Phone Manners

M and M’s

They don’t melt in your hand…. Or do they?

No I am not talking about the yummy chocolate kind. (though some of them right now would be nice)

I am talking about Mobile Phone & Manners.

And more often than not… they do melt in our hands!

Mobile phones have become universal and for most people are an everyday item that is run off the ‘check’ list before leaving the house. As convenient and necessary as they may be, I do believe the use of them should never come at the cost of everyday common courtesy.

Or is there a lack of understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable in the terms of mobile phone manners?

Although I consider myself as one who is mindful of others when using my mobile phone, I do think it is helpful to reassess my use every now and then, judging myself on how I could do better. I am reminded of this when I see signs such as: “customers speaking on the phone will not be served until finished.”

I totally agree.

The following are also a few other pointers that I remind myself of regularly, maybe they could be helpful to you or someone else you may wish to share them with. I welcome other tips you have, or mobile phone manners – or lack thereof – that you have experienced.

1. Respecting others who are with me. This is important as I value time with others and considering how busy most people are today I suspect their time is just as important. An apology is a must, should I not be able to avoid answering a call or text.
2. To be mindful of the volume of my voice. Most of my conversations are of private nature, if not for what I may be saying to the caller, but that others around would soon be able to form an idea of what the conversation may be. Their information is not mine to distribute.
3. Sometimes I need to allow message bank to do it’s job!  With caller ID I can usually tell who is calling and if it is urgent or not and with this in mind I need to exercise the ability to control the urge to answer.
4. Texting and Driving, not a great mix! This is the perfect time to practice the control of the urge to answer. I have found that placing my phone on silent is the best option for me.
5. Not that I have personally accepted or participated in a mobile phone argument, I have been in the vicinity of someone who has. Oh it was SO uncomfortable! A great lesson for me as I remind myself of what others really can hear when I talk on the mobile.
6. And as I mentioned before…. Causing others to wait for us, such as those waiting for our orders is just plain rude. If answering the call is unavoidable then respecting others is demonstrated by stepping aside until the call is completed.

Good mobile phone manners is really common courtesy displayed in a modern way, and although I rarely get to express it to others around me (thank you if you are one of the great mobile phone users in my world!) , I truly appreciate mobile phone users that are thoughtful, courteous and respect others around them.

What about you?

Deb

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