Last Sunday I went to a local coffee shop for a cappuccino and to read the Sunday papers. In the queue in front of me a smartly dressed woman was buying a coffee for herself and her teenage daughter who went to find them a table. I would judge them to be both reasonably sophisticated and well educated. By chance after I purchased my coffee, from a real live barista but using my phone to pay and the inevitable app to register and work towards a free coffee, I found a table opposite the mother and daughter. They were both looking at their phones (which we all do) and ignoring each other. However, instead of this lasting a short time prior to a chat they continued to scroll through their mobile devices and not communicate in any way for what seemed like 10 or more minutes. Anyway, the time it took me to read most of the front page, some inside pages and the lead articles. It struck me as a shame – anyone who has brought up teenagers will understand that opportunities to really interact with them face to face are very hard to come by and should be highly valued.
Why does this matter in a professional working context you may well ask? Well, because it made me think of all those in person meetings where you arrive and get ready to start, only to find that most of the people in the room are busy on their phones and barely acknowledge your arrival. Even when the meeting eventually commences the participants seem to be only too readily distracted by a new electronic communication or interaction of some sort. I saw this described as “electronic multitasking”. Online Teams meetings are even worse, especially if colleagues won’t turn their video on. You have no idea whether they are focused on the issue at hand, or doing something else entirely and barely aware of what is happening in the meeting. In my July 2025 blog Time Management and Beyond I discussed the benefits and indeed necessity of effective attention management. How can we be paying attention to each other and the content of the meeting and seeking to further the objective of the gathering when we are so distracted?
This BBC article Managing digital distraction: 10 tips to stay focused comments that “It can feel like we’re all addicted to our phones and digital devices, and it can make it hard to stay on-task and focused.” Observing that “Digital distraction is a fairly new phenomenon –….. It refers to the way that so many of us are interrupted by our tasks, activities or focus by the use of digital devices and technologies, including smartphones, computers and tablets.” It then recommends ways to avoid this including turning off notifications and limiting or blocking apps.
While this older but still very relevant Guardian article The lost art of concentration: being distracted in a digital world suggests that “This constant fragmentation of our time and concentration has become the new normal, to which we have adapted with ease, but there is a downside: more and more experts are telling us that these interruptions and distractions have eroded our ability to concentrate…. In 2005, research carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson at London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that persistent interruptions and distractions at work had a profound effect. Those distracted by emails and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ, twice that found in studies on the impact of smoking marijuana.”
We of course need to recognise that mobile communications and the advantages as well as distractions they bring in our physical and virtual workspaces are here to stay. And this applies to all electronic and connected devices not just laptops and phones but including smart watches and other wearables. However, we can manage their use in a professional (and for that matter personal) context. See this short but to the point blog Simple Tips To Reduce Distractions In Meetings And Sales Calls which advises:
Cell phones – If you have a cell phone visible, it’s a distraction. Even if it is face down on the table, muted or even off, the mere presence of a cell phone sends a message that there is the potential that something more important will arise.
Smart watches – Even if you don’t look at your watch, the face lighting up when you receive a message is a distraction.
As the organiser/leader of a business meeting you could consider setting and agreeing some ground rules to manage these potential electronic distractions. For example:
1 Electronic communications constrained to the purpose and objectives of the session.
2 Laptops only to be used for the subject matter of the meeting, and otherwise should be shut.
3 Mobile phones in airplane mode and off the table.
4 Smart watches set to do not disturb mode.
5 Frequent scheduled breaks to catch up on digital communications – and not feel too lost!
However, here is the dilemma. Phones and laptops can be very useful in meetings. For example, in a negotiation your team could set up a WhatsApp group for online exchanges of views while the meeting is in progress. Most professionals now use laptops for drafting and reviewing documents which may well need to be done in real time in and for the benefit of a meeting. Virtual collaboration on Zoom or Microsoft Teams helps run and manage virtual and hybrid meetings where some colleagues are in the room and others attend online.
AI in its infinite wisdom says: “Yes, you should use electronic tools in negotiation meetings to enhance preparation through data gathering and strategy formulation, facilitate virtual meetings, and streamline communication and agreement finalization, but be aware of potential downsides like technical issues, distractions, and a lack of personal interaction that can impede progress and trust.”
Then I thought back to my café example and realised that you can like my cover photo suggests take this all too far. If participants are continually plugged into their devices and not the meeting something is wrong. The mother and daughter at some stage should interact directly not electronically. So should professional and business colleagues.
With care and forethought, it should be possible to create a meeting culture where it is OK for you or other colleagues to be connected physically and electronically, recognising the limitations and advantages of the online world and the imperative of face-to-face human interaction.
I like this quote from Damian Green a former UK Minister of State which sums up the quandary.
“Of course mobile phones are always kept out of the room during Cabinet meetings, for security reasons. But to keep a politician from his or her mobile for a whole day is a use of power which almost amounts to torture.”
As Charles Dickens observed with great foresight so many years ago before the computer age:
“Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.”
Ultimately it is what we say and communicate, however we may choose to do this.
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” Buddha.
Why does this matter in a professional working context you may well ask? Well, because it made me think of all those in person meetings where you arrive and get ready to start, only to find that most of the people in the room are busy on their phones and barely acknowledge your arrival. Even when the meeting eventually commences the participants seem to be only too readily distracted by a new electronic communication or interaction of some sort. I saw this described as “electronic multitasking”. Online Teams meetings are even worse, especially if colleagues won’t turn their video on. You have no idea whether they are focused on the issue at hand, or doing something else entirely and barely aware of what is happening in the meeting. In my July 2025 blog Time Management and Beyond I discussed the benefits and indeed necessity of effective attention management. How can we be paying attention to each other and the content of the meeting and seeking to further the objective of the gathering when we are so distracted?
This BBC article Managing digital distraction: 10 tips to stay focused comments that “It can feel like we’re all addicted to our phones and digital devices, and it can make it hard to stay on-task and focused.” Observing that “Digital distraction is a fairly new phenomenon –….. It refers to the way that so many of us are interrupted by our tasks, activities or focus by the use of digital devices and technologies, including smartphones, computers and tablets.” It then recommends ways to avoid this including turning off notifications and limiting or blocking apps.
While this older but still very relevant Guardian article The lost art of concentration: being distracted in a digital world suggests that “This constant fragmentation of our time and concentration has become the new normal, to which we have adapted with ease, but there is a downside: more and more experts are telling us that these interruptions and distractions have eroded our ability to concentrate…. In 2005, research carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson at London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that persistent interruptions and distractions at work had a profound effect. Those distracted by emails and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ, twice that found in studies on the impact of smoking marijuana.”
We of course need to recognise that mobile communications and the advantages as well as distractions they bring in our physical and virtual workspaces are here to stay. And this applies to all electronic and connected devices not just laptops and phones but including smart watches and other wearables. However, we can manage their use in a professional (and for that matter personal) context. See this short but to the point blog Simple Tips To Reduce Distractions In Meetings And Sales Calls which advises:
Cell phones – If you have a cell phone visible, it’s a distraction. Even if it is face down on the table, muted or even off, the mere presence of a cell phone sends a message that there is the potential that something more important will arise.
Smart watches – Even if you don’t look at your watch, the face lighting up when you receive a message is a distraction.
As the organiser/leader of a business meeting you could consider setting and agreeing some ground rules to manage these potential electronic distractions. For example:
1 Electronic communications constrained to the purpose and objectives of the session.
2 Laptops only to be used for the subject matter of the meeting, and otherwise should be shut.
3 Mobile phones in airplane mode and off the table.
4 Smart watches set to do not disturb mode.
5 Frequent scheduled breaks to catch up on digital communications – and not feel too lost!
However, here is the dilemma. Phones and laptops can be very useful in meetings. For example, in a negotiation your team could set up a WhatsApp group for online exchanges of views while the meeting is in progress. Most professionals now use laptops for drafting and reviewing documents which may well need to be done in real time in and for the benefit of a meeting. Virtual collaboration on Zoom or Microsoft Teams helps run and manage virtual and hybrid meetings where some colleagues are in the room and others attend online.
AI in its infinite wisdom says: “Yes, you should use electronic tools in negotiation meetings to enhance preparation through data gathering and strategy formulation, facilitate virtual meetings, and streamline communication and agreement finalization, but be aware of potential downsides like technical issues, distractions, and a lack of personal interaction that can impede progress and trust.”
Then I thought back to my café example and realised that you can like my cover photo suggests take this all too far. If participants are continually plugged into their devices and not the meeting something is wrong. The mother and daughter at some stage should interact directly not electronically. So should professional and business colleagues.
With care and forethought, it should be possible to create a meeting culture where it is OK for you or other colleagues to be connected physically and electronically, recognising the limitations and advantages of the online world and the imperative of face-to-face human interaction.
I like this quote from Damian Green a former UK Minister of State which sums up the quandary.
“Of course mobile phones are always kept out of the room during Cabinet meetings, for security reasons. But to keep a politician from his or her mobile for a whole day is a use of power which almost amounts to torture.”
As Charles Dickens observed with great foresight so many years ago before the computer age:
“Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.”
Ultimately it is what we say and communicate, however we may choose to do this.
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” Buddha.
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