The Most Essential Phone Etiquette Rules to

Remember
You might want to rethink your late night texts.
Country Living

 Jill Gleeson

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Illustrations by Mary Fama

Whether you’re on a cell or a landline, gabbing for pleasure or getting down to business, there
are certain phone etiquette rules you’d do well to remember. After all, who wants to chat with
someone slurping coffee in their ear, or shouting over the TV they didn't turn off? That goes
doubly if you’re trying to land your dream job with a phone interview.

“The worst story I’ve heard about that is the interviewee who took the call in a sports bar,” says
Elaine Swann, etiquette expert and founder of The Swann School of Protocol. “There was a big
game on, and the interviewer could hear all the people shouting and cheering in the background.”
(The candidate did not get the job.)

The fact is, manners matter, even over the phone. Make sure you’re sounding your sharpest at
work and in your personal life with our guide to the top phone etiquette mistakes not to make.
What to Know About Cell Phone Etiquette
According to a study from the Pew Research Center, about 96% of adults in America have a
mobile phone, with 81% of those people owning smartphones, up 35% from 2011.
Unfortunately, far fewer that that know how to use their devices with proper decorum. There are
a host of rules that come with responsible cell phone ownership, but of course, the most
important one is to simply stay off of it while driving, unless your vehicle is equipped with
hands-free, Bluetooth technology. Even then, use great care and keep your attention on the road,
where it belongs.

Mobiles should be turned off (or at least turned to silent) in places like theaters and houses of
worship, unless you're a doctor or other health care professional, first responder, or caregiver to a
dependent. If you do get an emergency call, excuse yourself and step outside or somewhere
private. Otherwise, try not to take or make calls while in other public areas, including waiting
rooms, and modes of public transportation. If you absolutely have to do so, be sure to keep your
voice down, watch your language and don’t discuss personal matters when others can hear you.
Just think—would you want to be a bystander in your own situation?

When out to dinner or in a meeting, keep your phone stashed away. If you don’t, you’re
indicating to those present that they don’t have your undivided attention. Speaking of making
someone a priority, one of the greatest faux pas cell users commit is talking on their phone while
paying for purchases—it’s just plain rude. Instead, says Swann, “Give the person at the register
your full attention.”

Texting Etiquette 101

Depending on how you use the capability, texting can be one of modern mankind’s greatest
conveniences, or the bane of our existence. Think that’s an overstatement? Consider the people
who don’t bother ending relationships over the phone anymore, much less in person.

While in the very earliest stages of dating a text breakup might be permissible, many experts
agree that in more committed relationships, ending a relationship in this way is hurtful to your
partner, if not downright demeaning. “Breaking up is one of those things that should not be
discussed via text," says Swann. "But generally, if you’re not seeing eye to eye with someone
and your goal is to put forth the effort to get your point across, then you should not try to
communicate via text.”

Other big no-nos include sending or replying to texts (or emails) while in the presence of another
person. “The person face-to-face with you has top priority,” Swann says. “You absolutely
shouldn’t be texting in a meeting, or on your cell at all, really. That’s unless it relates to the
meeting—for example, if you need to get some information online about what you’re
discussing.”

Good texting etiquette also demands that you refrain from dashing off texts at all hours of the
day or night. You wouldn’t call someone at 3 a.m., unless it’s an emergency. So don’t text them
then either—it's important to consider someone's lifestyle and what times they'd be comfortable
receiving a text. And don’t be one of those people that blow up people’s phones with ping after
ping after ping. Cut down on those annoying notifications by sending one long text, rather than
10 one-sentence texts.

Swann also advises, “Tone is difficult to transfer through technology. You should pick up the
phone when tone is crucial to communicating a message. That’s it. No amount of emojis or
exclamation points or LOLs are really going to help you transfer tone with a text.”

Your Guide to Phone Interview Etiquette

Want to nail that phone interview? Begin by dressing professionally for it, even if you’re
interviewing from your home. “This may sound strange, but don’t do it in your pajamas,” says
Swann. “Get showered, brush your teeth, put on work clothes. It will actually change your
demeanor, which will translate over the phone.”

When you answer the phone, announce who you are, rather than merely saying hello—and don’t
use the speakerphone. “That’s a definite no-no for the person being interviewed,” says Swann,
“unless the interviewer asks you a question and you need to put the phone down to look
something up.”

Have your résumé in hand, so you can refer to it, and a pen and paper nearby for notes. That
clacking sound computer keyboards make can be irritating over the phone. Otherwise, put on a
grin. “People can tell over the phone when you’re smiling,” Swann says. “It comes through in
your voice!”

Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western
Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping,
Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE
Media Network.

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