Guidelines for Recording Conversations

If your recording contains other people’s voices, your feedback report won’t reflect your speaking style accurately.

To avoid recording other people’s voices, wear headphones or an earpiece microphone that will record only your voice.

Is it illegal to record other people’s voices without their permission?

It depends!

In the U.S., your state may require one of the following:

  • “Two-party” or “all-party” consent: You need the permission of all participants to record a conversation.

  • Single-partyconsent: You’re the only participant who’s required to know that a conversation is being recorded.

Some states have additional rules depending on the setting:

  • In-person vs. virtual

  • Public location vs. private location

We recommend a simple approach: Always inform all participants at the start or in advance of the conversation that you’re recording the audio.

Most legal experts agree that implied consent is sufficient, meaning that you don’t need other participants to sign a waiver or say “I agree to be recorded.”

For example, there’s implied consent if a participant stays on a phone call after hearing “This call may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes.”

3 ways to ask for consent to record

  • In writing: Include a disclaimer on a calendar invite or sign-up form.

    • Example: “This presentation will be recorded for training purposes.”

  • Visually: Show an on-screen message during a virtual conversation.

    • Example: “This meeting is being recorded for training purposes.”

  • Verbally: Tell the other participants out loud.

    • Example: “I’m recording this call for training purposes. Is now still a good time for us to speak?”

    • Example: “I like to record my meetings so I can focus on our conversation instead of taking notes. Is that okay with you?”