“Stop talking and put someone competent on the phone. I’m tired of listening to your crap,” he screamed. I could hear it right through the office wall.

Can you hear people talking in the office next to you? Do you hear mumbling, or can you hear each and every word they say? Do the walls generally muffle the sound but allow you to hear when someone gets upset and starts speaking in an angry voice?

You can put up with the noise if it’s just you. In fact, you might enjoy eavesdropping on your neighbor. I heard some pretty juicy stuff in an executive suite office in New York not very long ago. I loved it.

Worst case, when it gets really noisy, you can insert your earbuds, turn up the music, and be more productive than usual as you rock to the beat.

However, the noise does present some issues when you’re meeting with clients. Your clients, overhearing the voices in the next room, logically assume that what’s said to you can be overheard as well. They worry about the confidentiality of your conversations. That’s a problem in a private attorney-client conversation.

Ways to Keep Your Clients’ Secrets Safe and Sound

What do you do about the noise?

First off, you need to think about noise any time you move to a new space. There are things that you can do when buildings are updated for a new tenant. For instance:

• Walls can run all the way to the actual ceiling rather than being cut off at the drop ceiling.
• Extra insulation can be packed into the walls between rooms.
• Special seals can be inserted between the end of the walls and windows shared by two rooms.
• Wiring outlets can be specially insulated.
• Insulation can be packed on top of the drop ceiling.
• White noise systems can be installed in the ceiling. These systems are expensive but can be negotiated as part of the lease terms and paid for monthly in many instances.

How to Drown Out the Noise

But what if you’re already in a noisy suite? What if it’s too late to build the suite out correctly in an effort to abate noise?

That’s where the Marmac Sound Conditioner comes in. We’ve used these devices for many years when we’ve rented spaces in places like Regus and other executive suite facilities. They aren’t as good as insulating the walls and ceiling, but they’re as good as it gets when you don’t have control over the construction of your space.

We’ve sometimes put one unit in the office and have doubled up with a second unit when the walls are particularly thin. They work. Somehow, the white noise drowns out the other noise and makes it feel like the suite is really quiet. I’m not sure how adding more noise makes it feel quieter, but somehow it does. I think there’s some kind of trickery going on your brain when white noise is involved.

The key is to make sure you’ve got an office space that makes clients comfortable talking about their most private issues. Take some sound advice and be sure your space is quiet enough for the sharing of confidential communications. Don’t let the loud person in the suite next door damage your clients’ confidence in your ability to keep a secret.