I enjoy reading Rhonda Rich’s column in the Sunday issue of The Gwinnett Daily Post. I think she is a very talented writer and has a great sense of humor. I have commented on her articles before in my blog. I pay special attention to her articles when they focus on manners. Sunday’s article was about thank you notes. She raised a point which caused me to do some thinking.
Basically what the article was about was the expectation of receiving a thank you note. I gathered from her article 
that Ms. Rich is a believer in thank you notes and practices this form of etiquette. I, too, believe in writing a thank you note and teach this in my etiquette classes. A point made in the article was to give with your heart and not have set expectations of receiving a thank you note. She pointed out that we never know what is going on in the person’s life who has received the gift which you sent. I agree with her totally. We don’t walk in other people’s shoes. As Ms. Rich said, the recipient could have a serious personal situation that they are experiencing. Life happens, and we don’t always get the thank you note written even though we have good intentions to do this.
I don’t know that I expect a note when I send a gift or do something for someone. Yes, I do like receiving them, and I try very hard to send thank you notes. However, I think we all need to remember that we don’t give with the intention of receiving the note. We don’t need to judge the person who doesn’t send us the thank you note. Having said this, I believe that it is still good manners to send a thank you note and especially under normal circumstances.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell
While listening to the news this morning, I heard the story about the difficulty college graduates are having obtaining a job. These are indeed hard economic times. The news clip which I was watching interviewed three recent college graduates with good credentials. All three were being told the same line “We are not hiring at this time”. How frustrating for these young people who are ready to be a part of the job force. While times are difficult, there are some things which you can do to set yourself apart from others.
shake it correctly. Don’t give a limp handshake and don’t give a bone-crushing shake. A tip to remembering his/her name is to repeat it after he/she has introduced himself/herself. Check your posture. Holding yourself tall gives an impression of confidence. Don’t dominate the conversation. Be prepared to ask questions. Before you arrive, do your homework on the employer. Research the company’s background so you can ask intelligent questions. Here again, look the person in the eye when speaking.