If you’re started to get aggravated with other people’s abuse of technology in public, you’re not alone. Corporate trainer VitalSmarts announced the results of its latest survey today, which found that 91 percent of people have encountered a “personal display of insensitivity” stemming from portable devices such as cell phones.
According to VitalSmarts, the offenses cited ranged from the mundane (teenagers texting at the movie theater) to the obscene (a guest at a funeral snapping a picture of an open casket with a cell phone camera). More than 1,000 people participated.
The survey also asked respondents about the way they respond to these scenarios when they crop up. Thirty-seven percent of people said they simply ignore the behavior, 26 percent take the passive-aggressive approach by offering nonverbal disapproval like dirty looks, and 14 percent simply walk away. Surprisingly, only one in ten participants said they would speak up.
VitalSmarts offered some advice for the timid, courtesy of Joseph Grenny, who has authored a book on confrontations. Grenny advises people to avoid nonverbal signals, speak quietly with the offender, share the reasons for their irritation, and hold their ground with eye contact.
Keep these in mind for the next time someone whips out a PDA at a funeral.
