Let me first say that I am by no means advocating people working or “multitasking” while driving. I don’t believe in texting while you drive and I also don't believe anyone who feels they have “total control” on the road when not 100% focused on driving. However, for this episode, I do believe we can have a proper discussion about taking a phone call for work while driving. After all, if your eyes are forward while you’re talking, it’s the same as simply singing along with the radio.
And with that, your lips should be the ONLY thing that’s moving while taking a call in the car. As well, you should only do so with the help of a hands-free, Bluetooth system built into a car. So if you have a car that allows you to keep your eyes on the road, then you may need these three tips for on-the-road conference call etiquette:
Tip #1: It’s Your Car, Not Your Office
As someone who travels about 3-400 miles a week back and forth for meetings, I practically live in my car. Just last week, I left my house in Baltimore, Maryland at 5:30 a.m. to beat traffic for an 8:30 a.m. breakfast meeting in Northern Virginia. After that, I drove to a suburb of D.C. for a lunch meeting, then back home. That was about 8+ hours of driving alone, in and out of traffic. Needless to say, I didn’t get much “work” done at my desk. However, despite not being in the office that day, my car actually became my office. I took calls, sent emails (when parked of course), and basically ran my daily tasks on four wheels. Yet, despite taking calls on in my car, via a wireless Bluetooth system, I had to be very cognizant of properly address people on the phone, letting them know that I was in my car, and unable to do anything other than talk. That means not saying, “Wait one second, while I find that paper…” or “I have my notes right here, let me find them…” See, for starters it tells people that you’re a moron for driving while reading work notes at the same time. And secondly, it makes you appear to be distracted by your scatter-brained attempt to do two things at the same time.
I make sure to tell people off the bat that I’m driving. Sure they can tell by the background noise and figure it out on their own, but it’s proper to state any possible interference upfront. Like being sick for example, “Sorry, if I sound a little nasally; I’m getting over a cold.” Be it a cold or background noise, state the issue and the other person will be more understanding. Letting them know you’re not at your desk upfront levels expectations. “Sorry, I’m in my car right now so I can talk but that’s about all. I can review the documents when I get home or parked.” If you don’t make it known that you are unable to read documents or grab anything else, it will only make you frustrated trying to do so. Trust me, if you’re driving with one hand, and searching for papers with another (which is insanely dangerous), you’re bound to get frustrated. And that frustration will be heard over the call.
Tip #2: The Code of Carpooling
On occasion I have a colleague in the car with me, when I’m driving for work meetings. As you expect, with an extra rider, your usual “office-for-one” is a bit more cramped. With that, you may have to compete with someone else’s daily activities, which includes taking calls of their own. However, unlike a standard office where you can duck away from noise to your own little corner, space is of course limited in a moving vehicle. Take Clint and Will, two lawyers from Portland who often travel together in Will’s sedan for hours at at time. Needless to say, two busy lawyers sharing a car as an office for the day requires a lot of timesharing as well as mutual understanding. So, understanding that they both are on the “same team” with mutual goals for getting important work done, they take a note out of a toddler’s book and share. Yes, Mannerly Nation sharing is still alive and well … even in the life of lawyers.
When you’re carpooling and taking calls in the car, it’s only proper to share the talk time. Now, I’m not saying you need a sticker chart indicating who can talk and when. However, a mutual understanding of one’s time is key—regardless of who is driving. For example, Clint has a conference call at 9 a.m. that may go an hour. During this time, it’s proper for Will to not take a call too. Understanding that you’re on a schedule-system, if someone has a major priority over they other, someone may have to be flexible with their plans. Yet emergencies come up that change your set calendar of car conference calls, so as I said, you have to be flexible. If Clint is driving an on a call, and Will (in the passenger seat) has to take an urgent call, then Clint has to pull over, allowing Will to take the call outside. I recommend a parking lot but if need be, then it’s the shoulder of the highway. Hey, making time for business isn’t is always so easy, folks.
Tip #3: Use You Mute Button!
I do not want to mistake John from accounting for Darth Vader.
There are two things that bother me more than anything else on a conference call; heavy breathing and background noise. First, the breathing issue: Be it from allergies or just being a “heavy breather” (yes, it’s a thing), I do not want to mistake John from accounting for Darth Vader. If you’re a heavy breather, you don’t have to make out with the receiver to be heard. Step back, and count to ten backwards, in your head! OK, now the biggie—use the mute button when you're not talking. The mute button is the most powerful function on a cell phone to make you sound professional and “together.” If you have to sneeze, you mute the phone. Need to converse with colleagues in the room about the call going on? You mute the phone. And if you’re in the car while taking a conference call, you MUTE THE FLIPPIN’ PHONE! Sure the background noise may not be as distracting to you (the driver or passenger) but for others on the phone it sounds like you’re in a wind tunnel, holding a microphone over your head.
Now, even though I highly stress not touching your phone or using your hands to do anything other than driving, you can press the mute button. Here’s how it works, first, as I said above, you have to announce that you’re driving. Something like, “Please excuse any background noise, but I’ll be on mute when I’m not talking.” Then—be it from the steering wheel or already mounted cell phone holder—you can easily press mute on and off. When you do this is shows several things about your professionalism. For one, that you value the call and their time and even though you’re out of pocket right now, you still don’t want to miss the call. Secondly, that you’re driven (no pun intended) to be available wherever, and whenever. As well, in the case of the background noise, you know that it’s distracting and what to limit anything that could sidetrack the focus of the conversation. All these things add up in the perception of folks on the other line.
In the end, I can’t stress enough how terrible it is to be distracted when driving. Not everything is an emergency. So if you are going to take call, only do so with a Bluetooth system, with both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
As always, if you have another manners question, I look forward to hearing from you at manners@quickanddirtytips.com. Follow me on Twitter @MannersQDT, and of course, check back next week for more Modern Manners Guy tips for a more polite life.
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