I am going from one end of the spectrum to the other in this blog post.
First is: Cell phone use is out of control.
Phones now ring at weddings, funerals, job interviews, bathrooms … and instead of jumping to quiet the ring, people ANSWER the phone.
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and sat and watched other tables?
Nobody eats together and has a conversation. Instead they text, search through their social media sites or even worse sit across the table and have a conversation on the phone while the other person is just waiting.
Cell phones are with people all the time!! I see people hiking on the mountain and half of the time I think they are talking to themselves because of those little ear pieces that look like a roach stuck to their ear. Why not disconnect from the technology long enough to enjoy the outdoors?
People often tell me I have “an old soul” … look I like technology and I can text with the best of them!
So let’s take a moment to look at the other end of the spectrum.
In Real Estate, agent’s biggest complaints of other agents are that they don’t answer their phone, texts or emails. Here we are in a society where having dinner with a special someone is not enough for us to stay off the phone and yet the business world suffers because of people who don’t return calls.
I am not saying to answer your phone every single time it rings, instead I am saying that you should always “be with who you are with” and then return the missed calls, emails and text messages within a reasonable time frame.
Here are my golden technology rules I live by:
1) Never answer your phone when you are with another person! This includes cashiers, tellers, drive thru, dinners, time with your kids, in a class, a meeting, ect …..
IF it’s a TRUE emergency, excuse yourself to go call the person back to see if it is an emergency and if it’s not end the call quickly letting them know you will get back to them.
2) NEVER text, email or check your social media sites while driving. If you must be on the phone while you drive then please do it safely and wireless.
3) Always give the person in front of your full attention. Let the phones go to voice mail and return missed calls promptly.
Let’s try to remember that face-to-face communication and eye contact is always the best at building strong friendships and business relationships.
