End a texting conversation by ignoring it.

If someone has leaking music, turn yours up and hold it next to their ears.

If the guy is blabbing and won't shut up, take out your phone and act like you're texting something while you're looking at him intently. When he asks "What's your problem" tell him "Well this is too good to let go to waste, I'm putting it on twitter."

If I'm in line and my phone rings, I'll look at the screen. If the number is someone I need to answer (i.e. a customer) I'll excuse myself from the line, answer the phone, and very curtly tell the customer that I'll call them right back.

Otherwise, I silence the phone and let it go to voicemail.

Some people just don't grok that.

What do you do when, out to lunch with someone or in a meeting at work and the person answers their cell phone and has a twenty minute conversation about nothing urgent while you just sit there?

Re: Under-parented children:

What is fabulous is that as a mom who generally has laid down the rules, my daughter has started handling these situations for me.
"Uh oh, sounds like someone's mommy is about to take them out to the car."

What I would like to know is how to deal with the busy bodies who get on my case in public locations for requiring my child behave. My general response is "She's not "Just a child," she's an adult-in-training." but there are still the aging hippy women who will tell you they raised five children and want to, on the spot, launch into their philosophies regarding nurturing a child's spirit. (I live near Boulder, Colorado.) How does one politely, but quickly dismiss them?

-- Bodily Functions --

If you are invited to a dinner party, and feel the need to stink up the bathroom, please don't go into the medicine cabinet and use your host's Caswell & Massey Sandalwood Cologne as an air freshener.

We still laugh about that one.

1. A related question I'd like very much to see addressed - how to deal with a person at a work-related meeting who immediately lights up their laptop and spends the meeting doing anything but pay atention to the actual matters at hand? Especially when that persn's input is crucial, and, when called upon to interact, responds along the lines of 'oh, I was just (e-mailing, texting, updating, whatever) - why don't you bring me up to speed?'

With peers or subordinates, I've had good luck with a simple but archly-delivered 'we can reschedule this when you've had time to prepare for the meeting' but this approach is not applicable with superiors and some people apparently have a alligator-like indifference to their insufferable rudeness in this regard.

2. How to deal with people in a business setting whose personal grooming falls below minimum standards. I don't mean hygiene and cleanliness - I mean minimum standards of appearance. Unshined shoes, unironed shirts, tie (if any)askew and loose, missing buttons, frayed collars and cuffs, and so forth. I'm not suggesting that everyone needs to start looking like the cast of 'Mad Men' but some people dress themselves so excessively poorly that it almost looks deliberate.

llater,

llamas

People who don't put their cell phones on vibrate before they go into a meeting. Especially when their ring tone is something obnoxious.

For the cell phone I always think you should do the scene from an old scifi comedy I love.

I know it is a little passive aggressive but it would be funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_0xaOQWg6I

So when they start to chat pick up your phone and start a conversation with yourself. Remember to talk louder than the speekee. Thru I think the end the POLITE thing to do is to talk to the person when they are done and share your feelings of how that makes you feel.

I think they best think for bodily is to apologize and if possible learn to vacate the area ahead of time.

Jocelyn easily walk away or say with a serious look on your face "this is going on my blog! My audience will sooooooo love this".

A gentleman ALWAYS has matches in his pocket. Always.

*****What I would like to know is how to deal with the busy bodies who get on my case in public locations for requiring my child behave. My general response is "She's not "Just a child," she's an adult-in-training." but there are still the aging hippy women who will tell you they raised five children and want to, on the spot, launch into their philosophies regarding nurturing a child's spirit. (I live near Boulder, Colorado.) How does one politely, but quickly dismiss them?*****

Move. Boulder hippy parents have no clue. Trust me, I live in Ft. Collins, I know exactly what you're talking about. A lot of them live here, too. Sadly, they tend to have the worst behaved kids of the bunch, because you certainly don't want to "crush their spirits". Gah.

Just tell them that "nurturing their spirit" is not an excuse for allowing bad behavior and it must be corrected when it happens. We have a lot of those hippy types in Portland, Oregon too and it's maddening!

@jocelyn
Once, at a store, there was a mom and kid ahead of me in line. The kid grabbed a bunch of candy and threw it in the cart. The mom said, "No. You already had dessert and we have some treats at home," and put the candy back.

The 50-ish woman ahead of them went, "Oh, dear, such a sweet little girl deserves some sweets! Won't mommy buy you any?"

The mom looked shocked and said, "Oh, she gets plenty of sweets, trust me."

The woman winked at the kid. Then reached into her own bag and HANDED THE CHILD A PACKAGE OF COOKIES, gave the mom a LOOK and went, "Here you go, dear."

The mom just rolled her eyes, waited til the woman was out of sight, set the cookies aside and left them. If I'd been in her shoes, that interfering b*tch would have been asked, "Excuse me, but who the HELL raised YOU?"

What do you do about someone who constantly puts you on hold while you're talking on the phone? Like, interrupts you mid-sentence and goes, "Oh, hold on my sister's calling," leaves you hanging for like 3 minutes and then comes back with, "Sorry. What were you saying?"

I understand if it's work-related or if the baby sitter's calling or something.

But I almost ALWAYS just let it go to voicemail and call back when my previous conversation is over. I'm in my mid-20s and I feel I'm in the minority among my friends, some of which are repeat offenders.

I'm about ready to just start hanging up when I'm put on hold, but I'm not sure if that's rude as well.

Is there a polite thing to say when you're in the passenger seat, and the driver (let's say a friend or coworker) is yammering on their cell phone, holding the steering wheel in one hand and clearly having trouble maintaining concentration? Is there a way to tell them you feel unsafe?

Thanks!!! The simple, direct solution is often the best. It's funny--I will stand up for myself to strangers without a problem, but I often struggle to speak up to friends. This advice helps a lot.

" . . . but there are still the aging hippy women who will tell you they raised five children and want to, on the spot, launch into their philosophies regarding nurturing a child's spirit. (I live near Boulder, Colorado.) How does one politely, but quickly dismiss them?

"How to deal with people in a business setting whose personal grooming falls below minimum standards. I don't mean hygiene and cleanliness - I mean minimum standards of appearance. Unshined shoes, unironed shirts, tie (if any)askew and loose, missing buttons, frayed collars and cuffs, and so forth."

Hey. Stop hating on the IT guy.

Hippies in Boulder:

Sorry, that one got away from me. I was going to add that the question could go into a more general category of how to handle unsolicited advice.

"What do you do about someone who constantly puts you on hold while you're talking on the phone? Like, interrupts you mid-sentence and goes, "Oh, hold on my sister's calling," leaves you hanging for like 3 minutes and then comes back with, "Sorry. What were you saying?""

Hang up. Life is too short.

I don't even know how to use the hold feature on my cell. I refuse to learn.

If I'm talking to you, everyone else can go to voicemail. If someone puts me on hold, I just say, "Call me back when you have time to talk" and get off the phone.

I refuse to sit on hold unless being paid to do so.

First, I want to thank those dedicated people that are EMT's. I appreciate you more than words can say. But please, please, when you are sitting in the booth next to me, in the quiet, family restarant where My family is trying to eat, would you for the Love Of All That Is Holy not talk about the man who was thrown from his car, (in graphic detail) , landed on some train tracks, and tho he survived all of that he was hit by a train before you could reach him.

Seriously, the next one of you who does this is getting an earful of my 20 hour labor, in 5 part harmony.

What do you say to people who follow you into the bathroom to talk to you through your stall door? This has happened to me at both my corporate office job, and at the restaurant I work at on weekends. I have had people spot me in the hallway heading into the bathroom and follow me in because they "have a quick question about that project". What do you say? "Sorry I have to poop. Can we continue this outside when I'm done?" I'm sorry, but I don't like to have conversations while I'm taking care of my personal business.

What do you do about someone who constantly puts you on hold while you're talking on the phone? Like, interrupts you mid-sentence and goes, "Oh, hold on my sister's calling," leaves you hanging for like 3 minutes and then comes back with, "Sorry. What were you saying?"

A friend of mine used to do this to me. I started a policy of giving her a minute. If she wasn't back in a minute, I hung up. You can always claim you thought you got disconnected, or that the other call must have been important, so you let him/her go.

Many years ago, fresh out of college, some friends of mine went on a European trip. To keep costs down, they stayed with friends and relatives whenever possible. When they got to Germany they stayed with "Ann's" aunt and uncle. Ann and her traveling companion slept on separate sofas for two night while staying in their home. A few weeks afterwards "Ann" got a call from her aunt. Apparently, her traveling companion had gotten her period on the sofa she was sleeping on, and instead of trying to clean it, or even asking for help, she simply turned the cushion over to hide it.
Anne was, of course, angry and humiliated that her friend had done such a thing.
Her traveling companion simply denied it and changed the subject.
How should Ann have handled it? To this day, we often discuss it, and we still don't know how to handle someone who basically refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing and doesn't know the meaning of owning up to her mistakes.
(This, by the way) is the same person who later informed us that the only reason she lowered herself to living with an ethnic girl ...meaning me, was because she needed someone to do the cleaning.