Welcome back, everybody. It is Thoughts If It
Were You, Food for Thought by Neogentrix. Now,
the month is coming up to a close rather quickly,
so these episodes are going to be coming out
rather fast. Please forgive me, as April is supposed
to start tomorrow. We're going to go ahead and
finish up the moral series this weekend as best
as we can. And today I'm going to go ahead and
cover politeness. By definition, it is the behavior
that is respectful and considerate of other people.
Now, granted, we already covered respect, so
I won't be covering a lot on that specific aspect
of politeness as we already have covered it before.
The use of the word in a sentence, seeing how
I keep doing this regardless, is defined as behaving
in a socially acceptable way with proper manners
and etiquette. And this is a notable fact, no
matter where you go, especially in foreign countries
such as England. Being polite means being aware
and respecting the feelings of other people.
We may not always notice politeness, but we usually
notice rudeness or inconsiderate behavior. And
then such reasoning, we act on that without even
thinking about it. Okay. You can apply. the following
traits that I'm going to list in terms of being
polite where they are appropriate to most interactions
with other friends, colleagues, family, customers,
etc. Always use common sense. Hopefully you have
that and try to behave as appropriately as possible,
taking into account any cultural differences.
These are important. First things first, say
hello to people. Greet people appropriately.
Gain eye contact and smile naturally, shaking
hands or a hug where appropriate, but say hello,
especially to colleagues and other people you
see every day. Be approachable. Do not blank
people just because you're having a bad day.
Two, take time to make some small talk. Perhaps
mention the weather or ask about the person's
family, talk about something that is in the news.
Make an effort to engage in light conversations,
show some interest, but don't overdo it. Remain
friendly and positive. Pick up on the verbal
and nonverbal signs from the other person. 3.
Try to remember things about the other person
and comment appropriately. Use their spouse's
name, their birthday, or any significant events
that have occurred or are about to occur in their
life. Always be mindful of others' problems and
difficult life events. 4. Always use please and
thank you. This is a must. It's not optional.
Make sure you thank people for their input or
contribution. Always include please when asking
for something, and if somebody offers you something,
you say yes, please, or no, thank you. Five,
praise and or congratulate the others in their
achievements. Praise needs to be... seen as genuine
you can't just say it just to say it you have
to mean it this can be difficult if you feel
jealous or angry and believe me the other person
can tell six at work be polite and helpful to
your subordinates as well as your bosses respectful
and acknowledge the positions roles and duties
of others even if the person doesn't deserve
it seven Use appropriate language. Be respectful
of gender, race, religion, political viewpoints,
and other potential controversial or difficult
subjects. Do not make derogatory or potentially
inflammatory comments for no reason, regardless
of how you feel. Learn to listen attentively.
Pay attention to others while they speak. And
do not get distracted in conversation and definitely
do not interrupt. Trust me, we'll cover listening
skills later. Respect other people's time. This
is number nine. Try to be precise and to the
point and explanations learning to be rushed.
Ten, be assertive when necessary, but respect
the right of others to be assertive too. Okay.
Eleven, avoid gossip. Definitely do this. Try
to have positive things to say about other people.
Twelve, apologize for your mistakes. If you say
or do something that may be considered rude or
embarrassing, then apologize, but don't overdo
your apologies. This can be seen as overly zealous
and rude. Avoid jargon and vocabulary that may
be difficult for others to understand. Explain
complex ideas and instructions carefully. Do
not appear arrogant. I have done that before,
so I can say that. It has a very, very negative
effect. 14 is simple. Respect. And be prepared
to listen to the ideas and opinions of others.
15. Dress appropriately for the situation. Avoid
wearing revealing clothes in public and avoid
staring at others who are wearing revealing clothes
as well. Also, avoid being dressed too casually
for the situation depending on where you're at.
16. Use humor carefully. Aim not to cause any
offense and know the boundaries of appropriate
language for different situations. 17. Practice
good personal hygiene. Wash and brush your teeth
regularly. Hopefully you do. Change your clothes
and use deodorant, please. On that note, avoid
strong perfumes, aftershaves, and colognes, if
possible. 18. Be punctual. If you have arranged
to meet somebody at a certain time, make sure
you're on time or even a few minutes early. If
you're going to be late, let the other person
or people know as far in advance as you can.
Do not rely on feeble or exaggerated excuses
to explain lateness. Respect other people's time
and don't waste it. 19. Always practice good
table manners when eating around others and avoid
foods with strong odors. Do not talk with your
mouth full or chew with your mouth open. and
eat quietly and finally 20 do not pick your nose
or ears chew on your fingernails or bite your
fingernails in public please avoid playing excessively
with your hair these are all terms and things
that you can do to have a polite but pleasant
persona now granted what you do in your private
chambers that's up to you but This is just the
basis of what you need on how to be polite. Good
manners cost nothing but can make a difference
to how other people feel about you or the organizations
you are representing. When you're polite and
show good manners, others are more likely to
be polite and courteous in return. You can improve
your face -to -face and interpersonal relationships
with others in many, many different ways. There
are books and other subscriptions out there for
different things that can help you do such. You
know, I'm not going to cover a lot of them, but
I'm just covering the basis of this. All right.
Well, that brings a close to this episode for
this podcast. In the next episode, I'm going
to cover balancing politeness with honesty. And
then we're going to go ahead and cover the next
tomorrow.