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I was in a meeting this morning with a client, which included remote participants who dialed in via conference call. One of the key participants also dialed in from his car as he was driving to the office.
I was struck by the audible cues we all had as he approached.
We heard the car door open, and the ding ding reminding him his keys were still in the ignition. The building is near a small airport and we heard the putt putt of a private plane engine through his Bluetooth, at the same time we heard the muffled sound of the engine penetrating the confines of the of the conference room window.
We heard the echo of his voice and his steps in the stairwell, then the soft thuds as he unpacked his briefcase in his office. I found myself counting silently, to see how long it would take him to enter the conference room. I hadn't picked up on his stop at the kitchen to grab a muffin.
This is not judgemental account, just an observation. It was not distracting to the meeting - just an observation that I made.
On the other hand, I was on a non-profit board teleconference last week with about 10 people. One of the participants was 15 minutes late to the call (someone had to ping her by cell phone to remind her) and when she arrived with a flourish, the background noises were deafening. She was out to dinner and called in from the restaurant.
When I suggested that she mute the phone when she wasn't talking, she asked "how do I do that?"
Conference calls with more than 3 or 4 particpants are hard enough without constant noise and distraction. Is it too much to ask for people to be aware of how they are affecting the dynamics of the larger group? Literally, and figuratively?