When we're with other people, we naturally tend to do what we can to understand one another, to ensure that we're communicating, to make certain we are making a connection. But when we interact with others on the phone, it's easy to lose touch with the basic rules of common courtesy. The truth is that, all too often, the telephone becomes an easy excuse for not connecting with other people.

Wouldn't it be great if we all went out of our way -- all the time -- to treat each other on the phone the way we naturally know how to in person? From making and taking calls, to transferring calls and putting people on hold, to taking and leaving messages, Are You With Me? connects all the rules of telephone courtesy to a single, simple, easy-to-remember concept: Treat the person on the other end of the line as though they were right there in the same room with you.

Participants will learn that making a call is like making a visit, taking a call is like receiving a visitor, putting a caller on hold is like asking a visitor to wait at the door, transferring a call is like introducing two people, leaving a message is like making a call or a visit, and taking a message is like receiving someone else's visitor.