Should you tell friends when they’re on speakerphone?
Q: Do you have to tell people when they’re on speakerphone?
A: Common courtesy for the people on the other end of the line always dictates that you immediately tell them they are on speakerphone. It’s incredibly embarrassing, sometimes for both parties, when people utter something that they would prefer not be said via speaker for others to hear. This goes for both business and personal situations.
A great way to handle it goes something like this, “Hi Andy, it’s Courtney. I hope you don’t mind — I have you on speakerphone as I am currently driving and am alone in the car.”
Which brings me to the second point. Not only do you immediately notify people when they are on speakerphone, but it’s important to ask if they are comfortable with that. They may ask you to call back later when you are alone.
— Courtney Fadler, etiquette expert and owner of Courtney Fadler Etiquette
A: If you’re at home alone and chatting on the phone, it’s your choice whether or not to inform callers that they’re on speakerphone. Who else is going to hear them gossip about stalking their high school nemesis’s LinkedIn profile? Sometimes it’s just easier to leave the speaker on so you can go about your daily chores as they yap away.
When others are around, however, that’s a different story. It’s common courtesy to let callers know that they’re on speakerphone, so that they don’t unknowingly embarrass themselves. After nearly a year of being in a pandemic, many folks have learned how to practice proper etiquette when it comes to remote working and Zoom meetings.
I’d like to think that we can at least extend that grace when it comes down to something as simple as letting callers know their phone conversation is being made public.