Rude business

Generation Y are often pigeon-holed as mobile phone obsessed and attention seeking. But I challenge those pigeon holers to sit in a room of business blokes, I estimate aged 35 year plus, and not come up with the same conclusion. At least we’re tech-savvy enough to know how to put our phones on silent.

At a recent pitch breakfast for emerging companies raising cash on the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board, I was absolutely appalled at the rudeness of the audience.

On stage were representatives from 10 start-up companies. They are pouring their life and soul into these businesses. They had gone to the breakfast to give a 10 minute summary and hopefully attract some investment. In the audience were blokes in suits (well mostly blokes, in the packed room I could see only seven females) and to be frank, they might as well have just read the company summaries on the ASSOB website instead of wasting the company founders’ morning.

In every pitch, at least two mobile phones rang. Are you kidding me? Forgetting to turn off your mobile phone is forgivable. But not checking and turning to silent your own phone after somebody else’s has rung certainly is.

One gentleman on my table let his phone ring twice. After the first call aren’t you so embarrassed that your phone has disturbed the integrity of the pitch that you then turn it to silent? Apparently not!

Are these audience members so self-important that the common rules of etiquette don’t apply to them? Are they so arrogant that they would let their phone ring throughout a theatre performance? Standing in front of a packed room of your peers is nerve-wracking for most people and a little bit of a support and attention would at least make it worthwhile.

And if I thought the rudest Gen X and baby boomers were in the audience, I was wrong. Upon finishing his pitch, one of the company founders returned to his seat and proceeded to talk his neighbour through some finer detail on his business. The founder didn’t have the best “inside voice” and sent a ripple of people turning their heads to identify the commotion.

As if the pitch was already tough over the cacophony of mobile phone tones, the poor next pitcher didn’t stand a chance competing against his rude peer.

I invite the next person who criticises my Gen Y peers as mobile phone obsessed and attention seeking to come along with me and sit in an audience of Baby Boomer and Gen X business men. I challenge them not to come away with a similar stereotype.

Do you agree? Write and tell me your views.

BRW

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