Can cell phone courtesy morph into human communications?

You there, with the cell phone in your hand, you know who you are. You?re probably even reading this on that electronic device. Just so you know, July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month. Finish reading this, of course, but then show some courtesy and put it down!

 

Go find a real human and have a real conversation. You probably won?t have to look far. There might even be other humans right there in the room with you. Yeah, they have their heads buried in their cell phones too!

 

For the ?older? people, GenXers and Boomers, this is not just a case of ?kids today.? There was a time when we marveled at the young people sitting right next to each other, texting each other instead of engaging in actual human conversation, but the trend has definitely expanded to all generations.

 

Look around the conference room, the board room, even the meeting of two people across a desk, and you will find cell phones galore. Is anyone really paying attention to that presentation on the big screen? Probably not. They?re kind of busy with their own small screens.

 

So, back to Cell Phone Courtesy Month. The most courteous thing to do when in the presence of other human beings is to ditch the electronic device, at least while real people would like your actual attention. This, of course, is not Give Up Your Cell Phone Addiction Month. We?d just like a little courtesy.

 

If you don?t think it?s such a big deal, try looking around the next time you are in a restaurant, in a business meeting, or even walking in a park. What do you see? The tops of people?s heads, right? Their faces are buried in their virtual world and they are totally ignoring the real humans in their immediate space.

 

You might be pleasantly surprised when you try having a real conversation with a real human. There are no emojis involved, but you do get the pleasure of looking into a pair of real eyes and watching real body language as you talk. That?s a pretty cool new invention, don?t you think?

 

Put down the electronic device. Look up. Show some courtesy. Try it for a month. You might find you like it enough to form a new habit – human communications.

 

 

Does your team need help learning how to communicate with humans again? Email me at pat@words-working.net.