Ways to Deal with Cell Phone Jerks Without Becoming a Jerk Yourself

Stop the madness and help the world reclaim some peace and quiet! Jerks with cell phones have taken over the world, but there is hope. The "Jerk with the Cell Phone: A Survival Guide for the Rest of Us" includes everything you need to know to deal with cell phone jerks without being a jerk yourself.

November 24, 2004 -- Stop the madness and help the world reclaim some peace and quiet! Jerks with cell phones have taken over the world, but there is hope. The "Jerk with the Cell Phone: A Survival Guide for the Rest of Us" includes everything you need to know to deal with cell phone jerks without being a jerk yourself.

They are everywhere. They are loud. Theyre inappropriate. Theyre driving you crazy, and sometimes, nearly driving you off the road.

No doubt about it, the cell phone jerks, says business communications trainer and etiquette expert Barbara Pachter, are driving people crazy, even to the point of inciting cell rage incidents, like a man, who snapped and dumped a soda over a girls head in a movie theater.

While Pachter never condones violence against the jerks, she does understand and identifies with a growing sense of frustration that people have with others who use the technology inappropriately, i.e. too loudly or at inappropriate times. These are the Cell Phone Etiquette Guideline (CPEG) violators. A friend of mine was on a train to D.C., she says. The man next to her talked non-stop on his cell phone. She couldnt relax. She was really stressed out.

Pachter believes she has the answer, or at least the right approach, for silencing and dealing with the jerks. Co-author of the new book, "The Jerk with the Cell Phone: A Survival Guide for the Rest of Us" ($9.95, paperback, Marlowe & Co.), Pachter offers an often humorous look at the jerks, but more importantly, provides a step-by-step plan for dealing with them.

Its about speaking up in the right way when the time is right, she says. For most of us, this is often very hard to do. Unless weve had assertiveness training, we often dont know how to confront others. We dont know what to say, how to say it, or that we have the right to do so.

She calls her approach, which she has taught to business professionals for years, Polite and Powerful. According to Pachter, if you speak up to a jerk using the right words, tone of voice, and body language most people will comply.

How is she so sure? People tell me it works, she says. Most people dont want to be jerks. They just need to know, in a nice way, that their behavior is causing a problem for others.

Barbara Pachter is the author of "The Power of Positive Confrontation," ($14.95 paperback, Marlowe & Co.) and "When the Little Things Count" ($12.95 paperback, Marlowe & Co.). She is co-author of several books including the "Prentice Hall Complete Business Etiquette Handbook." She is a speaker, trainer and coach specializing in business communications, business etiquette, and assertiveness issues. Her client list features major corporations and organizations worldwide, including NASA, Pfizer Inc., DaimlerChrysler, Ernst & Young, and the University of Michigan.

For a review copy of "The Jerk with the Cell Phone: A Survival Guide for the Rest of Us" contact Blanca Olivery: 646-375-2571, or e-mail protected from spam bots.

For a free copy of Pachter's newsletter, "Competitive Edge," your readers can simply call (856) 751-6141 (NJ) or go to www.pachter.com on the web. Published twice a year, it contains tips and strategies for business professionals on a wide range of business communication and etiquette issues.

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