Put Down That Phone!

As someone who worked for decades in the telecommunications industry, it should come as no surprise that I like phones. The telephone business helped put my kids through college, pay off my mortgage, etc. But I’ve been noticing lately how addicted almost everyone is to today’s version of a communications device – the smart phone.

Smart phones are wonderful – but they can also be a real distraction. If you represent a non-profit and you’ve worked hard to get a meeting with a prospective donor – would you be willing to leave your phone in your car or your purse? Eye contact is an important part of in-person communication and if your eyes are frequently dropping to look at your smart phone – it can become very irritating and distracting to others. It can also be disrespectful.

I know it’s common today for people to haul their phones and their tablets or laptops into meetings and mess with them during meetings – but my advice is don’t do it. If you’re meeting with someone to ask for a grant or sponsorship, you want them to feel like they are the most important person in the universe at that moment. One way to do that is by giving them your undivided attention.

Whenever I met with non-profits in my corporate job – I had my secretary hold my calls on the office phone and I never put my smart phone on the table so it couldn’t distract me. The dynamics of human communication involve facial expression and body language as well as the words we say – and you have to pay attention to get the full effect. You can’t do that if your eyes are scanning your e-mails on your smart phone. So my advice is to go off the grid for 45 minutes or so to let the person you’re meeting with know how important they are to you. Now, if they play with their smart phone during the meeting – you can’t prevent that. But maybe they’ll read this blog too!