This is a big mistake, since most of the time most of the information we get in communicating is through the ears, not through the eyes. When video and audio are compressed and transmitted, there are inevitable transmission delays and dis-synchronies between the video and audio channels. These place high demands on audio technology, and are magnified in multipoint conferences. Deficits in audio quality are further magnified by poor room design.
Few facilities are able to build telemedicine and teleconferencing suites from the ground up.
Picks up sound from all directions. Thus, if microphones are located one foot in front of each participant, they should be at least three feet apart from each other. Microphones placed too close to one another or too far away from the speaker may cause the screeching and yowling of feedback. It may seem obvious, but even experienced people make the mistake of not keeping the microphones away from noise sources in the room. When several microphones are used, a voice-activated mixer may help.