It is interesting to join conference calls in any organisation, whether for product briefings, management updates or project co-ordination you nearly always end up more knowledgeable at then end of the call compared to the start. Regular users will recognise one aspect of this technology that many participants have failed to come to terms with:The mute function
It is amazing how many conference calls are disrupted by attendees who fail either to understand the mute function of the application or phone or worse still simply don't care that their heavy breathing is distracting.
Whether it is the sound of children playing, a family arguing or the dog barking as he demands his owner takes him our for a walk - in an conference call environment these are all major distractions when the majority are trying to follow a speaker who may be presenting in a second language or worse still may be a member of the marketing department (I josh).
This technology, which is often used for training needs, also needs to be better explained to newbies (or oldies) so that it can be used more effectively.
'Woof Woof' - here Fido, walkies.......
