acoustic intelligence for smarter working
TRANSCRIPT
Acoustic Intelligence for Smarter Working
Richard RogersHead of B2B Marketing, Europe & Africa
September 2014
For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Smarter Working is on the riseCollaboration Must Be Easy:
• New workspaces in and outside the office
• Explosion of virtual collaboration tools & technologies to learn
• New behaviours to master
For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Acoustic Challenges of Modern Work Often Overlooked
For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Space Telecoms Personal
Acoustic Intelligence Framework to Improve your Business Communication
Spaces
Workspaces are changingNew Style Offices
Working from “Elsewhere”
Increasing Noise Challenges
• Impact of acoustics often overlooked in modern office design
• Reduced privacy
Biggest Complaints of Office Workers:
Source: University of California, Berkeley (2007)
1. Noise2. Lack of Speech
Privacy
70% of office workers believe they would be more productive in a less noisy environmentSource: American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) (1997)
81% of Managers are unconcerned about office noise
Source: Occupational Health & Safety Magazine (2002) [follow-up ASID Study]
Acoustic Challenges Inside the “New” Office• Less physical barriers in
open plan designs
• Lack of sound absorption material used on ceiling, walls & floors
• Speech being too intelligible:
• Limited private spaces
• Workstations design (partitions)
• No management of variable noise levels
Acoustic Shielding to Manage Noise in the officeProvide Superb acoustic performance for a optimal working environment based on Acoustics “ABC”:
• Absorption
• Blocking
• Cover
Address Speech Privacy with Wireless Headsets
Active noise-canceling technology to help focus better in noisy environments
Telecoms
Business communication is evolving rapidly• Explosion of mobile devices
• Multiple platforms for telephony
• Unified Communications
• Increasing network challenges
• Diverse set of work locations
Professional Headsets Enhance Telecommunications Speech Quality
Improves a Wideband Communications System
Reduces Transmission of Background Noise
Enables High Sound Quality & Naturalness
Minimises Double Talk Interference
Adapted from: Advanced speech quality testing of modern communication equipment: An overview, H.W. Gierlich & F. Kettler (2005) [HEAD Acoustics GMBH]
A professional headset provides a superior wideband experience to a traditional handset• Headset provides tighter
coupling to the ear
• This prevents lower frequency sound “leaking”
• Headset user enjoys richer, more natural sound
Source: H.W. Gierlich, HEAD Acoustics (2005))
Background Noise Reduction• Background noise impacts
speech intelligibility
• Technology in a professional headset works to cancel out this noise
• Receiver hears more of speaker’s voice in relation to surrounding background noise
Advanced Noise Cancelling with Voyager Legend
3x Mics cancel out background and wind noise for professional sound, calling from anywhere
Headset speaker specification & frequency supported are key factors• Reference frequency
ranges:• Human ear - 12 Hz to 20
kHz
• Narrowband telephony- 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz
• Wideband telephony - 150 Hz to 6.8 kHz
• Hi-Fi Sound - 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Plantronics Blackwire Stereo Headsets>Speakers specification 20Hz to 20kHz for more “natural”
sound and a richer Hi-Fi multimedia experience>“Dynamic EQ” feature– the speakers adjust frequency
response to optimise for telephony or listening to multimedia
Blackwire 720 Blackwire 520 Blackwire 320Blackwire 725
Reducing double-talk (echo) on the call• Professional audio devices
include echo cancellation technology
• Echo cancellation prevent sound coming through the headset speaker being picked up by the microphone and re-transmitted back to the person talking
Personal
Smarter Working requires:Higher levels of virtual collaboration
• Voice is a critical component collaboration technology
• Different from traditional face-to-face communications
3 critical factors to optimise:
1. Audio Ergonomics
2. Voice Intelligibility
3. Speech Impact
Virtual interaction is Fundamentally Different
Voice OnlyFace-to-Face Voice Only
Body Language
55%Face To Face: Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent messages. Wadsworth, Belmont, California.
Telephone: Mehrabian, Albert & Morton Wiener (1967): Decoding of inconsistent communications. Journal of personality and social psychology 6(1): 109-114.
Tone of Voice 38%
Message 7%
Tone of Voice 87%
Message 13%
Audio Ergonomics – The Right Design
Wall of Ears Acoustic Sound Chamber
Iconic Designs
50+ years of Excellence in Acoustics, Ergonomics & Design
Audio Ergonomics – Comfort (Acoustic Protection)>Provide employees protection against
uncomfortable loud sounds >Noise At Work Directive (2003/10/EC) specifies
limits for long term (daily) noise exposure of employees
>Ongoing engagement with various organisation e.g. DECT Forum / TCO / HSE & WW standards
Plantronics Products for Maximum Acoustic Protection
>TCO-Edge certified>N@W compliant
>Fast-acting limiter that reduces loud noises
>Limits average sound level to 85 dB over an 8-hour
CS 510/20 Savi 740 Blackwire 720
Voice Intelligibility – The Right Technology
Mobile Devices Unified Communications
Professional Headset
Fast Internet Connection
Appropriate Workspace
Speech Impact – The Right Conversation
>Beyond voice transmit/receive>Being understood (content)>Engagement and impact (results)
>How your voice works>Lungs and cords ... keeping them fit>Power-Pace-Pitch-Pause
>Storytelling>Standing up rather than sitting
Plantronics Support
The Plantronics Proposition:
• International experience with recent office re-designs and Smarter Working to learn from
• 50+ years expertise experience in personal device acoustics
• Innovative audio devices to help associates manage disruptive sound in the modern workspace