cell phone etiquette

CELL PHONE ETIQUETTE

In All Situations: -Use caller ID to determine whether to answer a call. If it is urgent or you don’t risk offending anyone with your conversation, take the call.

*If you’re with a group of people, excuse yourself before taking the call and step away from the group so they don’t have to listen to your conversation or attempt to talk over your voice.

*When possible put a distance of 10 feet or two arm’s length from other people when using the phone.

*Use voice mail to leave a brief message if the recipient doesn’t answer.

*Don’t talk loudly or shout into your phone. If the connection is poor, yelling won’t improve the signal strength.*Avoid using profanity in public, no matter what vocal volume you use.

*Select a non-offensive ringtone. Anything else parks you as a juvenile.

*Consider removing your Bluetooth earpiece when you are not planning to use it. You are plenty cool without it.

*If you are uncertain about whether to mute or turn off your phone, err on the side of courtesy by turning it off or putting it into vibrate or silent mode.

In the office:

*Set your cell phone to silent or vibrate mode during meetings. Taking calls during meetings sends the message that the caller is more important than those in the room.

*If you are expecting an important phone call that may come during a meeting, inform participants at the start that you may need to step out to take the call.

*If you are the one making a presentation, don’t stop to answer your phone if it does ring.

In Restaurants:*Turn off your cell phone or set to vibrate only. *If you are expecting a call that you must take, inform your dining praters ahead of time. *If the call comes, excuse yourself leave the table, and go outside or to a location that won’t annoy other diners. *Make the call as brief as possible.

*With a date or business contact, there are few calls that are more important than the people you are with.

*If your phone does vibrate, you’ll impress them by silencing it, ignoring it, or looking at the caller ID and stating you will call the person back later.

In Transit:*If not prohibited by the transit authority or carrier, speak with a normal volume level.

*Imagine having a conversation with the person next to you; there is no need to shout.*Observe the laws of your state when driving. The safest choice is to not use the phone at all.