Tip of the Week ? No texting at the table!

Comments from the conference room, from the board room, and from across the desks of frustrated business people:

? They were sitting right next to each other and texting each other!
? I can?t get my meeting attendees to pay attention. I always have to follow up the meeting with an email explaining what I said.
? Why can?t they go for five minutes without those phones?
? They won?t answer the phone. They expect me to text everything to them.

Think these comments are just about the Millennials? Surprisingly, they are not!

Business people of all generations have become so immersed and distracted by their electronic devices that they are no longer truly communicating at the table, where it counts the most.

Even in one-on-one meetings, phones are prevalent. If you are sitting across the table from an employee, a manager, or a client, where should you be focusing? What message are you sending when you constantly check your phone ? or worse yet, actually send texts or reply to emails ? during your meeting?

Look up. Have a real conversation. Pay attention to the words being spoken and the body language being conveyed. There is so much more to communication than the words on the screen.

Put the phone away! No texting at the table!

Your meetings will be more meaningful, your communication will be more effective, and your team will be more connected.