Portable Messaging Etiquette: Don't Touch Your Device When Conversing

The Pavlovian Response to Device Alerts

• 🔔 The constant chiming of mobile devices can trigger a Pavlovian response, leading to a mental "salivation" or urge to check messages, even during live conversations.
• 🧠 This behavior is a form of behavioral conditioning, similar to Pavlov's experiments with dogs, where a stimulus (the chime) elicits an automatic response.

Common Device Interaction Habits

• ✋ Most professionals immediately action device alerts rather than ignoring them or assessing their importance.
• 📈 This habit stems from a perceived lack of sanction for checking, the quickness of actioning messages, and a desire to appear busy or stay on top of communication waves.
• 🏃‍♂️ The tendency to constantly engage with devices can lead to a feeling of perpetual motion without necessarily increasing efficiency or effectiveness.

Recommended Communication Practices

• 📵 When engaged in a conversation, keep your hands away from your phone and avoid looking at your device.
• 🚫 Do not fiddle with the device, toggle mute buttons, caress scroll wheels, push the home button, or clean the screen while conversing.
• ⌚ Avoid checking the time on your device, as it can be misinterpreted as checking for messages.

Handling Urgent Situations

• ⚠️ Exceptions exist for genuine urgency or critical importance, such as emergencies or urgent requests from superiors.
• 🗣️ In such rare cases, politely ask to be excused for a moment, maintaining eye contact and a sincere demeanor.
• 🚶‍♂️ Discreetly step away to handle the urgent matter, then return with a simple apology like, "Sorry about that. What's up?"

The Importance of Civility and Social Grace

• ✨ Practicing politeness and social grace, especially when interrupting someone on their device, goes a long way in career advancement.
• 🚀 For those in junior roles or new to professional environments, demonstrating respect and dignity is crucial, even if others do not reciprocate.
• 🌟 At higher levels of an organization, civility and etiquette become paramount, influencing perceptions of capability and leadership potential.
• ✅ Doing the right thing, by being polite and respectful, should be the goal, not just what yields a clever outcome or relies on others' responses.