Shared workspaces are great for focus and company, but calls are where they get tested. A client on the other end does not care that you work in a lively room. They notice echo, a dim face, a coffee grinder in the background, or you asking "sorry, can you repeat that?" three times.
The good news is that sounding professional from a shared space comes down to preparation and a few habits. Here is what works, whether you are on a quick phone call or a long video meeting.
Pick the right spot for the call
Not every call needs a private room, and not every call belongs at your desk. Match the space to the call.
- Short check-ins and voice notes: a few minutes at your desk with a headset is usually fine, as long as you keep your voice low.
- Calls longer than ten or fifteen minutes: move to a phone booth. You will relax more, and so will the people around you.
- Client meetings, interviews and group calls: book a meeting room. You get a door, a table for notes and space to share your screen without hunching over a laptop.
- Presentations and webinars you host: a closed room with a stable setup, booked with some buffer time before and after.
If you know your week has heavy call days, plan them. Booking a room ahead is easier than hunting for a free booth five minutes before a meeting.
Get your audio right first
People forgive slightly grainy video much more easily than bad sound. Most of the professional impression you make on a call comes from audio.
- Use a headset or earbuds with a microphone. Laptop microphones pick up the whole room. A mic close to your mouth picks up mostly you.
- Turn on noise suppression. Most video call apps have a setting for it. Test it once with a colleague so you know how you sound.
- Mute when you are not speaking in group calls, and learn the keyboard shortcut so you can react quickly.
- Avoid speakerphone anywhere outside a closed room. It creates echo for the other side and noise for everyone near you.
- Keep a backup. Wireless earbuds have a habit of dying mid-sentence. A simple wired pair in your bag solves that.
Look good on video without a studio
You do not need special equipment to look clear and calm on camera. A few adjustments make most of the difference.
- Face the light. Sit so that a window or a lamp is in front of you, not behind you. Light from behind turns you into a silhouette.
- Raise the camera to eye level. Put your laptop on a stand or a few books so people are not looking up at you.
- Check your background. A plain wall or a tidy corner works best. If people walk behind you, use a light background blur rather than a busy virtual background.
- Frame yourself. Head and shoulders, with a little space above your head.
- Close extra tabs and notifications before you share your screen.
A five-minute pre-call check
Five minutes before an important call, run through this:
- Check your connection and pause anything that uses a lot of bandwidth, like large uploads or cloud sync.
- Plug in your laptop or make sure the battery is well charged.
- Open the meeting link, test your microphone and camera, and select the right input device.
- Have your notes, documents and any links you will share open in one window.
- Put your phone on silent and turn off desktop notifications.
Working across time zones? Double-check the meeting time in both zones. Albania uses Central European Time, with daylight saving time in summer, and missing a call because of a time zone slip is the least professional look of all.
Be a good neighbour in a shared space
Sounding professional also means not becoming the person everyone else has to work around. Simple etiquette keeps the space pleasant for you and for others.
- Keep your voice at normal conversation level. Headsets often make people speak louder than they need to.
- Do not take long calls at open desks, even if the room seems quiet at that moment.
- Respect booking times. If your meeting runs over and someone is waiting for the room or booth, wrap up or move.
- Leave the booth or room as you found it: chair back, table clear, cups out.
Taking calls at n'Zon
At n'Zon Coworking Space Tirana, in Myslym Shyri, the space is set up with calls in mind. There are phone booths for private conversations, two meeting rooms you can book for client meetings and interviews, and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout. If you work from one of the open desks, a booth is only a few steps away when a call runs long. Teams who spend most of the day on calls often prefer a private office, where the door closes and the setup stays in place.
Because n'Zon is open 24 hours a day, you can also take early or late calls with clients in other time zones without doing them from your kitchen table.
Want to see the booths and meeting rooms before your next important call? Get in touch or come by for a day and try the setup yourself.