Etiquette Classes - Georgia and Florida » courtesy

Forgotten Courtesy By Employers

Ginny Brown — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:37:52 +0000

In today’s economy, we all are lucky to have a job. What if you don’t have one and are looking for employment? There are many people who do not have a job at this time. I have read many articles about the long lines of applicants waiting to fill out applications for new jobs. Unfortunately, there are more applicants than job positions.

How does the above relate to manners and etiquette? After you have applied for a job, do you want to hear that your application was received? Do you want to know if you are being considered for the position? Do you desire to hear any comment from the employer? Yes, of course you do. Why would you go to all the trouble of applying if you weren’t serious about the job?

There have been many times that people have told me that they never heard one word from a prospective employer. Unfortunately, this has been happening even before the recent economic crisis. I understand that today there are many applicants applying for one job. What I don’t understand is the lack of response on the employer’s part. Where did common courtesy go with respect to acknowledging the applicant? Many may say that it’s too difficult to respond to all applicants. Well, I disagree. With modern technology, it’s easy to have a generic e-mail that can be sent. I personally know of people who have applied for specific jobs where the number of applicants isn’t high that never heard anything from the employer. What kind of impression is the employer giving to the applicant? I don’t believe that it is a very good one. There needs to be some acknowledgment on the employer’s part. Put yourself in their position. Would you like it if no one responded to you? I don’t think you would.

Manners and courtesy transcend all aspects of our lives. We must strive to remember this in all situations even if the situation seems a little overwhelming.

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

http://etiquette-blog.com

Practicing Everyday Etiquette

Ginny Brown — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:00:41 +0000

When was the last time someone held the door open for you? When was the last time someone held the dinner chair for you? Have you called a person’s phone only to have it answered by a child who then screams into the phone for their parent to answer? How many responses did you get to the last invitation you sent? I’m sure that you have noticed and felt the laxity in our society’s manners. Yes, our society is more casual than our parents’ time. Some of that is alright. What isn’t acceptable is having poor manners. As you will recall from one of my previous topics, manners and etiquette are based on respect. Having good manners is all about being respectful.

As you have observed from my comments above, I’m talking about just using everyday manners. I like it when the door is held for me, when the car door is opened for me, and when my chair is pulled out for me at the dinner table. It shows respect for me. The person demonstrating these manners distinguishes himself from others. In my parents’ era, it was the norm for the man to open a door for a woman. Today, it is permissible for this not to be gender oriented. Women can and do open doors for men and especially in the business world. It’s an act of kindness and respect.

Take time and think about a situation where maybe you didn’t use your manners as you should have done. We have all done this at one time or another including myself. Manners need to be used at home and when we go out in public. I ask myself if I answer the phone abruptly and speak in an irritated voice? Was I in a rush and didn’t wait to hold the door for the other person coming behind me? Did I constantly interrupt the conversation at the last dinner I attended? Did I remember to respond to an invitation? All these things matter. If some one thinks enough of us to invite us to a function, we need to remember to respond to the invitation. Show courtesy when engaging in conversation. Show courtesy and wait a second and hold that door for the person behind you. Use a pleasant voice when using the telephone. I’ll write about telephone etiquette in another topic.

We all need to use our manners. I’m willing to bet you will notice a difference in the way a person responds to you when you remember your manners. I know I do. You know how you feel when someone uses their best manners towards you. It’s a good feeling.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

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

http://etiquette-blog.com

Etiquette Behavior

Ginny Brown — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:24:48 +0000

I read an article in the paper titled “Love Dies Over Manners at a Table in South Carolina” by Rhonda Rich. I am interested if any of you read this and what you thought. I will paraphrase this in case you didn’t read this. The article was about a lady having a lunch date with a man. The man was quite puzzled over the lady’s nice manners and etiquette. He didn’t understand why she addressed the waitress as “Ma’am. He was also puzzled why she was nice and polite to people. She always addressed people as “Ma’am” or “Sir” and said “Please” and “Thank You”. He truly didn’t understand this behavior. This was basic etiquette to her.

Yes Ma’am and Yes Sir

They talked about how they were raised, and she told him that this type of behavior was just in her nature. When she confronted him if he ever called people “Ma’am” or “Sir” he replied “no”. The reason which he gave was because the people hadn’t earned his respect. She on the other hand had been taught to be kind and friendly to everyone unless they were overly rude to her. She believed in the basic belief of courtesy and respect.

What do you think about this type of behavior? Do you think it is important to be courteous and respectful to others? Does this display good etiquette and good manners? Do you like to be treated with respect? If you have a chance to read this article, it’s a good one and has an appropriate ending.

I would love some feedback on this. Please feel free to comment on what your thoughts are.

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

http://etiquette-blog.com