Savvy Girl, A Guide to Etiquette by Brittany Deal, Bren Underwood Read Free Book Online Page A

for the call” or “I’ve got to run, but great chatting,” is all you need to say to get off the phone.
    • KNOW WHEN TO ANSWER CALL WAITING. If you get a beep and you need to answer the call, end the call you’re currently on instead of placing them on hold for a lengthy period of time.
    • TALK AT A NORMAL DECIBEL. Be mindful of how loud you are talking, as you’ll annoy anyone around you if you are yelling into the phone. Don’t be that person everyone secretly wants to muffle.
    • ADMIT TO USING SPEAKERPHONE. Let someone know if you’ve placed her on speakerphone. That way, she can be mindful of the conversation, lest an awkward moment arise.
    • WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE OUT OF THE ELEVATOR. Don’t answer if you’re en route up or down in an elevator. This is a small and confined space and not everyone needs to hear the intimate details of your bestie’s wax appointment gone wrong.
    • QUIT YOUR MULTITASKING. You don’t want to sound distracted while talking on the phone. The person on the other end should be your priority.

TEXTING DOS AND DON’TS
    These days, a good chunk of communication with family and friends is done via text. Whether you’re sending an “On my way!” message to your BFF before meeting her for Sunday brunch or texting the caterer’s contact information to your mom for the dinner party she’s planning, texts are quick, easy, immediate—you know the drill.
    However, texts can also be a slippery slope thanks to awkward autocorrect moments and misconstrued messages. So take a moment to brush up on some texting dos and don’ts.
    DO be careful with sarcasm and jokes in texts—you can only convey so much with those little emoticons.
    DO reread your messages. Whoever created autocorrect technology clearly had a sense of humor.
    DO identify yourself if you’re texting someone who might not have your number.
    DO use emoticons if you’d like, but use them with friends and family—not your boss or the new guy you like. Got it, :)?
    DO return texts promptly, ideally within 24 to 48 hours.
    [ BRITT: A friend of mine who is a professional organizer taught me to delete texts that are not active. That way, the only text messages in my phone are ones that require a response or an action. “Think of it as a to-do list,” she told me. This was transformative for me, because I had a reputation for being terrible at texting back. The thing was, I had so many text messages that I would “lose” them in the sea of texts. Now that I delete the inactive conversations, I know exactly which ones to get back to. ]
    DON’T text anything private or confidential. Once you hit Send, you can’t take it back, and cell-phone companies have databases that store this content . . . forever. Translation? Steamy sexting isn’t just between the two of you.
    DON’T rapid-fire text someone who is not responding to you. Be patient and wait for a response. If you don’t hear from the person after 24 hours and need a response, call them.
    DON’T text someone about sad or possibly life-changing news. Instead, talk with them face-to-face or call.
    DON’T type a saga; texts are meant to be succinct.

HANDLING AWKWARD OR DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
    In life, we all face times where we need to have difficult or awkward conversations, whether it’s declining an invitation, ending a relationship, or canceling a prior commitment. Often, people cringe at the thought of confrontation, and wonder if it’s OK to send a quick text in order to avoid uncomfortable chats.
    My advice: If it’s an important conversation, talk with that person face-to-face. It is the most considerate and respectful thing to do. If you’re unable to meet up, call to have the chat. Either way, plan ahead for the conversation by preparing what you need to say as well as how you will react to their response. The other person will appreciate your thoughtfulness of wanting to deliver the news in person or at least over the phone, as opposed to hiding