41 per cent of conference calls ruined by "disrupters", finds Computing Research
Noisemakers, dominators and pessimists also strong negative types
Forty-one per cent of business conference calls are negatively impacted by "disrupter" personalities, whose habits of interrupting conversations or changing the subject have been found to directly affect the quality and outcome of a meeting.
This is according to a report produced by Computing Research in partnership with collaborative audio and video equipment firm Plantronics.
Othe typical ‘characters' discovered from the research include the "noisemaker" - who makes sure everybody knows they're on the call by rustling papers, owning a barking dog or taking the call in a train station - the "dominator", who constantly wishes to own every topic, often to the detriment of the wider conversation, and the "multitasker" - who barely listens to the call because they're too busy replying to emails, internet shopping or watching the tennis in another window.
All of these types were seen as largely negative influences on a business call, with "the pessimist", "the wallflower" and "the agreeable one" - who will never counteract another person's point at any cost - seen as slightly less negative, but still in no way supplying a positive impact on a conversation.
At the same time, 57 per cent of those questioned said meetings "lacked focus", and that they were worried about people going on tangents. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of those questioned said attendees often failed to read any provided materials prior to meetings.
The report, then, acknowledges that non-face-to-face meetings remain an obstacle to be overcome, but that the huge cost-savings that can be gained from using audio and video equipment should vastly outstrip the negatives.
"It is time to put these concerns to rest. Perfectly good audio and visual technology can be purchased at reasonable cost. And providing proper safeguards are put in place, companies can get all of the benefits of working remotely without any of the hassles," says the report.
"Many of the issues around using conferencing technology are cultural rather than technological. Given the potential savings in time and resources, organisations are encouraged to invest in proper training so that more employees can see the benefits of technology for themselves."