What's your association with the word "etiquette"? Something old-fashioned, like gentlemen in
top hats and ladies with teacups in their gloved hands? Well, this picture has nothing
to do with modern etiquette habits. If you want to be perceived as a well-mannered, polite,
and respected person, you might want to brush up on this topic. Don’t worry, I’ll guide
you through it.
- Life likes to throw us a curve every now and then, such as, let's say, ripping your
pants at the worst possible moment! You can find tons of recommendations on how to solve
this problem online, ranging from wrapping a sweater around your waist to stapling along
the inner seam. But whatever you choose, remember that you should neither tell anyone about
this problem nor let your underwear show in public.
- Imagine this: you're eating out with your friends, and at the end of the meal, they
decide to split the bill. But hey, all you had was a Coke and a salad while your dining
partners were munching on pizzas and burgers! In this case, you have two options: either
you round the approximate cost of your meal to a bigger sum and leave this amount, or
you join the rest of your friends in splitting the bill evenly.
- In the case of bathroom etiquette (yep, it does exist!), if you see that a stall is
closed, don't try to open the door. It may accidentally open, and both you and the person
inside will feel extremely embarrassed. - Guys should try to keep some space between
each other by skipping urinals. (If the bathroom isn't crammed, that is.)
- While applying makeup or combing your hair, use the mirror furthest from the hand dryer.
Otherwise, people who only need to dry their hands will have to wait until you finish.
- If you need to blow your nose, do it really quietly and quickly. Don't do it in a public
place if you can avoid it; find someplace where you'll be alone. On the other hand,
even if you know you can manage to clean your nose quietly, and are only surrounded by friends
or relatives, never ever do it at the dining table. Leave the table and go to the restroom.
And then let ‘er honk! - On top of that, it's bad manners to use
a toothpick at the table. If you know for sure something is stuck between your teeth,
go to the bathroom and get rid of it there. On that note, if another person has the same
problem and they haven't noticed it yet, don't stay silent. Make sure that no-one else can
hear you and quietly inform your neighbor about the issue.
- One of my eternal nightmares is to find out that my fly is unzipped in public! Can
you imagine anything more embarrassing? Well yes, but I won’t go into it here. That would
be bad manners. As for the undead, I mean unzipped, according to the etiquette norms,
you need to go to the restroom and, only there, zip up your pants. Otherwise, if there's no
restroom close by, you can turn to the wall and do your fly up.
If you spot someone else walking around with an unzipped fly, you should inform this person
immediately. But again, do it privately and quietly.
- Telling another person that something is wrong with them is a very sensitive subject.
Maybe they smell bad, or use very strong perfume in the office, or chew with their mouth open.
If you choose to be a negotiator, talk to this person in private. Tell them, "It's kind
of an unpleasant topic, but I know you’d want to know about it." In this case, you
will indicate that you want to help, not make a joke. Then, after you explain the issue,
tell this person that you spoke to them because you're their friend. At the end, you may ask
if the person feels offended - it will assure them that you've had their best interest at
heart. - It's good manners to offer a seat to a pregnant
woman. But let's admit, the situation can't get more embarrassing than when you confuse
an overweight woman for a pregnant one. Oops. To avoid such a situation, look at the woman's
feet: pregnant women prefer to steer clear of high heels. Also, their ankles are often
swollen, and they may be holding their lower back or transferring their weight from one
leg to the other. At the same time, the best thing to do is
to silently stand up so that the woman can decide whether she wants to sit down or not.
- If you want to take a selfie with someone, you should ask for that person's permission
first, even if it's your close friend. You should give them some time to prepare for
the photo. Also, it's considered bad manners to take
selfies in bathrooms. Yes it is. - Avoid wearing clothes with offensive logos
and bad words. Some people may perceive such a T-shirt as a joke, but others might get
offended. - If you aren't going to drink wine, there's
no need to turn your glass upside down to save it from being filled! Without creating
much fuss, just cover the rim with your fingertips and say, "Not today, thank you."
- When you're in the boarding area at the airport, don't crowd in front of the gate.
Also, when claiming your suitcase, step toward the carousel only after you've spotted your
bag. Otherwise, you may get in the way of other passengers who are trying to get to
their baggage. - Always inform a person that they are on
speakerphone, and that there are other people in the room. If you talk to someone on speakerphone
at work, find a separate room and close the door.
- If you use your office microwave to heat your lunch up, you should never put anything
inside with a strong and lingering smell. - If all you want to write in your email is
"Thank you!", avoid sending it. You will just clog the recipient's inbox. Thank you.
- On top of that, remember these other no-no's when sending an email: do not use all capital
letters: in messaging, it means shouting. Also, do not use emoticons and colored fonts
in business emails. Try not to attach large files, and don't forward an email unless it's
Ok to do so. - While you can send work emails at any time
of the day, don't send business-related texts earlier than 1 hour before the work day starts
and 2 hours after it finishes. - If you need to squeeze a lemon over your
dish or into your drink, shield it with your hand. Otherwise, as Murphy's law goes, you'll
most likely squirt the acidic juice right in your companion’s eye. Trust me on this
one. - If you're dining out with your family or
friends, it's absolutely Ok to ask the staff to wrap your leftovers, even if it's a fancy
restaurant. But never ask for leftovers after a business lunch or dinner.
- When you're invited to a wedding, don't ask to bring a guest with you unless your
invitation indicates that you may. However, if your marital status changes before the
wedding reception, you may tell the hosts about it and wait for their answer.
- It's Ok to follow your boss on Twitter, but don't try to befriend them. Being friends,
even if it's just in social media, means equality, which you don't have at the moment.
- You should hold a cup of tea and a cup of coffee in different ways. If it's a teacup,
don't loop your index finger into the handle. Let it meet your thumb inside the handle instead,
as if you're pinching something. As for your middle finger, it should support the handle
from below. At the same time, while drinking coffee, loop
your index finger into the handle, while your thumb goes to the top of the handle. Tuck
the three remaining fingers into your palm. - I guess everyone has burned their mouths
on spicy food. Instead of breathing through a wide-open mouth or spitting the food out,
take a gulp of cold water or other drink. Works like magic every time!
What other modern etiquette rules do you know? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned
something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
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Stay on the Bright Side of life!