1. Watch your voice level. People tend to talk louder on cell phones. This is unnecessary and adds to the interrupting power of cell phones. And if your signal is bad, talking louder isn’t going to make it better.
   
2. Keep private matters private. Some subjects are not appropriate to discuss in public and although, obvious, this seems to be forgotten when a cell phone is attached to your ear. Allow people the option of not listening to your conversation. If they can’t get away, then don’t have the discussion.
   
3. Turn your phone off or silence it. There are situations when a ringing cell phone is distracting, annoying and rude – the movies, plays, church, class, meetings, dates, for example, and other situations where people are resting and relaxing: libraries, the park, beach, etc.
   
4. Don’t interrupt face-to-face conversations. It is rude and disrespectful to give more attention to your phone than to the person you are directly interacting with. Honor and respect the person in front of you by silencing the ringer, letting your voicemail pick up the call and continuing to direct your full attention to them. If you must take the call, apologize and keep it brief.
   
5. Guard your availability. If you always available, people will expect to always be able to reach you at any time and any place. This will lead to frustration when they cannot get a hold of you. Respect your personal time and they will learn to respect it too. When they can reach you or you get back to them, it will make it seem more important.
   
6. Be careful which cell phone ring you choose. People are bombarded with a variety of different ring tones each and every day, and any easily recognizable, popular ring tone is sure to add to the aggravation. Choose a more standard ring or just set your phone to vibrate.
   
7. Don’t talk and drive. There are reasons for new laws pertaining to this subject. Talking on your cell phone is highly distracting, even when using a hands-free set, according to many studies, and puts you and other motorists at a greater risk for an accident. Pull-over if you have to take or make a phone call.
   
8. Let the caller know you are on a mobile phone so they can anticipate broken signals and other potential interruptions. When you are struggling with a bad signal, tell the caller you will get back to them when it is stronger. Also, let the caller know if your battery is dying and try to wrap up the conversation before the dead battery wraps it up for you.
   
9. Only take important calls when you are in the office or in public places. If you are unsure, let voicemail pick it up. If the call is important, the caller will leave a voicemail and let you know what the issue is.
   
10. Let people know you are expecting an important phone call ahead of time if in a meeting or another situation where it would be rude and distracting to accept a phone call. If appropriate, ask for permission.
    

Want to learn the 10 Steps to Business Phone Etiquette as well? Click here!

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