When I read that a recent study revealed the cell phone is the technology Americans can least go without, all I could think about was how many people I wish would lose theirs.

For the first time, according to a report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the cell phone has topped the list of must-have technology. That would explain why so many people refuse to mute them or turn them off in meetings, why so many people continue to talk on them while doing other things, and probably why they top my own list of workplace communication pet peeves.

I patiently waited in line at my bank last week while the only available teller patiently waited for her customer to get off the phone so she could complete his transaction. I've had business meetings, meals and one-on-one discussions put on hold because someone couldn't let a call go to voicemail. This is not only a productivity killer, it's also just plain rude.

Cell phones aren't the only threat to effective workplace communication, however. Here are four more of my pet peeves:

E-mails that replace a quick phone call. I confess that I am guilty of this one. We have become so addicted to e-mail that we refuse to pick up the phone to provide a quick answer or a small bit of needed information. The answer to a simple question ("Jim, have you had a chance to review that report? May I go ahead and send it out?") might go unanswered for hours while the recipient is tied up in a meeting or, even worse, for days while he is out of the office.

Written communication riddled with poor grammar and misspellings. This week I read a report that was so poorly written (by a communication professional, no less) that it caused me to question the author's credentials. There simply is no excuse for sloppily written communication, given how many courses, books and online resources exist to eradicate the problem. At the very least, find a colleague who writes and spells well and have her review the document before distributing it.

Unclear or incomplete communication. I worked with someone who, it seemed to me, never was clear in her communication with me. I don't know if the problem was my inability to follow her thinking or if it was her inability to express herself. I only know that I never had a work-related conversation with her in which I walked away feeling that I knew exactly what she was asking me to do. The responsibility for this problem lies with both parties. As the listener, I have an obligation to ask for clarity (and I usually do when I don't understand something). The speaker has not fulfilled her responsibility, either, until she is sure she has made herself clear.

Gossip. We've all done it, including me, but this is one of the greatest productivity killers in the realm of communication. I'm not only talking about snide remarks about someone's taste in clothes or personal habits. Rumors about who might get the next promotion, conjecture about whether or not the big restructuring will work, the latest line on the fate of the boss after that big screw-up – none of it does any good and most of it saps all the good energy out of the workplace. There must be better things to talk about.

Robert J. Holland owns Holland Communication Solutions LLC in Mechanicsville. He works with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses to help them develop communication programs that support business goals. He is also available to speak to business groups about workplace communication. You can reach him at robert@hollandcomm.com, at www.hollandcomm.com, or by calling (804) 368-0312.

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