THE FIRST RULE OF THE NEW BOOK OF ETIQUETTE - NOTE TAKING

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Here's a short quiz. You're giving a presentation. Down the table there are two people - one is 45 and one is 25. At least one of them is paying attention to what you have to say. Here's the question: which one? Here's a hint. The older guy has a pad in front of him and he is writing regularly on it as you speak although he seems to be paying more attention to the pad than to you. The younger guy is thumb-typing on his iPhone at least as frequently as the older guy, but he's probably tweeting to his friends about what a tool you are. Here's the answer: The older guy is a world-class doodler and has covered almost an entire page with small triangles and squares and not a single note. And you thought he was taking notes. The younger guy uses his phone to take notes and he's so fast doing it that he's captured almost everything you've said and will be sharing it with others in his company. BUT he was foolish enough not to explain to you in advance that this was how he took notes. And frankly no one his age does and most of them don't have a clue as to how they are being perceived and evaluated based on this simple oversight. It's a great way for your company in a tough client meeting to lose an easy sale when the customer looks over and sees someone on your team working his phone rather than paying attention to the pitch. And keep in mind the client never tells you why they got pissed or why you didn't get the sale - they just think you weren't smart enough to keep your own team focused on the business at hand. So here's the first rule of the NEW book of etiquette. If you're gonna take notes on your phone or frankly even on your iPAD or whatever digital device you prefer, take a minute at the beginning of the meeting to let people know. In fact, it's not a bad idea to explain this protocol at the beginning of every meeting where you have a multi-generational group. Keep in mind that I'm not suggesting that some older folks aren't taking digital notes in meetings, BUT I am willing to bet that better than 90% of the ones over 40 just regard it as bad form or worse to be typing away on anything while someone is trying to present to them. Check it out in your own business.