# What to Say at the Start of a Zoom Call Before It Begins

While people join a video call, greet each person by name as they arrive and ask one light question, like 'How's your week going?' or 'What's the weather doing where you are?'. If you're hosting, give it a minute or two, then move on with 'Let's give it one more minute, then dive in.' Keep it short; on video, long small talk drags.

By the Speaking Coach team at Sodhera Intelligence. Updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://www.orecci.com/speaking-coach/small-talk/video-call-small-talk/

## Why the first minutes feel awkward

On a video call, there's no hallway or coffee queue before the meeting. People appear one at a time, often muted, sometimes with cameras off, while everyone waits for the last person. Two people can easily sit in silence looking at each other's tiles.

A little small talk fixes that. It doesn't need to be long; on video, one or two minutes is usually plenty.

## Greet each person as they join

The simplest habit: say each person's name as they arrive.

> "Hi Maria! Morning."
> "Hey Jon, good to see you."

It tells them their audio and video are working, makes them feel noticed, and fills the silence naturally. If you're the host, it's your job. If you're not, it's still kind.

## Openers that work on video

These are example lines. Video gives you some topics an office never does.

| Topic | Example line |
| --- | --- |
| The week | "How's your week going so far?" |
| Location and weather | "What's the weather like where you are? It's grey here." |
| Their background | "Is that a real bookshelf or a background? It looks great." |
| Time zones | "Is it early for you? I know you're three hours behind." |
| A pet or child appearing | "Who's that in the background? Is that your dog?" |
| The meeting itself | "Did you get a chance to look at the draft?" |
| Callbacks | "Did you get the house move done last week?" |

Time zones and weather are especially good on video, because people really are in different places. "Is it already dark there?" is a genuine question, not filler.

## By type of call

**One-to-one with a colleague**
A minute of personal chat is normal: weekends, plans, a callback to last time. Then: "Okay, shall we start with the project update?"

**Team call, people trickling in**
Talk to whoever's there. A light group question works: "Anyone doing anything nice this weekend?" Let people answer in any order; don't call on someone who might be multitasking.

**Client or external call**
Keep it warm but shorter. Comment on something neutral, like their location or the week, and follow their lead. If they want to chat, chat. If they're brisk, move to the agenda. See [how much small talk before a sales or client call](/speaking-coach/small-talk/sales-call-small-talk/).

**Large call (ten or more people)**
Small talk mostly happens in the chat, or between a couple of people. If you're hosting, a simple welcome is enough: "Morning everyone, we'll give it two minutes for people to join."

**Job interview on video**
Expect a few seconds of small talk, then follow the interviewer's lead. A simple "Hi, thanks for having me. I'm well, how's your day going?" is enough. See [video interview tips](/speaking-coach/interviews/video-interview/).

## Moving from chat to the agenda

The host should end the small talk clearly so it doesn't drag. Useful lines:

> "Let's give it one more minute for Sam, then dive in."
> "I think we've got everyone. Shall we get started?"
> "I'm conscious of time, so let's jump in. Maria, do you want to kick off?"

If you're not the host and it's dragging, you can help: "Shall we start? I can catch Sam up afterwards."

## When someone joins late

Don't restart the small talk. A quick greeting and a short catch-up keeps the meeting moving:

> "Hi Sam. We've just started on the budget. You haven't missed much."

## Small things that make the start easier

- **Join a minute early,** with camera on if your team usually uses cameras.
- **Unmute to say hi,** then mute again if there's background noise.
- **Look at the camera** when you greet people, not at your own tile. It reads as eye contact. More in [eye contact on video calls](/speaking-coach/guides/eye-contact-on-video-calls/).
- **Have your opener ready** for the people you know, especially a callback.

## Mistakes to avoid

| Mistake | Why it hurts | Instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Silence until the host speaks | Feels cold and awkward | Greet people by name |
| Long personal chat with one person while others wait | Others feel left out | Keep it to a group-friendly topic |
| Five minutes of small talk on a 30-minute call | Eats the meeting | One or two minutes, then start |
| Commenting on someone's home or appearance | Can feel intrusive | Ask about the weather or their week |
| Talking while someone has a frozen screen | They miss it | "I think you froze. Can you hear us?" |

## Practice the first minute

If the first minute of calls always feels stiff, practise two openers and one "Let's get started" line out loud. It sounds simple, but saying them a few times makes them come out smoothly. You can describe the call to Speaking Coach, and an AI partner plays the colleague or client who joins early.

## Questions people ask

### What do you say at the start of a Zoom meeting?

Greet each person by name as they join, ask a light question about their week or the weather where they are, and then move to the agenda after a minute or two.

### How long should small talk last on a video call?

Usually one or two minutes. On a short call, less. Follow the most senior person's or the client's lead.

### What do you say when only two people are on a call waiting for others?

Ask about their week, their location or something they mentioned last time. "Is it early for you?" works well across time zones.

### How do I end small talk and start the meeting?

Say it clearly: "Let's give it one more minute, then dive in," or "I think we've got everyone. Shall we start?"

### Should I turn my camera on for small talk?

Follow your team's norm. If cameras are usually on, joining with yours on makes the opening chat feel much more natural.

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