By Anuradha
Good etiquettes are a sign of well-mannered personality. If you are someone who obeys all these norms about social-etiquettes then you would know how you are received warmly by others and how uneasy you feel when you happen to meet people who do not practice the same. It won’t cost us anything to be well-mannered and often these good gestures would be appreciated by people around us.
So, scroll down to see some basic rules of modern etiquettes which you might or might not be aware of. These rules will give you a better idea about how to react in certain situations and all these manners would reflect well on your name!
#1. Never visit without calling first.
Most of us are in the habit of randomly visiting people. Whenever we feel relaxed and good, we will visit our friends even without informing them but this is not a sign of good etiquettes. Even if that is your best friend or someone who is really close to you, always make sure to let them know about your visit beforehand. One British lady used to say that when she saw an unexpected guest, she would put shoes on, take a hat and grab an umbrella. If the person was pleasant, she exclaimed “I just come home!” if not she said, “ah, what a pity I have to go!”
#2. never dry an umbrella when it’s opened – neither in the office nor at someone else’s place.
Always make sure to fold it up either on an umbrella stand or a hook.
#3. Never put a handbag on your lap or your chair.
Most ladies are in the habit of keeping their handbags in whatever the place that they see first. Even though it is okay to place a small and an elegant clutch on a table always hung your heavy and large bags on a chair or you can also keep it on the floor. A briefcase should be put on the floor.
#4. Plastic bags should only be used for going to and from the supermarket, as well as brand bags from boutiques.
Using them as handbags can be tricky.
#5. Home clothes are pants and a sweater. Comfortable, but tidy.
Even though you would tend to pick up robe and sleepwear, keep in your mind that they are meant only for going to the bathroom in the morning and form the bathroom to the bedroom in the evening.
#6. When a child moves to his/her own room, make it a routine to knock before entering.
Then the child will also do the same when entering your bedroom.
#7. A woman can wear a hat and gloves indoors.
But not a cap and mittens.
#8. The total number of accessories you wear shouldn’t exceed 13, including fashion buttons.
Women tend to wear many accessories thinking that it would intensify their beauty. However, too many accessories would make you look strange and weird and therefore, always have a clear idea about the number of accessories that you wear. A bracelet can be worn over gloves, but not a ring.
#9. In terms of ordering in a restaurant, saying “I invite you” means you pay.
When a woman invites a business partner to a restaurant, she would pay for that. If someone says “let’s go to a restaurant, that means everyone pays for himself/ herself”. If a man offers to pay for a woman, she can agree.
#10. The person who exists first from an elevator is the one who is closest to the door.
#11. The most prestigious seat in a car is behind the driver.
And this seat is for a woman. A man sits next to her, and when he gets out of the car, he holds the door and holds out a hand to the woman. If a man drives, it’s desirable for a woman to take the seat behind. However, wherever a woman sits, a man should open a door for her and help her to get out of a car. In business etiquette, men increasingly break this rule hiding behind the slogan: ’There are no women or men in business.’
#12. In the cinema, theatre, or concert hall, you should go to your seat facing the people already sitting.
#13. Taboos for small talk: politics, religion, health, money.
Many people are too much curious and they would talk without a halt when given a chance. Questions like ’What a dress! How much did it cost?’ How to respond? Can be truly inconvenient and at such time smile and say: ’It’s a gift!’ Change the topic of conversation. If the person insists, say gently: ’I wouldn’t like to talk about it.’
#14. The familiarity between people who hardly know each other is forbidden.
Always have some limits about the way that you deal with people. If that is a stranger, then too much familiarity would cause unpleasant situations and on formal occasions, you should act as strangers even with your bestie if she is the head of the company.
#15. Discussing those who are absent, when it is simply gossip, is unacceptable.
Do not gossip about the absent ones no matter how tempted you are. If you don’t like someone, express your anger directly and move away without having double faces.
#16. It’s better to make a secret of nine things.
Age, wealth, family quarrels, religion, your medical problems, love affairs, , and disgrace.
And for the finale, Jack Nicholson about common decency:
‘I think much of decency. How to pass a plate. Not to shout from one room to another. Not to break a closed door open without knocking. Let a lady pass. The aim of these endless simple rules is to make life better. We cannot conduct a permanent war with parents — it’s dull. I pay close attention to my manners. It’s not an abstraction, it’s a simple and comprehensible language of mutual respect.’