Taking Video Calls From a Shared Space

What do the people on the other end of your call actually notice? Not your laptop model or the décor behind you. They notice whether they can hear you clearly, whether your picture freezes, and whether there is a distracting conversation going on in the background. Get those three things right and almost any shared space can work for video calls.

This guide walks through the practical setup, from choosing where to sit to protecting the privacy of the people around you.

Choose the right spot for the call

Not every call needs a closed room, but most active ones do. A simple way to decide:

Before you join a space, check how many booths there are compared with the number of members, and whether meeting rooms are easy to book at short notice. Our guide to phone booths in coworking spaces covers what makes a good one. If your day is full of calls, this matters more than almost any other feature.

Audio first, then everything else

Bad audio ruins a call faster than bad video. In a shared space, it is also how you avoid disturbing others.

Use a proper headset

Your laptop microphone picks up the whole room: keyboards, conversations, the coffee machine. A headset with a microphone close to your mouth, ideally on a small boom, captures your voice and little else. Wireless earbuds work in quiet booths but tend to struggle with background noise on an open floor.

Turn on noise suppression

Most video call apps have a noise suppression setting. Set it to its strongest level when you are in a shared space. It filters out typing and nearby voices remarkably well, though it is no substitute for a quiet room.

Speak at a normal volume

People in booths often talk louder than they need to, especially with noise-cancelling headphones that make their own voice sound quieter. Do a short test with a colleague or record yourself once, and trust the microphone.

Mute by default

On larger calls, stay muted when you are not speaking. It prevents surprises when someone walks past your booth or a door closes loudly.

Camera, light and background

You do not need studio quality, just a picture that does not distract.

• Raise the camera to eye level. A laptop stand or a stack of books stops people looking up your nose.
• Face the light. Sit with a window or lamp in front of you or to the side, never directly behind you, or you will appear as a silhouette.
• Check your background. In a booth, it is usually a plain wall, which is ideal. On an open floor, other people may walk behind you or appear on camera without having agreed to it.
• Use background blur when needed. It protects others' privacy and keeps attention on you. A plain virtual background works too, though it can flicker around the edges.
• Look at the camera when making an important point, not at the faces on your screen.

A stable connection

Shared Wi-Fi is usually good in a well-run coworking space, but you are sharing it with everyone else. A few habits reduce the risk of freezing at the worst moment:

1. Close apps that sync or upload in the background before an important call.
2. Use a wired connection if the space offers ethernet at desks or in meeting rooms.
3. Keep mobile data ready as a backup, with enough allowance to hotspot for an hour.
4. Join a few minutes early to check audio, video and screen sharing.
5. If your video stutters, turn it off before your audio starts breaking up.

If you are new to the city, our guide to internet in Tirana explains what to expect and how to set up a reliable backup.

Privacy and confidentiality

A shared space means shared ears and, sometimes, shared eyes. Treat client information with care.

• Watch what is on screen. If you share your screen in an open area, people behind you can read it. A privacy filter on your laptop helps.
• Avoid names and numbers in calls taken outside a closed room. Discuss sensitive details in a meeting room.
• Do not record others. If you record a call, make sure nobody else in the space is captured in the video or audio.
• Remember that booths are not soundproof. They reduce noise but rarely eliminate it. Keep that in mind for anything truly confidential.

Being a good neighbour

Call etiquette is a big part of general coworking etiquette, and our guide to the unwritten rules covers the rest. For calls specifically:

• Book booths and rooms for the time you need, and leave on time.
• Do not use a booth for long stretches of quiet work while others wait to make calls.
• Step away from the open floor before a call starts, not after you have said hello.
• Keep your headphones in until you have fully left the call, so the audio does not suddenly play out loud.

With a good headset, the right spot and a minute of preparation, your calls from a shared space can sound as professional as any office. Most of the work is in the habits, and they quickly become second nature.