| Much of what is heard in office settings that is considered a distraction is not absolutely loud, but relatively loud. In other words, the distraction is louder than everything else in the environment at that time. In fact, in quiet, workplace conditions, freedom from conversational distractions may only be achievable by increasing the levels of background sound, not by decreasing them. It’s like the old adage: “It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop.”It isn’t the absolute “loudness” of the pin drop, but rather the absolute “quiet” of the environment that permits the pin drop to be heard. Therefore, to overcome distractions you must add a comfortable non-intrusive background sound that covers or masks noises and conversations. |
