5 Rules for Mobile Phones in Meetings

Remember when the closing of a meeting room door meant the outside world disappeared completely? Well the days of meeting rooms as cloisters are long gone. In the age of mobile devices, everyone is connected 24 hours a day, and the concept of unavailability is on the endangered species list. 

That’s why it’s important for planners to set ground rules for attendees when it comes to the use of mobile devices at meetings. Here are five etiquette tips that will help keep your attendees on topic and off Twitter. 

1. Do not check your phone in the middle of a meeting. If you are expecting an important call or email, politely notify the party you are meeting with at the start of the appointment, and check your phone in intervals of 15 minutes. Rather than attempting to multitask by watching your phone and listening to people at the same time, be productive and focus on the task at hand. Undivided attention will save you time and your employer’s money. The phone can wait; it’s designed to do that! 

2. If you get an important call, politely excuse yourself to take it outside. No one wants to listen to your conversation.   

3. If you’re not expecting a call and just itching to see what’s happening in the world, be an adult and wait until there is a break in the meeting. Then quietly go outside and catch up on emails and phone calls or check social media sites.

4. Think of meeting rooms as movie theaters and turn the ringer of your phone off—not to vibrate, but off. A buzzing phone is as distracting as a ringing one. 

5. And last but not least, keep your cell to yourself. Get rid of that annoying feedback made when mobile phones are in range of audio devices such as speakerphones and desktop speakers. 

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