An Introduction To Basic Manners And Etiquette

By Marci Glover


Being polite is something that is pretty simple to do. Unfortunately it is also something we can often forget, especially in stressful situations. This is why it helps to be aware of basic manners and etiquette in order to maintain good relationships with people and generally be a good person to interact with.

One of the simplest methods of being polite is to say please and thank you. This is something people appreciate. It is important that people aware you feel grateful for what you want from them. Equally if you give something to people it should be done in a way that makes them feel you are thinking about them. This can also extend to arriving at the time you say you will be there, replying promptly and politely to emails and so forth.

There is an old saying that says how it is the thought that counts. This means that it is as much the attitude behind your actions as it is the action itself. Remembering to buy a gift for a birthday is only part of it. You also need to think about what people like and what is appropriate for them.

This is also the case when it comes to manners. If you are in doubt sense the tone. The idea of good manners is to put people at their ease. In general it is best to engage with people as much as possible. For example you should not take a phone call in the middle of a conversation. If the call is important you should excuse yourself first and then come back to the table, preferably by quickly addressing the problem, saying you will call the person back and then getting back to the person you are with as soon as possible.

You need to ensure that children are aware of manners as much as possible. They should learn to say thank you for gifts they get, take their shoes off before going to a house and so forth. Learning early on means they are more likely to be polite as they get older and with any luck pass on those lessons to their children and so forth.

With regard to phones there is a whole array of etiquette to be aware of. It is best to either set them to silent or turn them off. Taking a call in the middle of a meeting or while talking can be very rude as the inference is that this call is more important than the person you are talking to.

Another key bit of etiquette people need to be aware of is conversation. The important thing to do is sense the tone of the people around you. Some people will be more sensitive to bad language, controversial topics and so forth and it is important to know when to start a conversation and when to change the subject. This equally applies to being online as it does to real life. If you would not be prepared to say something to someone face to face you should not say it to them online.

The simplest bit of advice when it comes to politeness is to consider how you would expect to be treated. This should apply to everyone you talk to regardless of whether they are a friend, someone serving you pancakes or the customer service agent who has to deal with a complaint. Generally if you are polite and willing to engage with people they are more likely to do the same with you!




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