BlackBerrys in Meetings: Take Notes, Feign Interest

Miss Conduct regrets that unless an email you're expecting might change the course or duration of the meeting, no. Anything that helps keep you engaged in the proceedings is your friend, but anything that takes your mind out of the room is your enemy -- that includes your own tendency to check out when the going gets humdrum.

Silence Is Golden

Of course, having your tech toys in a meeting is a risk in itself, as the rude awakening of a cha-cha ringtone will attest. It always seems to occur right as your boss is intoning the critical detail.

So what should you do if you forget to turn off the ringer? First, Miss Conduct invites everyone who doesn't already know how to instantly silence their ringers to stop everything and figure it out, right now.

Look at your manual, check the manufacturer's Web site, ask a teenager if you have to -- but take a moment to get to know that thing you won't leave the house without. If it really is the lifeline you pretend it is, then you ought to know it the way a climber knows his ropes.

If you haven't already, experiment with the quietly useful vibrate setting before your next meeting. In addition to her personal communications devices, Miss Conduct's watch has three alarms and an hourly chime, all of which operate without alerting anyone but herself to her appointments.

This way, you can concentrate on the matter at hand, yet remain silently aware of your projects, needs and schedules.