All About Good Manners

The Balance between Phone Etiquette and Personal Safety

Susanna Ettie Quette — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:56:57 +0000

Parents - this is an important lesson to instill in your children. While you teach them to answer the phone with manners, you must also teach them about personal safety.

Firstly, teach them a customary polite greeting such as “Hello, may I help you?” or “Hello, who is this speaking please?”. There’s nothing worse than to be on the receiving end of a “”Yeah?”.

Secondly, teach them never to identify themselves - unless they know who is calling.

Phone Etiquette

When children answer the phone and it is for someone else, they should politely say, for example, “Yes, my mother is here, one moment please while I get her,” and always hand the phone to the requested person. Yelling, ” HEY MOM, PHONE!” is very disrespectful, both to the caller and to the recipient and should be curbed immediately.

Wrong Numbers

Responding to a wrong number appropriately is crucial. Children should never give personal information of any kind to unknown callers, including their own names or the names of others in the household.

A respectful and safe response to a wrong number is, “I am sorry you have the wrong number,” and hang up.

People who prey on children know how to manipulate them into giving personal information.

Teach your children to hang up immediately and without saying, “goodbye,” if the caller makes them feel even remotely uncomfortable. After hanging up, the child should alert a parent immediately.

If home alone, children should never let a strange caller know. teach them to have an excuse ready, “I am sorry but my father is busy and can’t come to the phone right now. Goodbye.” The child should then hang up immediately without further discussion.

Screening calls is an even safer idea, children can pick up only those calls where they recognise the caller’s I.D.

More Toasting Etiquette

Susanna Ettie Quette — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:39:55 +0000

A toast is always offered to the Guest of Honour by the host. If it looks like the host will not be offering a toast, it is polite to quietly request the host’s indulgence to do so yourself.

You should always stand when offering a toast unless it is a small informal group. Standing can help you to get the attention of the group and quiet them down. Don’t signal for quiet by rapping on a glass.
It’s very bad manners to push someone to make a toast who would otherwise prefer not to. (You may hear a toast that you would just as soon not hear).
Never refuse to participate in a toast. It is more polite and perfectly acceptable, to participate with a non-alcoholic beverage or even an empty glass than not to participate at all.

If you are the Guest of Honour, or have a toast offered to you, incline your head modestly and remain seated.

Never drink a toast or stand, when it’s being offered to you. However, you should always stand up and respond to the toast, even if this means just thanking the host or the toast maker for the gesture.

Gracious Toasts

Susanna Ettie Quette — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:23:59 +0000

A well made toast can make a simple moment special, as few things in life do. This gracious gesture can be delivered by anyone. All it takes is a little forethought, practice, and a familiarity with some toast etiquette and protocol.

Be Simple. Keep your toast short and to the point. Avoid use of big words.

Be Brief. Avoid more than just a few sentences.

Be Prepared. A good toast is a speech in miniature. It takes practice to sound spontaneous. It’s not a bad idea to have two or three short toasts memorized for when the opportunity presents itself.

Be Done. End on a positive note. Clearly define the end by saying “Cheers!”, asking your audience to “Raise your glass,” or some other accepted gesture

Etiquette on Buses and other Public Transport

Susanna Ettie Quette — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:33:57 +0000

Traveling on buses or any other form of public transport requires respect for other passengers and for the driver of the conveyance.

Q : Who enters a bus, (subway, tram, streetcar, or a train) first? Who leaves first?

A: The man steps aside to allow the woman he is with to enter a public conveyance first. He does not step aside to allow other women to enter, although he will be alert to elderly or infirm women or men who may be at a disadvantage in the crowd.

When leaving the vehicle, the man gets out first so that he is in a position to assist the woman.

Try to have the exact fare, or at least enough coins so that the driver doesn’t need to change notes.

On the Bus

Respect the bus driver and don’t distract him.
Place your bags etc on your lap or under the seat. Let disabled, elderly or pregnant passengers use their reserved seating areas, usually located at the front and near the exits of the bus.
Manage your children. Remove them from strollers, and fold the stroller and place out of the way.
Watch your noise level and language. Other people don’t want to hear your loud conversation, music, and video games. Use earphones with electronic equipment to keep sound at a moderate volume.

Offering your arm

Susanna Ettie Quette — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:47:49 +0000

Question : When does a man offer his arm to a woman?

Answer : If a man and a woman are walking together in a crowd, the man offers his arm to the woman to prevent separation.

A man will also offer his arm, for example, to an older woman when she is crossing the street or climbing steps.

The man does not grip the woman’s arm and push her along ahead of him. He crooks his elbow and allows his companion to slip her hand through comfortably.

Women should not hang heavily on a man’s arm. Rest your arm, don’t let it hang, or drop,with the weight of your body.

Walking in the Street

Susanna Ettie Quette — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:27:25 +0000

Tradition has long maintained that the man should keep to the outside of the pavement.

When a couple change the direction of their walk he moves behind his companion to maintain his outside position.

The woman automatically moves to the right or left in response to his change of position.

More than two people walking

One man and two women walking - he continues to take the outside position; he does not walk between them.

One woman and two men walking - she does take the middle position.