Cell phones: “No one should intrude on anyone’s privacy by talking on a cellular telephone in a restaurant, during a concert…”
Response: I agree with this, I have definitely experienced this in just about all of the scenarios mentioned. I think it is very inconsiderate when you are talking on your phone in places that are not meant for that. It is upsetting to know that our phones consume our lives so much to the point that we feel that we must answer them in situations like being in a movie, or in the middle of a church service.
Answering Machines: “Try not to make jokes, play weird music, or be flip in your recorded messages…”
Response: This one is a little tougher for me to completely agree with it. I do agree that it is annoying to try and leave a message and be cut off, resulting in a message that is unfinished, making you have to call again to finish the message. As for having a answering machine that includes making a joke, I don’t see that as a problem if it is your home phone or cell phone that is meant for only personal calls from friends and family.
Conference Calls: “When participating in a conference call, ‘remember to identify yourself each time you speak, for the benefit of people not in the room’…”
Response: I can agree with this, business calls are meant to be done in a professional sense and therefore you should never make sarcastic remarks under your breath, they may hear that. Also, introducing yourself every time you speak can help the people on the phone to identify you.
Faxes: “Don’t fax long, unannounced, or unwelcomed materials…”
Response: I agree, you should always inform the recipient that you will be faxing something over. If you don’t, anyone can take your paper and destroy of it. It can end up hurting you if you don’t take that extra step in doing so.
Timing Your Communication: “Finally, always remember to time your calls and faxes so as not to disturb your recipient at home…”
Response: This is a good tip because when you call someone while they are busy, you don’t get their full attention which could affect the outcome of the conversation and possible decisions that have to be made.
Screen Names and Ring Tones: “The screen name you chose when you set up your first internet account may have seemed funny then, but is it appropriate now?...”
Response: I can relate to this as I have done this. I set my first email up when I was about 13, well when I turned 17; I realized this was no longer fitting because my email account represented a little girl, so I changed it. Now I want to change it again, because I’m no longer an 18 year old in high school and I would like a more mature account, using my name. Unfortunately I have given my email to so many people, I’m afraid to start over.
The etiquette rules for the most part were fair and made sense to me. It is too bad that there are a lot of people that do not have the knowledge, or desire to even remotely follow these guidelines. Timing phone calls is not only courteous, but more efficient also. Why don’t phone solicitors get it when they call around dinner time, it’s only going to piss someone off to be interrupted. Then their chance of ever pitching their sale or whatever, to a potential customer is never going to happen, not even at a more appropriate time in the future. If you have the slightest guess that someone is doing something important like driving or trying to get a baby down for a nap, postpone the call if it can wait.
ReplyDelete