I recently read an excellent article, written by Rebecca Brown, right here on DivineCaroline. The article was about manners and it got me thinking more about the topic. So, I’d like to list a few more “Manners” that seem to have become lost in the shuffle.
Meals (Especially in Public)
1. Chew with your mouth closed. Do not speak with your mouth full.
2. Sit up and keep you feet on the floor, where they belong.
3. Use utensils, unless your meal consists of finger food.
4. Hold your fork or spoon as a human, not like a back hoe.
5. Keep your arms off the table. That is, don’t prop your whole arm on the table, then eat across it.
6. Do not eat partial bites, and then pull your utensil back out of your mouth with food still on it. Yuck.
7. Do not suck ice out of a drink and then spit it back in to the cup. Yuck
8. Do not cause a huge commotion if your order is slightly messed up. Politely talk to the server about it. There are often several people involved in putting your order together and things can easily get mixed up. Be patient, I can assure you that such things are not deliberate acts just to annoy you; it is usually just a slip up or misscommunications between staff members. So calm down.
If you recall, are these not manners that your parents and grandparents taught you to begin with? If you did not learn them at home, please learn them now. Just having such basic table manners could mean the difference of, for example, a promotion or impressing future in-laws. Manners matter; don’t be fooled into thinking that they have anything to do with expressing individuality. If you want to eat like a pig, please do so at home. Oh, and please, please, teach your children these manners as well, it is your job.
Electronics
1. Cell phones are convenient and very customizable. However, not everyone is keen on hearing the latest, cuss-word-laden, rap song ringtone. Also, not everyone is keen on hearing popular cartoon voices shout annoying phrases or obscenities. Please select a ring tone that does not annoy the heck out of the rest of those around you. In addition, unless you are deaf, for heaven’s sake, turn it down.
2. Do not let your cell phone ring longer then needed, just so that you can catch the whole song or phrases of your ring tone. Once you have been alerted that someone is trying to call you, pick up that phone, or turn it off. If you do not know how to do this, refer to your cell phone’s instruction manual.
3. If your cell phone rings, and you are interacting with another human being, be polite and excuse yourself before you take the call. This also means that you should not text someone while interacting with another human being. You do not look cool doing this. You look like you do not care about the other person. Or simply put, you are being very rude.
4. If you are in a movie theater, hospital or other places where a cell phone ringing is a definite distraction, turn it off, or set it to silent alert. Sorry, but you are not as important as you think you are, and the rest of us will not be impressed, but rather annoyed, by your inconsiderate behavior.
5. Unless the call is vital to those that are physically in your presence, take your call outside, after politely excusing yourself. The rest of us do not want to be part of your discussion, it is annoying to us.
6. When you are at work, turn your cell phone off. Let me repeat this, so as to be absolutely clear. When you are at work, turn your cell phone off. There is absolutely no excuse, what so ever, for chatting on a cell phone while you are on the clock. You are not being paid to chat with your peeps, you are being paid to work. This is especially important for those that work in the customer service field. Unless you are a doctor, that needs to be available for urgent calls, turn your cell phone off. If a true emergency occurs, those that need to reach you will know where to find you. Checking on your children should take place while you are on break. Even if you do not answer your ringing cell phone, while you are conducting business, listening to your cell phone ringing is highly annoying and very disruptive and disrespectful. Let me put it another way, you are being rude.
