When I’m in conversation with someone it’s usually quite easy to hear them. That’s partly because we normally face each other. But if I turned and spoke off to the side or in the opposite direction the other person might find it hard to hear me. Ideally, position your microphone in front of you at a distance of 6” - 12”, and speak directly into the front of the mic. This will ensure your voice is picked up clearly and easily heard by other participants on the conference call. But if you need to put the mic to one side of your laptop, make sure the front is pointing at your mouth. Don't get super close to a condenser microphone or your voice will probably sound very bassy or a bit muddy. This could make your voice difficult to hear properly on a video conference call. If you are in a huddle room with a central omnidirectional microphone you can improve your audibility by speaking towards the microphone rather than facing the video monitor and camera.