VIDEO CONFERENCING: Audio influences what you say (and ALSO affects workplace wellbeing)

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a series of significant changes across all industry sectors and has led to clear and concise communication becoming an even more critical cog within the corporate wheel.

Virtual meetings, which might have occurred once every other month, have now became part of daily workplace procedure, for both small domestic organisations and large global corporates.

With the majority of employees now regularly attending video conferencing calls as part of their routine, audio quality during these meetings is critical, not only for clear communication, but also for a variety of other reasons, too.

Research by Newman and Schwarz found that audio, both good and bad, can have a direct impact on engagement levels, on how we are perceived and on how credible the information communicated is to the listener.

The research ‘How Audio Quality Influences Perceptions of the Research and Researcher presented identical conference talks and radio interviews in high and low quality recordings, and asked people to evaluate the researcher and research in each case. And, despite both recordings being identical apart from the audio quality of each, people voted less favourably when the audio quality was low, suggesting that it can have a direct emotional influence and impression on the listener.

Poor audio quality can also have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of staff, with poor audio contributing to fatigue and the feeling of frustration, causing a loss of productivity and motivation. Audio that is understood easily increases engagement levels and the sense of involvement, communication levels are increased and it provides a more enjoyable work environment, which is beneficial for the long-term health and happiness of an organisation and individual.

“As a market leading audio manufacturer with nearly 100-years of experience in audio clarity, it’s unsurprising to us that audio quality can have such a direct influence on a listener’s perceptions of the presenter and information presented,” said James Hill, Director of Integrated Systems at Shure.

“Clear communication is vital, not only for business success, but to also present your organisation in a professional manner and to inspire confidence in peers, colleagues and clients.

“Add to this the direct emotional connection and heightened levels of engagement that good, concise audio delivers, and it’s clear why investing in the right AV solutions can pay dividends for the long term success of a business and health and wellbeing of its workforce.”

Find out more about Shure’s conferencing solutions here.