Quote:
Originally Posted by RKDinOKC
When going to lunch with a group I make a big deal of muting my ringer when we first arrive. Make the comment. "This lunch has officially become a meeting." Most follow suit. The group also stops conversations and stares at the person that does take a call until that person hangs up. Has gotten to where people in the group only take "important calls" and leave the table to take them.
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Those of us who are old enough, can look back at the progression to where we are today, where
everyone is "important."
The only way a lunch meeting would be interrupted by a phone call, in the sixties, would be if the waiter came over and informed someone that they had a call. That would only happen if someone was enough of a VIP to leave the restaurant's number with their office and had to be "on-call"--say, they were a doctor, police officer, or some other person whose occupation required them to be available. Even in this case, they would leave the table to take the call, and those remaining would understand and respect the need for the interruption. This tended to be a rare occurrence.
In the seventies, we began to see pagers and with them, the interruptions by people who could be "self-proclaimed" VIPs. Still, even with the interruptions, they would have to leave the table to make their "important" call.
In the eighties, cell phones began to arrive in larger numbers, and the interruptions spread and the table courtesy declined--to the point where those receiving the calls took them at the table.
Now, with smart phones, the cell phone interruptions are overlaid by web surfing, texting, and app perusal. People sit at the table and are constantly on their devices, effectively sending the message (pardon the pun) that those at the table are not worthy of their complete attention.
IMO, your approach is warranted and sends the right message.