Cell Phone Etiquette?

I opened my Google Page last Wednesday, to see an article on wikiHow, How to Practice Cell Phone Etiquette and it got me to thinking about my own usage, but also the usage of others.  Has cell phones become such a commodity in our culture that we don’t realize the potential annoyance to others?

The other month I was walking downtown, heading over to Argo Tea to meet my good friend Anne Scarlett, when I was standing at a stop light.  There was a professional-dressed woman next to me, and all of a sudden looked at me and yelled a few choice words followed by “I am not going to talk to you anymore if you continue to be like this.”

Now, I was in shock.  Did I do something wrong?  Was I standing too close?  Rather than ignore the situation, I politely said, “excuse me?”  I will skip through the dialogue, but the summary was she rudely said she was on her cell phone and wasn’t that obvious (well, it was not because she had a blue-tooth set hidden by her crazy hair).

Aside from my story, I have heard many from the A/E/C industry.  Stories of texting while in a client presentation meeting, texting while at an American Institute of Architects networking event, talking on the cell phone while drafting (I don’t know about you, but I got nervous hearing that), taking personal calls while providing site supervision.  The list goes on. 

Granted, there are times when we all need to take a call, answer an email, or a text on the cell phone, but what is the chance it is an emergency?  You can always learn that you need to pick up apples on your way home later….

Here are some of the tips the article includes:

• Keep a 10-foot (3 meter) distance
• Don’t talk too loudly
• Don’t multi-task
• Don’t talk on the phone in any enclosed spaces
• Don’t use your phone when having a meal with someone

Are these pretty simply suggestions?  Sure are.  But I am sure most everybody is guilty of at least one this week. 

Click here to read the full article.