I really don’t want to write this article. You know, the one on the use of Blackberries in meetings. Shellie, our business manager, is making me do it.

I don’t want to write this because I don’t have all the answers. But Shellie is right. If the business world doesn’t get a handle on this insidious, pervasive, focus-sucking problem; we’re all going to go just a tiny bit crazy.

So...here goes.

If your company, your group or your boss HAS RULES on the use of Blackberries in meetings, I’m willing to bet one thing - there are always people who violate the rules, and most of them get away with it most of the time. If you DON’T HAVE RULES it’s a sure bet that your meetings are taking twice as long - and you’re getting half as much done.

There are multitudes of reasons (excuses) why people flaunt any rules the organization tries to set forth.

• They’re overwhelmed with work.
• Meetings are too long.
• Meetings are poorly run.
• They don’t know how to delegate.
• They have extremely short attention spans.
• The meetings aren’t relevant to them.
• They are addicted to the darned thing.
• They are poor time managers.
• The organization is E-mail happy.
• Things that should be happening by phone are happening in Cyberspace.

Are you at a loss as how to tame the Blackberry beast? Join the club. Even in our office, when it has been clearly stated at the beginning of the meeting that people should turn off their Blackberries and put them away, I see them “sneaking out.” (Emergency with the kids, expecting an important email from a client, etc). So, there they sit, on the side of the conference table, or worse, in laps, where they are hardly concealed and just as distracting.

The problem is- it is hard to argue with the reasons. Like I said. I don’t have all the answers.

The other day I gave a four-hour workshop on Communicating Like a Leader to a leadership team offsite meeting. I must say, I was pretty impressed with this group - only about 10% had Blackberries out on the table. But still, I find when even a few are using them, others are sitting there thinking - “Maybe I should be monitoring my E-mail, too. Perhaps I’m not as on-top-of-it as this guy.” Or, “if she has it out, why shouldn’t I? I guess the boss really doesn’t care.”

If the BOSS has the Blackberry on vibrate on the table - going off every 18 seconds - all bets are off. It is over. That IS the standard. A few weeks ago a Fortune 500 company paid our firm tens of thousands of dollars to deliver several days of training. Most of the participants had their Blackberries out on the desks the entire time. So, what should be done? Is this a good use of their precious time and money? Should I care?

This morning I went searching for some “new rules” on Blackberries and found a lot of the same old stuff. Oh, there were some nuggets - but I’m telling you that I don’t think anybody has this thing figured out. This isn’t like getting people to comply with seat belt laws. When people don’t buckle up - there’s a consequence - they die. When people don’t put the Blackberries in the “holster” it’s only a meeting that is dead on arrival.

So having said all that - let me offer up 10 “new rules” on Blackberry etiquette and good meeting practice, and you tell me what you think.

1. Make a rule - Blackberries off during the meeting.
2. Allow exceptions and get agreement (real emergencies, crisis in the office, and define that)
3. Tell people they must leave the meeting not just to talk, but to type, so they don’t distract others.
4. Devices must be on vibrate, and never on the table.
5. Promise and hold firm on predictable breaks. At least one in a two hour meeting.
6. Use timed agendas and send them in advance, so people know when they can slip out.
7. If you’re the meeting leader - follow the rules- you cannot be the exception.
8. Get group agreement on the new norms, so that you aren’t the only one “calling people out”
9. Make your meetings shorter and have fewer meetings.
10. Tell folks when meeting with clients/prospects/influencers, there are no exceptions. No Blackberries. At all. Not in the lap, not on the table, not anywhere.

Okay, the electronic mailbag is open for your comments. Let me know what you think. Maybe collectively we can come up with even better answers.