Rules for using Speaker Phone

If your office is anything like mine, a lot of people use speaker phone. Whether its to be hands free to also type, or just easier for them or whatever, speaker phone is used a lot.  But what speaker phone users don't understand is that using speaker phone alienates many other coworkers.  I propose the following set of rules for speaker phone users.

1. You must be in an office, not out in cubicle land. If you don't have an office and must use speaker phone, go find a conference room. Or look into getting a handsfree headset.
2. Close the office door
3. If the person you are speaking with is close enough to hear you without the phone, go to his/her office and have an inperson conversation.
4. Do not yell. The microphone is plenty sensitive.
5. Turn the volume down low enough that the rest of the office cannot hear your conversation.
6. If you don't want the whole office to hear you, take it off speaker.

As a reminder ... using speaker phone does NOT make you appear smarter, cooler, or more powerful. Even chimps at the zoo can press a button to activate speaker phone.