subject: Common Mistakes When Using A Speaker Phone [print this page] In the corporate world, it seems that more time is spent in meetings than doing "real work", especially as one moves up the management chain. It is not uncommon in some companies for managers to spend their entire day in meetings.
Depending on the size of the organization, many times it is necessary to have team members dial into the meeting. Often conference rooms are equipped with a polycom speakerphone, which is a device that looks like a three-sided boomerang with wires running from it. For larger rooms, the phone also includes extra microphones that look like a computer mouse (small palm-sized microphones with wires that run back to the main phone).
There are several advantages to using a high-quality phone like this when folks must dial into the meeting. First, the microphones are much more sensitive than the mics built into most desktop phones. Second, the extra mics provide an extended range, which is especially helpful in conference rooms with long tables, where some people are closer to the center unit than the people on the ends of the table. Lastly, they are usually sleeker than a typical desktop phone, which makes the conference table look a little classier.
There are, however, a few disadvantages to using a polycom phone. Because of the sensitivity of the mics, any extraneous noises in the room will be picked up, making it difficult for the listener to hear. Air conditioning hum, or even people talking in the next room can sometimes be picked up by the mics. Additionally, anyone tapping on the table, shuffling papers, sliding their laptop, etc., will make enough noise to drown out any other sounds coming through to the person on the phone. The microphones cannot distinguish between someone speaking at the meeting into one mic, and someone shuffling papers in another...both sounds come through equally loud to the listener. Lastly, in spite of having the mics spread around the desk, everyone in the room needs to remember that there is someone on the phone, and needs to project when they speak. Some people have naturally quiet voices, and they need to overcome that when speaking in a conference room where someone is dialed in on a polycom phone.
As a final note, when conducting a meeting when there are multiple members on a polycom conference call, be sure to be sensitive to the fact that those members cannot see. If you are gesturing to a whiteboard, holding up a sheet of paper, or other actions that cannot be seen over the phone, be sure to explain what you are doing. For example, if you are looking through a document on a projected screen and you turn the page, let the folks on the phone know what page you are currently on.
Workers can be effective, even while located remotely from the rest of the team. But technology alone is not enough to make that person a fully-functioning part of the team. It requires a little extra effort by the team members to include that person, and proper protocol when using a polycom phone is a good example of how to do that.
