Thursday, April 21, 2011

Essential Tips for Mobile Phone Etiquette


Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives, from being the first instrument we reach out to when we wake up, to the last device we use before falling asleep. Granted that they have changed the way we communicate, work and interact with people, but they are also capable of causing great embarrassment if not used properly. Let us have a look at the some of the biggest nuisances people can cause using the mobile phone, and how you can avoid it.

Having a Private Conversation in a Public Place

Now that in itself is not bad manners. However, if the person on the mobile is talking so loudly that everyone around him can hear the conversation, it can become very uncomfortable for the by-standers.

They really don’t want to know that you are having troubling with your job/family/finances or just about anything. Apart from causing a nuisance, you may even cause resentment if you use inappropriate language loudly while on the phone. If you have to answer a call, try to find a quiet place in order to not disturb others. If you cannot find a quiet place, keep your voice low and the conversation as brief as possible, informing the caller that you will call him back once you are in a more private, secluded place.

Loud Music and Ringtones


Loud ringtones were irritating enough during the days of the polyphonic ringtones, but now, with MP3 ringtones becoming the norm, it is incredible how annoying they can get. The people around you have no interest in your taste of music and it would be better off to keep the ringtone muted on vibration or at least low enough to not cause disturbance. With a wave of affordable music phones being launched, it’s a common sight to have people listen to music on their loud speaker in places such as buses, elevators and parks. This is definitely not something that people around you appreciate. If you have to listen to music or the radio on your phone, get yourself high quality earphones and do yourself and others a favor.

Using Your Phone While In a Group

Do you remember the last time when someone was constantly texting on the mobile phone, while you were trying to have a conversation? It wasn’t that long ago, right. This is one instance where multi-tasking is not a good option. If you are in a group of people, sending a SMS discretely once in a while is not a big deal, but if you are having a full blown text conversation, it is better to excuse yourself from the group and finish the conversation. If you receive an important call when you are with a group of people, excuse yourself before taking the call, so that it doesn’t seem awkward to the rest of the group.

Indiscriminate use of technology

Your mobile phone has a host of features such as a camera, a video recorder and a sound recorder among others. However, what may seem fun at first, such as taking a photo of another friend during a funny moment and uploading it on social networking sites, may snowball into an awkward moment at best, or even cause legal problems at worst. Be careful what you photograph and if you intend to record a conversation, inform the other person and ask permission to do so, before doing it.

Now that you know these essential mobile phone etiquette tips, go ahead and enjoy your mobile phone experience without causing any embarrassment to yourself or others.

1 comment:

  1. For Australian customer service companies, other than acquiring their Australian business toll free numbers, proper observance of phone etiquette matters a lot.

    ReplyDelete