Texting Tips to Show Respect and Courtesy to Others
Texting is about respect AND common sense.
Do unto others: If you don’t like others’ bad texting habits, don’t engage in them yourself.
Be in the now. Give your full attention to those you are with, such as in a meeting, in class, or in any type of face-to-face conversation. When you’re tapping and checking, you lose eye contact and send the message that the text is more important than the person you’re with.
Talk with family members about appropriate use of texting, for example, that cell phones don’t come to the dinner table, and no texting during a family meal at a restaurant, or when you’re watching a movie together as a family at home.
Things You Shouldn’t Do:
Text when driving – ever!
Text at the movies, the theatre, church service, wedding or funeral.
Text during meetings, classes, presentations at work, on a date, and during face-to-face conversations with someone. (It is okay to text when hanging out with a group.)
Use texting to deliver bad or sensitive news or send condolences: a relationship breakup, job loss. Pick up the phone or meet face-to-face instead.
Text during restaurant meals and family meals at home. Put the phones away and learn the art of conversation instead!
Text to thank someone for a gift, job interview, or a great dinner party. Be remembered by sending a handwritten thank-you note.
Text in the middle of the night. You have no idea how high the recipient’s ring volume is set. It may or may not be on vibrate, and they might not appreciate being awakened for no reason.
Things You Should Do:
Keep a text message short and sweet. You’re limited to 160 characters, but use as little as possible to say what you need to say. If you have something longer to communicate, send an email rather than a long text that may come through as 4-5 separate texts.
2. Watch your punctuation and grammar, especially if you’re texting for business purposes. A text is not a license for carelessness.
3. Avoid over-abbreviating. Write out “See you later” instead of CUL8R, unless you want to look like you’re still in high school. Big pet peeve: using “K” for okay.
4. Be aware of your own ringtone. If you know that you frequently receive texts, consider those around you by putting your phone on silent or vibrate mode so it doesn’t distract others every time a text comes through.
5. Not expect the recipient to respond immediately to a text. The recipient may be unavailable due to a meeting, driving, sleeping, and in some unique cases the text is may not go through until hours or days later.
Rachel Wagner is trained and certified as a Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant by the renowned Protocol School of Washington® in Washington, D.C. She is founder of Tulsa-based Rachel Wagner Etiquette and Protocol and is armed with more than two decades of experience as a class room teacher and workshop speaker.
She teaches business etiquette and dining etiquette skills to corporate audiences, leadership teams, and sales teams to help them maximize their own personal brand and represent their company’s brand with excellence. This training positions them to gain a competitive edge, attain greater upward mobility, and increase bottom-line results.
Rachel’s clients include political figures, small and large companies, law firms, and university employees. In addition, she provides one-on-one executive coaching and family dining etiquette training.
As an etiquette expert, Rachel is frequently quoted or interviewed by the media including The Oklahoman, Tulsa World, The Journal Record, Oklahoma Today, The Orange County (CA) Register, Detroit News, AmEx OPEN Forum, Kansas Public Radio, and Tulsa’s KRMG. Her popular business etiquette e-zine, The Savvy Professional, is read by hundreds of subscribers.
She is on the board of the National Speakers Association of Oklahoma, and the recipient of the chapter’s 2011 Presidential Award for leadership. She is also a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, and Bixby Metro Chamber of Commerce.
After living “up north” in Madison, Wisconsin for over 25 years, Rachel now considers Tulsa, Oklahoma her home. She has three grown children and enjoys reading, travel, and time with family and friends—especially over a good cup of coffee or on a sunny beach. When she’s not working you might find her traveling the back roads with her husband in his red ’95 Corvette.
Rachel Wagner Etiquette and Protocol
12563 S. 71st East Ave.
Bixby, OK 74008
www.EtiquetteTrainer.com
918.970.4400
