Article: STRIKING UP A CONVERSATION ON CONFERENCE CALL ETIQUETTE ON HEARING AND BEING HEARD WITHOUT BEING SEEN

After a quick hello to Marsha, the consortium leader, I joined the conference call and settled in to listen. As a newcomer to the project, I wanted to hear the rhythm of their discussion before I said anything.

But, what was that music in the background? Classical piano is nice, but not during a six-person conversation. Someone's office CD player? But whose? No one complained.

The dialogue touched on the role of X-rays and the schedule of clinic visits to the lilting strains of Debussy's "Clair de Lune." As the leader tried to explain a complex database network, her voice rose over the chords of Rachmaninoff.

Exasperated, she pleaded, "Who has music playing?" Silence. I wasn't the only ...

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