Friday, April 28, 2006

The First Episode is Live!!!

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Blair, Derek and I talk about Queue and Gas Station Etiquette, and then talk about how to treat people on an Elevator so you don't get everyone down (yuk. yuk.).

Hold the door? Don't hold the door? Who gets off first? Do I care?

So many questions... so little time.

Send us your feedback and questions, and look for episode 2 in the very near future.

Trent
trent@mannerscast.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here it was stated that when people are in an elevator and the signal gets weak that people talk louder. Very annoying, I agree. The reason that people talk louder on cell phones is because on home phones a small amount of the speakers voice is funneled back to the earpiece and the caller will 'hear himself'. This assures a 'normal' level of loudness. On cell phones, to save costs, this funneling is not done. Therefore the caller talks louder because he is covering one ear with the phone. Did you ever notice how people talk really loud when they have headphones on? Same principle. Cell phones have something built in to avoid this, although it doesn't seem to work very successfully. Electronically it controls the volume to the receiver no matter how loud or soft (anything above a whisper, of course) the caller is talking. So actually the cell phone user could talk normally but doesn't because he is 'wearing' a one-piece headphone. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of people talking in elevators. It is rude to talk on the cell phone in elevators, restaurants, trains and waiting in line at the bank, post office, etc. In Prague you are not allowed to use a cell phone in any bank. Security reasons. You could be calling an accomplice outside to hit on the guy with the green coat because he just withdrew $2000, for example. There are police officers that will tell you to hang up immediately. I, do not use a cell phone in public. If I have to make a call when I am in a train, for example, I go to the platform between the cars so that I do not bother the other passengers. Generally I turn my phone off when in a train. That's usually when I listen to your podcast and don't want to be disturbed from a cell phone.

Anonymous said...

In regards to entering and exiting elevator:
When I first moved to Chicago, I believed in and followed the same procedures that you described.
One morning, soon after starting work in a tall building, I was waiting for the elevator and a large number of women showed up after me. I stepped aside to let them in first, the elevator filled up, and I waited for another elevator. By the time the other elevator showed up, another group of women arrived. I stepped aside and allowed them. The elevator filled up and I went and waited for the third elevator. Another group of women assembled behind me. I stepped aside to let them in. However, there was a young lady who had seen my predicament as she was waiting for a colleague. She insisted that I get into the elevator.
As I road that elevator day after day, I discovered that following that rule actually creates a worse situation in that in disrupts the flow of people.
Nobody likes spending time in an elevator. The better manners is to keep any disruption to a minimum. Even standing aside and holding the door creates some blockage.
I think the better way to approach elevators is to get on first if you are going to the top floor and get on last if you are going to the lower floors.

I had a similar episode with getting on the bus. The bus door opened. I stepped aside to let a lady onto the bus. The lady did not want that bus The bus closed its door and drove off without me. I walked.

Miss Manners stated that it is okay for a gentlemen to get into elevators and onto buses first.

Therefore, do not feel guilty for getting off first if you are at the door of the elevator. You are actually making life better for all of those behind you.