Not too long ago, in a time far far away, families had one phone and one phone number. If your household was lucky enough, you may have had two or three land line phones. Kids were taught at an early age how to answer the phone, take down a message, and then close down the conversation.
Ahhh the good ol’ days.
Today, if your household is a typical American household, everyone has their own cell phone and their own phone number. Texting is now the method of choice in communication for a large number of peolple, along with email, instant messaging, or through social media. But one thing has stayed at a constant- there is always a right and a wrong way to do things. Smart phone etiquette is just as essential in today’s world as land line etiquette was just a short time ago.
Our manners and etiquette don’t need to go to the wayside with technology. With just a few steps you and your kids can be smart phone etiquette experts!
Here are 10 easy rules to bring back phone etiquette and become more personal.
1. Keep phone conversations private.- no one wants to listen to the latest drama in the grocery store or hear a business deal in a movie theater. If the call has to be taken, excuse yourself and leave the area.
2. Answer a text in a timely manner- If you can’t answer back, don’t forget to! Let the person know you’ll respond to them and do so.
3. Respect the Living- be present in real life face to face conversations. Texting while having a personal conversation is rude and it tells the other person they don’t matter as much as the text. Be considerate. Be present.Keep phone conversations private.- no one wants to listen to the latest drama in the grocery store or hear a business deal in a movie theater. If the call has to be taken, excuse yourself and leave the area.
4. Never call or text while driving- I think we’ve all seen the PSA about texting while driving. A text or call can wait until the car is pulled over. Its just not worth the risk. Answer a text in a timely manner- If you can’t answer back, don’t forget to! Let the person know you’ll respond to them and do so.
5. Keep your messages short- if leaving a voice-mail, just leave necessary information and keep it simple.
6. Use spell check- the excuse of “sorry, I have big thumbs” is just a sorry excuse. We have spell check, so slow down while typing and use the spell check.
7. Only document things worth documenting- we over share EVERYTHING. Its okay to enjoy a meal without taking a picture, or to play with kids without the video camera, or think you look pretty good without taking a selfie.
8. Enjoy your own music- keep it turned down and to yourself. One of the rudest things to do is play music in a public place for all to hear.
9. Its okay to unplug- be present in life, and life away from social media or texting. Its okay to get bored once in awhile, it gives us time to think about our day, make plans, or maybe read a book (remember those?).
10. Leaving someone on a drawn out hold- If you say “hold on for a second,” keep it just as that. Our time is precious and we’re all busy.
Its time to get back to basics and display some manners, and hopefully,teach the next generation the same.
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