How to minimize background noise when working from home

There can be all sorts of background noise when you are on a call

Whether you are on a video call, a teleconference, or just a plain old telephone call, you want to minimize background noise.

If you’ve got something to say, you want to be heard, and you don’t want to have to ask people to repeat themselves.

Likewise, you don’t want any unexpected or irritating distractions interfering with your call.

You may not be able to plan for every contingency, such as the neighbor starting up their lawn mower or leaf blower when you are in the middle of an earnest discussion, but you can do a few things to minimize background noise:

• Let other people in your household know you are about to make a call (ask them to be quiet).

• Turn off any sources of noise – music, TV, etc.

• Put your phone on silent.

• Turn off the volume on your laptop so others don’t hear your email alerts or another incoming call.

• Make sure your furry friends are happy and not likely to disturb you mid-call.

• Use a good headset so that there is no white noise or echoing. There are headsets available with noise-cancelling microphones.

• Close doors or windows that might let in outside noise.

• Use the mute button when you are not talking.

• Move to another location.

• Make sure your fan or heating system isn't generating too much noise – you may want to turn it down or off for the duration of a call.

• Schedule your calls at times you know will be quieter.

And, like most other things in life, there are apps that can help with noise cancellation.

Be mindful of your environment and the noises that could be amplified or unwanted during a call. Minimizing background noise will reduce distractions and help make your conference calls as beneficial as possible.

Have a quiet day!