Two Acts In The Same Ring At The Same Time

It's happened at least two times in the past month. I return a call to someone and before I even get to hello, they abruptly say, "I can't talk right now. I'm in a meeting." The visual I get is hilarious. First, the person answering their phone while in a meeting has just disrupted the flow of the meeting-or at least distracted the individuals around them. Secondly, they have just created a less than professional situation between themselves and the person calling. I also see this same behavior while conducting some presentations.

In an actual circus you can imagine how confusing it would be if, while an act was being performed, another act barged into the same ring. No one is pleased with the chaos or confusion created by the incident.

I know there are cases of personal emergency where one needs to be readily available, but that's the purpose of Caller ID. If it's important, step out of the room. Ultimately, for the benefit of those in the meeting and as a courtesy to the person calling, maybe it's best to wait until the current act is finished before tryng to start another one in the same ring.

Why not schedule a Juggling Elephants program for the people in your organization so they can see the fallacy of trying to get it all done? Click here to learn more.