Handy etiquette: the perfect handling of the smartphone

In this practical tip, we have once again put together the most basic rules of cell phone etiquette, which make living together considerably easier.

Calling without making yourself unpopular

The word has largely got around that people don't use their smartphones in hospitals, on planes or at petrol stations. However, there are many areas of everyday life in which it does not seem to be clear to one or the other how to use the smartphone in a socially acceptable manner.

• For example, it is more than inappropriate to make loud cell phone calls in the theater, during a lecture, in the cinema or in a restaurant - and besides, whispering and whispering is just as annoying for everyone else. Furthermore, no conversation can be so important that you absolutely have to have it during a funeral at the open grave or in the church.
• If a conversation should really be indispensable, it is sufficient if you accept it with a short "please wait" and then quietly leave the room.
• If you have to take a conversation in public, there is no need to shout, even if it is a little louder around you. Your conversation partner understands you very well when you speak in a normal voice.
• Many people also find various ringtones a nuisance, especially if they are set to full volume and last for minutes. Apart from that, a very subtle, reserved and quiet ringtone is the order of the day anyway. Other things like this make other people draw conclusions about you.
• If you expect a really important conversation at a meeting or other business meeting, set the phone to vibrate. Otherwise, the smartphone should be muted on such occasions.
• Incidentally, your conversation partners, whether for business or personal reasons, usually find it very rude when they put the cell phone demonstratively in front of them. It clearly signals to your counterpart that there are obviously more important things for you than talking to him.