Meeting Phrase: Background Noise

Barking dogs, noisy neighbors, and unexpected sounds are part of everyday life, and they inevitably show up during video meetings. This lesson teaches you how to address background noise politely in English instead of just apologizing bluntly. Instead of saying sorry, my dog is barking, you can say apologies, there's a bit of background noise here, a phrase that works for any kind of interruption without needing to explain the specific cause. When you need to step away briefly, let me put myself on mute for a moment sounds more professional than wait, I'll mute. Returning to the call smoothly matters too: thanks for waiting, I'm back now is a warmer, more polished way to rejoin than okay, I'm back. Finally, instead of asking can we continue, shall we continue sounds more natural and courteous in a professional setting. These small phrase changes help you handle everyday interruptions gracefully, keeping meetings professional even when life happens in the background.