Mobile Phone Etiquettes

Mobile Phone Etiquettes
by IAN BALL

In today’s world, it is very difficult to imagine a life without a mobile phone.
What was once a luxury, has become such a necessity, that people from all walks of the society, seem to have become patrons of the new technology. The use of cell phones may have become popular over the years.

However, just like how every practice has a set of ethics tagged to it, the use of mobile phones also has a set of etiquettes to be followed. These have to be practiced surely, to make sure that the technology always remains a boon and not a nuisance.

Some of the etiquettes can be listed and discussed under the following heads:

USE OF THE PHONE WHILE DRIVING:

It is always expected that cell phones are not used while driving. Speaking on the cell phone during a drive, may prove to be dangerous not only for the person who’s driving, but also to the fellow drivers on the road. Essentially, the call must be avoided; otherwise the use of handsfree can be made. In case the call is picked up, the conversation must be very brief. In case of very important calls, the driver can always pull over to the side.

VOLUME:

Cell phone users must be aware of the fact that, the phones are equipped with sensitive microphones and there is absolutely no need for them to raise their voices, in order to be heard at the other end. A good etiquette that needs to be followed is that the volume of the ringing tone should be low and the tone must be pleasant and it should not annoy others. A well-mannered cell phone user will make sure that he does not attract the attention of others, while he is attending to a call. It is very important that the cell phone is switched to vibrator or silent mode, at places of worship, a meeting etc.

DISTANCE TO BE MAINTAINED:

The person whom we are interacting with in person, should be given due respect for his or her space. Therefore, in case there is a necessity of taking a call, it must be done so, at a distance from the other person. It is always manners to move a few feet away from the other person, while attending to a call. If there is space constraint to move away, the cell phone user must always wait to get a space, before he takes the call. Speaking on the phone, in close proximity of others, may intrude into the privacy of others and may also cause a lot of disturbance and distraction to them.

KEEPING THE CONVERSATION BRIEF:

The most important etiquette to be followed during the use of a mobile phone is that, the conversation must be kept very brief. This is very important during business deals and other agreements. Private conversations in the open should be avoided, if not, the phone user must make sure that the conversation is very brief and that it does not leak out any kind of personal information. This has a very great bearing in the personality of the individual.

WATCHING ONE’S TONE WHILE SPEAKING:

In order that a conversation is not overheard, the cell phone user must make sure that he or she speaks with a civic, low tone. Conversations, which require lot of arguments, discussions, fights etc, have to be had in private. Speaking on the phone, in a very high tone, may attract the other person’s attention. It may also be distractive and disturbing.

AVOIDING MULTITASKING:

This is very important during the use of cell phones. Even though some people may be very tactful in multitasking, such as speaking on the phone, even as they are using the keyboard, drinking coffee or writing something, it should be done only when there will be no consequences, or when the conversation is very informal. Otherwise, it may project the individual who is resorting to multitasking, in a very bad light.

To conclude, the use of cell phones when such etiquettes are followed would turn out to be a real
boon. On the other hand, it may project a very bad image about the individual.
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