September 16, 2009
Q. In the Lansing State Journal you wrote about people being courteous and putting away their BlackBerries during programs and meetings. What do you do if you’re the speaker or conducting the meeting and people are using them?
A: Our recent Lansing State Journal column on giving BlackBerries a time-out during programs and meetings generated many favorable comments. Readers told us our advice was long overdue because they are running out of patience with rude people who can’t stop calling, texting and reading email.
You will have most people on your side if you take control right at the outset. Plus, setting the ground rules in advance will shame even the worst offenders into shedding what is becoming an annoying habit.
If you’re giving a speech, ask the person who is introducing you to make this request: “As a courtesy to our speaker, please turn off cell phones and put electronic devices away. We all thank you.”
If you are introducing yourself, you can use similar language. You could say, “I’m honored to be speaking to you today, but I have to confess I’m not very good at multi-tasking. So I’d like to ask you to turn off your cell phones and put electronic devices away. That will allow me to really focus on my remarks. Thanks very much.”
If you’re running a meeting, especially one that is held on a regular basis, you and your team can set the ground rules for the way meetings will be conducted. You could establish guidelines such as:
- Meetings will start and end on time.
- Every meeting will have an agenda that is distributed in advance.
- People and their ideas and comments will be treated with respect.
- BlackBerries and cell phones will be put away.
Requesting a time-out from BlackBerries, cell phones and electronic devices will be viewed as a welcome relief by most sane and reasonable people.
Paula Blanchard Stone and Patty McCarthy are partners in McCarthyBlanchard, an executive training firm specializing in key message development, presentation skills training, media interview training and executive presence. Copyright © 2008 McCarthy Blanchard. | Website
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