July has been named Cell Phone Courtesy Month. According to many, the cell phone is one of the greatest inventions of our time. However, others might disagree. As the cell phone has developed into the smartphone, it’s also one of the greatest distractions.
It’s not just the loud conversations you are forced to listen to or the nerve-jangling sound of a custom ring tone, but even worse in our society today: being ignored due to texting, posting, tweeting, etc. It has become a real danger on the roads, cell phone use is now estimated to be involved in 26 percent of all motor vehicle crashes. The National Safety Council states that an estimated 5 percent of crashes involve texting, while 21 percent involve drivers talking on handheld or hands-free cell phones.
In fact, Broadway Legend and Tony winning actress, Patti LuPone had enough during a performance of “Shows for Days” at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center. One audience member who was more glued to the texts on her cell phone than to the show being put on in front of her by real, live actors. While doing a scene, LuPone reached down and plucked the phone from the spectator’s hands!
The next day she went on to release this statement:
“We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones,” she said. “They cannot put them down. When a phone goes off or when a LED screen can be seen in the dark it ruins the experience for everyone else — the majority of the audience at that performance and the actors on stage.
“I am so defeated by this issue that I seriously question whether I want to work on stage anymore,” she added. “Now I’m putting battle gear on over my costume to marshall the audience as well as perform.”
I recently addressed technology addiction and some of the issues involved with all this time spent not engaged in people. Today, I just want to offer some possible changes you can make in order to be a more courteous cell phone user. I promise to make changes as well!
Tips For Achieving Cell Phone Courtesy
- Be Present
Whether you are in a meeting or just meeting with friends, put down the phone and focus on the people present. I ask my clients to silence their phones, so that we can focus and become fully engaged in the experience of hypnosis.
- Keep It Private
Do you really need to share the ups and downs of a relationship by arguing over the phone in the middle of a restaurant? Keep your business out of the public arena unless you really want the advice of strangers. After all, if you draw them in, they may feel entitled to comment.
- Avoid Cell Yell
Whether it is due to the size or the shape of the cell phone, people just seem to yell into them. Forgetting where they are, they become loud and interrupt others. Timo Kopomaa, a social scientist at the University of Technology in Helsinki and author of a study on cellphone behavior has observed that people shout above the ambient noise in public squares, restaurants and post offices as they become engrossed in personal conversations, consequently ”privatizing the public space,” Dr. Kopomaa said. By doing so, he said, they ignore the needs of the nonphoning public, ”denying others the privacy they selfishly appropriate for their own use.”
- Excuse Yourself
I recently was in a yoga class where someone had the phone and actually took a call! The instructor had to ask them to step outside. If you are expecting a call that you simply can’t miss, then be prepared to leave where you are when it comes in. If you are in a meeting or with friends, let them know in advance you may have to take a call, then respect them enough to leave when it comes.
- Focus On Driving
When in traffic, keep your eyes and your attention on the road. Don’t make or answer calls when driving in heavy traffic or hazardous conditions. Place calls when your vehicle is not moving, and use a hands-free device to help focus attention on safety. Always make safety your most important call.
Emily Post has listed her top ten cell phone courtesy practices for better manners. You can visit here to read them. If you think that you might need help putting the phone down, perhaps there is more to it than you thought. You might have a technology addiction. If putting the phone down gives you a sense of loss, perhaps you want to think about getting help. Hypnosis can help you disconnect long enough to refresh and revive yourself.
