Cell phone etiquette

Cell phone pet peeves

By Arden / July 18, 2013 /

Do you have a cell phone pet peeve? Are there things that people do with their cell phones that drive you crazy? If so, you’re not alone. Most people are bothered by the rude cell phone behavior of others.

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Coffee date dilemmas

By Arden / September 5, 2012 /

The topic of coffee dates has come up several times in the past few weeks. I’ve been asked about the etiquette of things like who pays, if you should wait to order until your colleague arrives, should you wait in the parking lot if you see the person getting out of their car, etc. So,…

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Texting, texting, 1, 2, 3

By Arden / October 17, 2011 /

Recently, I received an email from a colleague who said a hiring manager from a large, somewhat conservative company, texted her the information on her interview. She responded via email because she thought texting him back would be too informal. She emailed me to ask if that was the correct thing to do. I responded…

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11 tips for being a great cubicle mate

By Arden / September 6, 2011 /

Do you know we spend at least a third of our life at work? And when you consider that another third of our life is spent sleeping that’s a big chunk of our waking time in our jobs. Because we spend so much time at our jobs, it’s important we treat our coworkers with courtesy…

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Watch your cell phone ps and qs

By Arden / July 5, 2011 /

Do you know that what makes hearing a cell phone conversation so annoying is you’re only catching half of the conversation? It’s called a halflogue, and the reason it’s so distracting is you can’t establish a rhythm like you can when hearing a monologue or dialogue. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month so I…

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When the etiquette consultant messes up

By Arden / March 26, 2011 /

I love my job. In fact, despite (currently) making less money than I did when I had a corporate job, I have never been happier. But there are hazards to being an etiquette consultant.

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Divas, taskmasters and slackers

By Arden / March 7, 2011 /

Last night I watched the first episode of this season’s Celebrity Apprentice. I don’t normally watch it, mostly because I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I was not feeling well so I decided to turn it on. The show is a perfect microcosm of a company. It’s a group of disparate people trying…

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Put Down That Cell Phone!

By Arden / July 26, 2010 /

Did you know July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month? Yes, indeedy and with good reason. Inappropriate cell phone use has become a huge problem, and is getting worse as more people are using mobile phones. It is also one of the most irritating issues for many people. My last Puget Sound Business Journal column…

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I Can Hear You Loud and Clear

By Arden / May 26, 2010 /

I recently asked my Facebook likes how they feel about people talking on cell phones in public places like the grocery store or coffee shop. Several people responded that they hated it and yet some of those same people stated that they do it themselves. I had to admit that if I get a phone call…

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Dance With Who Brung You

By Arden / April 19, 2010 /

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have read in a post or two that I don’t like to cook. Thankfully my husband Eric doesn’t mind too much being the house chef. However, we agreed Sunday dinner is my one night to cook. To make cooking my Sunday meal more fun, I…

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