This is a continuation of my Classic Workplace Moves series. Pretty much every time I have a conference call with more than 10 people, there is always one person who is breathing heavy into the phone. It is hard to follow a conversation with the breathing, chewing and wheezing that this person is emitting. It causes me to try to understand the cause…
- Are they a big Darth Vader fan?
- Is the microphone actually IN their mouth?
- Did they just come from a tough work out?
- Are they trying to flirt with the rest of us?
I think heaving breathing on a call is like having bad breath where everyone else notices it except for the person who is the cause.
As I see it there are really only two options (1) Ignore them and try to talk over it or (2) Say something. I have to believe that many people use #2 but then I would expect this trend to stop as people become aware but it never does.
Now lets just hope I am not the heavy breather myself and no one has told me…
