by Susan Hunter, Georgia SBDC prachtvolles Hotel MikonosMove over, MasterCard. The cell phone has become the number one item more and more people are finding impossible to leave home without. And don't expect the situation to lighten up any time soon. According to Roseanne Sullivan, a corporate trainer and owner of San Francisco-based Sullivan Communications, more than 76 million people have cell phones, up 300 percent over the past five years, and that number is expected to double in the next four years. Cell phones are changing the way people communicate, both in the business world and in their personal lives. Unfortunately, many cell phone users possess "wireless habits" that would otherwise be deemed unprofessional. Indeed, these days people are placing their elbows and their cell phones on the table! The war stories are endless. One workshop presenter actually witnessed a front row participant crawl under a table to answer a call. Broadway actor Laurence Fishburne became fed up with a rude patron whose cell phone rang in mid-performance of the play The Lion in Winter. The patron answered the phone and after 20 seconds of loud conversation, the actor boomed from the stage, "Will you turn off that phone, please?" Fishburne received a standing ovation. Touché! According to Peggy Post, great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post, the American icon of etiquette, nine out of ten people feel it's a putdown if they're having a conversation with someone and that person answers the phone or places a call. Post also points out that in a recent survey, 59 percent of Americans would rather visit the dentist than sit next to someone speaking on a cell phone. Hardly an event is uninterrupted by the ringing of a cell phone followed by one side of a conversation. To make matters worse, the cell phone owner often was unable to avoid the temptation of setting the ringer to play Beethoven's Fifth, "La Cucaracha," or some piercing sci-fi sound in place of the simple, somewhat less irritating "ring-ring." Fortunately, there are some basic guidelines for proper ways of handling this contemporary mode of communication. It's not surprising to find they are based on common sense and consideration for others:
- If you are expecting an unavoidable call, proper etiquette decrees that you inform others at the beginning of the meeting that the call is expected.
- If you must answer a call in the presence of others, ask the caller to hold for a moment, ask to be excused, and answer the call away from the group.
- It is poor etiquette to call others on their cell phones without their permission. Most users pay for airtime, so receiving a call can be as costly as placing one.
- Whether you are presenting at or simply attending a meeting, turn off the phone, silence the ringer, or place it in the vibrate mode until the meeting is over. If appropriate, remind others to turn off anything that beeps, rings, or buzzes.
- One-sided conversations are of little interest to others, and most people unconsciously speak louder while on a cell phone, so find a private place to carry on a conversation and speak in a lower than normal voice. A cellular phone is actually more sound and voice sensitive than a regular phone.
- Answering a cell phone while with a client indicates that the client is not the focus of attention. Such an attitude could damage a customer relationship.
- Keep the phone out of sight and the ringer at a sensible volume. If it rings, it can be heard just as well in a coat pocket or clipped to a belt as on a desk or restaurant table.
cheap hotels in EskilstunaCell phones are here to stay—it's just a matter of using them effectively and courteously. With a little awareness and consideration, this technological advancement will co-exist gracefully in the business world. > See also: Management & Leadership |
