1. Speak politely. To develop good
manners, practice talking in a lower volume unless the other person asks you to
speak up. It should be low yet loud enough to allow people to hear you. Avoid
shouting at the top of your lungs. Use your hands to emphasise your points. Use
plain and simple language instead of fancy words that are difficult for others
to understand. Try to speak in single speed and tone.
2. Don’t interrupt
people when they talk. Don’t interrupt or cut people off when
they are speaking. Don’t get caught up in what you want to say that you stop
listening and start sharing your thoughts.
3. Practice goodlistening. Paying
attention to people when they are talking reflects good mannerisms. Listen
carefully when people are talking. Give them respect. Don’t let your eyes
wander all over the place when someone is speaking. Don’t think about what to
say when it’s your turn. Don’t get distracted in the middle of the
conversation.
4. Avoid talking only
about yourself. When
you are in a conversation, avoid focusing on yourself. Be curious about the
other person’s life and ask questions. Try using “you” and “your” to keep the
focus on the other person. Allow them to do the talking. When it is your turn
to talk about yourself, keep it brief.
5. Avoid asking personalquestions. Avoid
asking personal questions related to their finances, relationships, salary,
weight, etc. Let people inform you about their personal lives when and if they
wish to.
6. Never talk about
money. Refrain
from asking questions like, “Wow, nice dress. How much does this
cost you?” “How much does your house cost you?” “What is your commission?”
“What is your salary?” “How much do you make from your business?” It is deemed
to be too personal and maybe sometimes rude as well. The second person may or
may not be interested in sharing this information with you.
7. Use appropriate
language. Be
respectful of the gender, age, race, religion, political inclinations, and
other factors to develop good manners. Avoid making inappropriate comments.
Take a pause and think before opening your mouth.
8. Avoid slang
language, gossiping, sharing dirty jokes, or swearing in public. Be mindful of using curse
words in public. Avoid peppering your conversations with cheap witticisms or
slang language that might offend people who are not interested in hearing such
an unrefined choice of words.
9. Avoid staring at
people. Although
looking someone in the eye while talking is considered to be good manners,
staring at someone is rude. Blink and look away if you catch yourself staring
at a stranger or making someone uncomfortable by staring.
10.
Avoid pointing fingers at people. Pointing with the
index finger at something or someone is considered offensive.
11. Avoid any kind of
sarcasm and insult. When
you feel like saying a sarcastic comment, "bite" your tongue until
the urge diminishes. If you can’t say something nice, either don’t say anything
or it may affect your relationship with the person.
12.
Avoid doing unpleasant things in public. If you want to
comb your hair, apply lipstick, or tidy your dress; get up and use a restroom.
It is very disrespectful to top pick your nose, spit, or scratch your private
parts in public.
13.
Avoid invading personal space. No matter how
close you are to someone, give them some personal space and privacy. Most
people do not like having someone in their space all the time.
14.
Don’t touch. Avoid touching people such as
patting them on their shoulder or touching their hair. Don't do it unless they
specifically invite you to. Also, avoid touching other people’s things,
children, or pets unless asked to.
15.
Don’t chew with your mouth open. This can make the
people sitting next to you uncomfortable, as it isn’t a very pleasant sight.
The chances are that half-eaten food might trickle out of your mouth if you are
chewing and talking at the same time.
16.
Avoid making noise while you slurp, chew, crunch, or
eat. Eating
quieter and keeping your mouth closed are signs of good manners. Although you
might be enjoying your food, smacking or crunching noises can be cringe-making
for others.
17.Do not talk with your
mouth full. Most
people find it rude and irritating when someone talks with their mouth full of
food. Talk only once you swallow. Don’t rush. If someone is waiting for you to
answer while you are eating, indicate with a gesture that you will talk once
you have swallowed.
18.
Avoid putting your elbows on the table while eating. Putting your elbows
on the table during a meal is unacceptable in most cultures. If the meal has
not begun or over, it may be more acceptable to place your elbows on the table.
19.
Ask for someone to pass you a dish or anything on the
table. Never
reach across someone else’s plate to reach something. Instead, ask the persons
sitting next to you to pass you the dish. Ask, “Can you pass me the pasta
please?”
20.
Don’t take food off someone else’s plate. Never take food
off someone else's plate in public, unless it is offered to you.
21.
Use your napkins to wipe your mouth not your nose. Table napkins should
be used in the lap no matter if they are made of paper or cloth. Napkins can be
used to wipe your mouth subtly, but stay away from using it to wipe off your
lipstick or blow your nose.
22.
Cover your coughs and sneezes. Although this
is something fundamental, yet not everybody remembers to cover their coughs and
sneezes. Always cover your nose or mouth with a tissue or a handkerchief when
you sneeze or cough. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into
your upper sleeve, not your hands.
23.
Avoid popping bubble gum in public. Blowing or popping a
bubble gum in public is annoying for those around. Avoid blowing or chewing
bubble gum in a meeting, church, job interviews, class, or when in a
conversations, If you cannot chew gum without needing to open your mouth,
avoid chewing a gum altogether in such situations.
24.
Do not drop trash on the ground. Dropping your
garbage on the ground or in a public place can be considered rude and gives the
impression that you lack respect for the community. Once you finish eating or
drinking, throw the plastic cans, dishes, or containers in a garbage can. Do
not leave it around and create a mess.
25.
Avoid drinking too much. When in social situations, avoid
drinking too much. Most of the times, in an inebriated condition, you end up
saying or doing things that you regret later. Hence, stop drinking before
you start losing your control.
26.
Avoid cutting in line. Not waiting at the
end of a queue for your turn and cutting in line is extremely rude. The next
time you have this urge to cut in line, remember there are people in the queue
who have been waiting longer than you. So, be respectful of others and wait for
your turn.
27.
Only use your phone in appropriate settings. Avoid using
your cell phone in the bathroom, in a meeting, on a dinner date, when with
others in a social setting, and even on public transport. While talking on a
phone in a public space, avoid being too loud or talking about personal issues
in public. Avoid calling people after 9:00 pm unless it’s an emergency or it is
arranged.
28.
Stay away from loud conversations over phone in
public. It
is irritating to have to listen to someone discussing their best friend's
husband cheating on his wife or hearing about their ordeal with their
mother-in-law, when you were planning to catch up on your book while in the
waiting room at the dentist’s office. When you are in public, try to keep your
phone conversations polite. If need be, cup your hand over your mouth while
talking to avoid distracting others. Avoid profanity, complaints, or anything
that is embarrassing for others. Save your intense conversations to a more
private place.
29.
Practice basic courtesy. When someone answers
your call, introduce yourself first and state what you want. Avoid being harsh.
For instance: say, “Hello, this is Sam here. I would like to speak to Sally. Is
she available?” If the person is unavailable, tell the person who answered
whether you would call them back or request they call you back. When finished
say thank you and goodbye. Wait for their goodbye too.
30.
Give people enough time to answer calls. Avoid hanging up
after ringing just two or three times. At least give people time to hear the
ring and answer them. Similarly, avoid letting the phone ring for too long. You
might be interrupting as the person you are calling might be busy, sleeping, in
a movie, etc.
31.
Prefer phone calls instead of texts. Texts are ideal
for conveying short, instant messages, but remember that they are not always
appropriate for important or sensitive information. Likewise, don't let the
convenience of texting become an excuse for never arriving on time.
32.
Don’t waste people’s time by chatting for long. Avoid chatting for
long hours to someone. Learn to respect others’ time.
33.
Answer the phone politely. Be pleasant and
polite while answering the phone. If the phone call is for someone else, say,
“Can you please be on the line, I will go and call him for you?” or if that
person is unavailable, say, “I am sorry, he is not available right now. Can I
take the message for him and ask him to call you back?” Before putting someone
on hold excuse yourself and say, “I am sorry can you hold on a minute?” or “Can
I call you back?” and wait for the person’s answer.
34.
Be polite online. Your online activity is a
reflection of your offline personality. So, be respectful even in the virtual
world. Stop posting nasty comments or disparaging comments on walls and status
updates or avoid uploading unflattering pictures of your friends or tagging
them in a group picture just because you happen to look good in it. Be mindful
of bombarding people with minute-by-minute updates. Think about others when
using social media.
35.
Drive courteously. Last but not the least, to develop good
manners be a polite and respectful driver. Acknowledge drivers who let you out
at a junction, let others in on a slow-moving traffic, give cyclists plenty of
space, yield to pedestrians, use your turn signals even if there is no one
around, and do not tailgate people.
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