Tween Phone Etiquette

Let’s get back to basic when it comes to phone etiquette. How many times have you listened to your tween answer and talk on the phone, whether it is the cell phone or your home phone. Every parent needs to go over the basic phone etiquette with their tweens now before all tweens really start sounding inconsiderate. Sense tweens spend so much time texting and not holding a live conversation on the phone, they simply don’t know how to have a phone conversation because they have not been taught. How many times have you heard “hey” instead of “hello” when the phone is answered, and what about when the conversation is over and all you hear is a click. Phone etiquette may not seem to matter when tweens are talking to other tweens however, just think when they are in middle school and their teacher or sports coach calls them on their phone. Do you want them to sound rude and oblivious to them?  Here are some basic phone etiquette tips to go over with your tween:

1. Always answer "Hello" especially when the number of the incoming call is not one of your friends
2. Have the phone position next to your face and mouth and speak clearly into the phone
3. Do not yell or whisper into the phone
4. If you are in a noisy room, move to a quieter place so the caller can hear you and not all the background noise
5. Stay away from jargon, slang or impolite verbiage
6. Don’t start talking to another person in the room when you are on the phone. This is discourteous to the caller.
7. Always say "Bye" and wait until you hear the other person say "Bye". This is important because the caller may have something to add to the conversation before hanging up.