Speaker Phone Etiquette

The ONLY acceptable, civilized use of speakerphone functionality is when there is an announcement that needs to be made to a large group of people who cannot be present, so you have them sit in a conference room while the speakerphone in the middle broadcasts your statement live. It is NOT acceptable to then open the floor to discussion afterwards, make the announcement and end the call/break the meeting.

"i can't hear you ..."
"I'M ON THE SPEAKER"
"what?"
"THE SPEEEAAAKKER"
"what?"

- Checking your voicemail when you're ALONE in your office.

- Calling the time and temperature number as you're getting dressed.

- Monitoring the Chuck Mangione while on hold with tech support.

We had a really nice speakerphone at one place I worked that totally was useful. My boss used to mute it and we'd make fun of people.

i hate him!!!!

Larry (in his car): Yeah, but I gotta ask Hitler.

*overheard outrage*

SNEAKER PHONE ETIQUETTE

I do this too for the same reason..

aaagh

yeah really!

I am still totally otm

the guy next to me takes 95% of all calls on speaker. i don't understand it.

speaking to people on speaker phone in a large room (warehouse) too many times today
feels like talking to other side of the world
also i feel like certain american drawls are not meant to be on speaker phone. and i dig american drawls. but then maybe no voices, regardless of accent, are meant for speaker phones. i guess one gets used to it noooo
xpost
yeah tombot still totally otm

i dont know. in my job i sometimes have 5 or 6 hour long conference calls a day. what am i supposed to do? hold a phone to my ear for 6 hours.

Although I will say, when I speak on these calls I switch off mute and pick up the handset. This is more a fear of the dog barking, the doorbell ringing, one of the cats flipping out, the dog licking its butt loudly, the other phone ringing, the video game im playing not being completely on mute etc etc than it is etiquette.

i need one of those ear piece thingys.

agreed! conference calls=different set of rules, i think. the guy next to me is not on conference calls.

Conference calls = you go into a room with a door and you shut it.

but the playstation is in the living room

i need one of those ear piece thingys.

I use one of these --

http://www.howard.co.kr/computer/cordless/phones/headset/kj037.jpg

-- definitely worth every penny.

ear piece thingy! gets my vote
but then you are a person with an ear piece thingy but hey why not
xpost
prob less expensive than an ear piece. and it has a cord. blah cords

blah wireless! Wireless LANs suck, wireless internet sucks, bluetooth devices suck. When I'm making a long call and need the headset, it's because I'm sitting at the computer working, and I don't use a laptop, so I'm not wandering. Wirelessness is overrated.

no wait what i mean is just one that is a cordless headset for a regular phone. my mom has these. she breaks them every 6 months.

Oh man I wish I could play video games on conference calls

When I worked in a closet as a temp with two other people last summer, the lady in the closet would talk on speaker phone only, probably because she was a germ-phobe. It was funny, because a lot of her phone calls were about purchasing consumer goods. Once she called the drugstore Rite Aid to see if they sold laundry detergent. Lots of other times she was ordering clothes.

i work in the autoparts business and our customers use the goddamn speaker phone all the time! since what they're saying sounds muffled, their orders get cancelled because the rep gets to enter the number wrong, or they end up repeating themselves because the rep can't understand them. you wouldn't repeat yourself if you just picked up the handset! jackass!

facetime etiquette

do you have to get dressed if you're going to use it?

bands that insist on using speakerphone equal DUD

I've had disabled patients who use the speakerphone all of the time because they can't hold the phone up to their ear. (It beats having someone like me standing around and holding the phone for them. )