Courtesy is not so common anymore, but fortunately there are tons of ways you can deal with it. Some are more bold than others.

Check out why public speakerphone was no match for the person in this story.

Want to Share Your Phone Conversation With the World? Not Interested.

In the shop to get car inspected, sit down and within seconds a lady sits next to me. She has her phone on speaker.

She is really having a back and forth with someone, both of them with voices raised.

But there is a solution.

I’m listening to a podcast with my earbuds and she & her friend on the phone are both loud.

I think to myself, I will bet she’ll like my podcast about the history of the Mongol Empire with Dan Carlin.

So out with the earbuds and I crank up the speaker so everyone (she, her friend and I – nobody else here) can all enjoy the history lesson.

The effect is swift.

The sacking of Bagdad is a frightful listen. I guess she wasn’t a history fan because she got up and walked outside, still going on and on.

I put the earbuds back in as a polite couple came in and sat down. I don’t want to be a jerk…

Here is what folks are saying.

I’d be afraid of getting punched.

I like this! Gets the message across.

I’d put money on it.

What did Rick Astley ever do to you?!

I will have to check it out.

I hate when folks do that.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.