Cell Phone Savvy

Greetings!

This edition is about etiquette's hot topic-cell phone usage. It's a difficult and debated subject. It asks each of us to make decisions about balancing our urge and need to stay connected with family members, coworkers, and friends with the equal right of the stranger beside us to go about his or her day-without overhearing anything about ours.

I'm a cell phone fan, and I have no intention of packing my away. Yet, I try to use it with a keen awareness of the how my call will affect those around me. All of us have a story or two about our encounters with the "other guy" on his cell phone. Selfish misuse happens everywhere: waiting rooms, restaurants, churches, movie theaters, funerals, weddings, bathroom stalls-the list goes on.

Fifteen years ago, if you wanted to make a call while out and about, you went into a phone booth, closed the door, and gave the next person in line a crossways look if he stood too close. Privacy was sought and protected. Times change, and so do our ideas of what's appropriate in the public arena. "Cell phone" and "politeness" don't have to be contradictory terms. Keeping a few points in mind each time we pick up our phones will ensure the two terms are harmonious.

TOP THREE TIPS FOR CALLING WITHOUT OFFENDING

TOP THREE TIPS FOR TALKING WITHOUT OFFENDING...

TOP THREE TIPS FOR CALLING WITHOUT OFFENDING

1. Begin by asking, "Is this a convenient time to talk?" The person you're calling might be caught in traffic, ordering food at a drive-through lane, or waiting in a place where he or she doesn't feel comfortable talking. Your asking prevents the other person from being in the uncomfortable position of having to volunteer to you that your call came at an inconvenient moment.
2. If you have facts or figures to share, before doing so, let the other person know you'll send the details in an e-mail. That way he or she can listen to you without the pressure of committing the details to memory or feeling the need to write them down while on the go.
3. Don't assume you should call someone on his or her cell phone all the time because that's the number that person shared with you once. Ask if the person prefers you to use his or her land line. In families where cell minutes are shared, they go quickly.

TOP THREE TIPS FOR TALKING WITHOUT OFFENDING:  

1. Of course, it's OK to use your cell phone in public-just not in shared spaces where others are held captive because they must be in a designated area: waiting rooms, restaurant tables, check-out lines, or lines of any kind, salons, churches, and theaters (even prior to the program), to name a few.
2. If you're talking in a public place, try to stay put through your conversation. As an example, while shopping in a department store, it's less disruptive to stand by one rack and let others pass you than for you to continue talking while going from rack to rack or area to area.
3. If you're expecting a call while with a group, alert the group members beforehand that a call might be coming, and let them know why (if it's not confidential) it's important that you take the call. ("I hope you understand, my son's teacher said he would try to call me this afternoon about a change in his math tutoring schedule. If he calls, I'll take it outside.") If the call does come through, it's your responsibility to move away from the group. People are uncomfortable trying to look as if they're not overhearing you!