Avionics News February 2012 - 65

appreciate it.” It still sounded sarcastic, so I typed a few sentences about how I was being sincere, not sarcastic, realized I sounded neurotic, deleted those sentences and reluctantly slapped on a smiley face and pressed “send.” Mission accomplished, but so much for no emoticoms in business emails. I don’t know if it would have been appropriate in this case, but Spira recommended if you ever have a question about the tone of your email being misunderstood, call the person to relay the information on the phone where the person can get clues from your voice on how you feel. “With email, we take something that’s two-dimensional and try to make it three-dimensional,” she said. “You don’t know if someone is being sarcastic, humorous or serious. When in doubt, pick up the phone.” Leave those smiley faces for your personal email, Facebook and Tweets. According to Spira, never send an email when you’re tired, angry or upset. She related the story of a woman who made a fantastic professional connection at an event. A man gave her an ideal business contact along with his permission to use his name as an entrée. She was so excited to make this connection that she emailed the new contact when she got home, after a long week. Sure enough, she got the company name wrong, and mistakenly used the company name of a competitor. Of course, she said in this self-introductory email how much she admired this company and how much she would like to be associated with it. She received an icy reply along the lines of “I’d like to help you, but I work for X company, not Y company.” She immediately apologized for her error, but never heard back again. Speaking of apologies, what about the misdirected email or the deadly “reply to all” mistakes some of us have

made? What does Spira suggest as a course of action if this happens? She said the only thing you can do is apologize, and do it right away. Give it a Rest The biggest complaint when it comes to electronic manners is the individuals who can’t part with their electronic devices, no matter where they are or who they are with. These folks are constantly checking them in restaurants,

Eileen Schlesier, a small business coach, solved the problem at home by designating a family recharging center where all phones are deposited upon entrance. During family time, all family devices get recharged, she said, “allowing you to focus on face time, eye contact and verbal communication. After all of your friends and colleagues have arrived safely at the designated restaurant, your smartphone should be immediately tucked away. The phone should

As new forms of electronic communications develop, we will formulate new rules for how we use them. The foundation of this system of rules should continue to put the human being first.

movies, meetings, funerals and weddings – anywhere and everywhere. Recently, I was called for jury duty. When we were sitting in the jury room, you could use any and all electronic devices. However, once called to an actual courtroom for the selection process, the group was repeatedly warned to turn off cellphones. The judge will confiscate your phone, turn it off. But, some of us didn’t get the message. The judge entered the courtroom and started the “no cellphone” refrain on her own, giving people several last chances to turn off their cellphones, threatening confiscation. A few minutes later, the cellphone of the woman sitting next to me rang. I reflexively put my hands up in the air, palms out, to indicate it isn’t me. The bailiff came over and told her to stow it, and her response was to shoo him away and ignore his warning as she fiddled with her Blackberry. Soon enough, the activity caught the judge’s attention, and her phone was confiscated.

not have a permanent place holder next to your fork or drink. Focus on the present and those in your presence.” If you can’t trust yourself to not continually monitor your phone, leave it in the car. This is probably a good rule for a job interview as well, so you are not embarrassed by your phone ringing at an inopportune time. Here’s a quick plea for ringtone selection: You might get a kick out of hearing a quick blast of “Honky Tonk Woman” or repeating bars of “Party Rock Anthem” every time your phone rings, but give the rest of us a break and don’t pollute the area with a jarring ringtone. Part two of the plea: Make the ringtone stop by actually answering your phone. And, then there’s texting. “Be aware that not everyone is on an unlimited text plan,” Schlesier said. “Text messages cost incoming and outgoing, and if you are someone who sends multiple
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Avionics News February 2012

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