Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore is accustomed to getting calls from CEOs who want to polish their social skills while learning the difference between crude and crudités. In July, she’s dedicated to tackling a more monumental threat to civility. She’s dispensing advice on how to talk on wireless phones without annoying those around you.

July is National Cellphone Courtesy Month is an event Whitmore founded with the intent to encourage the increasingly unmindful corps of cellphone users to be more respectful of their surroundings by using some simple cellphone etiquette principles. According to researchers, 423 million handsets were sold in 2002, and approximately 1 billion people around the world – nearly one in six – now use a cellphone. “Wireless phones and other electronic devices have become so important to keeping people in touch with information they want and need,” said Whitmore. “It’s important to educate people about the proper way to use these devices so that they’re still in touch but not annoying those around them.”