted by

1716-428: The meeting. A meeting will often have a chair who has some control over the discussion in the meeting. The chair may have a superior position in a social hierarchy or be appointed as a facilitator. The beginning of the meeting speech exchange system is often indicated by nonverbal cues, or stating the purpose of the meeting. In formal meetings, the chair has control over turn-taking in a conversation. In informal meetings

1760-403: The option to hold conference calls without any costs whatsoever, as call are included in the minutes bundles provided by most UK network operators. There is a general trend for companies in the UK to more to 03 numbers for inbound services because these numbers are more palatable to the caller. Flat-rate conferencing services are being offered which give unlimited access to a conference bridge at

1804-521: The participants covers the cost of the conference service. With this service type there is no monthly charge and usually no contracts to sign. Prepaid conference call services allow businesses and individuals to purchase conferencing services online, and conduct conference calls on a pay-as-you-go basis. Typically, a conference call PIN and its associated calling instructions are displayed immediately online after being purchased and/or sent via email. Generally, prepaid conference call services are used with

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1848-401: The participants often decide for themselves who turn taking functions with the chair occasionally intervening. Non-verbal communication with the chair may be used to take a turn. Often the chair will control the choice of topic of discussion, different chairs will control the conversation in different ways. A pre-closing formulation is an individual's summarization of the groups understanding of

1892-402: The public telephone exchange , PBX or VoIP ATA . The term "register-recall" in Europe refers to sending a discrete signal to alert the "register" — the logical system controlling a telephone exchange, that it should accept commands from the end user in the middle of a call. The register was normally disconnected from the circuit once a call was setup. In contemporary telephone systems,

1936-486: The terminating access charges they had to pay out to connect each call while charging consumers more whether they make calls or not. This order has been challenged at the Federal Appeals Court by several parties. As for revenue sharing, the order adds a measure for high volume call traffic which triggers an immediate terminating access charge reduction to the lowest rate of any carrier in that state. In

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