Manners are important because they outline the basics of how we should behave and how we expect others to behave towards us.
All manners traditionally convey one or more of the Principles of Etiquette: Respect, Consideration, Honesty, and emotional intelligence.
- Respect
Respect involves acknowledging someone else’s worth and doing intentional acts to show that you care about another person.
This principle of etiquette can be conveyed in manners such as:
Giving someone your full attention.
Not interrupting someone when they are speaking or working.
Dressing appropriately for any given situation.
Speaking appropriately/not speaking down to someone.
Not participating in unkind jokes or taunting.
And Shaking hands.
- Consideration
Consideration means having empathy for another person and conducting yourself through thoughtful behaviour when interacting with someone else.
This principle of etiquette can be conveyed in manners such as:
Saying please and thank you.
Holding a door open for someone.
Chewing with your mouth closed.
Saying excuse me.
Offering to help when you can.
Staying home when you are sick.
Being on time.
- Honesty
Honesty is the act of being truthful, acting sincerely, and acting with integrity.
This principle of etiquette can be conveyed in manners such as:
Not participating in gossip.
Not lying or cheating to get ahead.
Giving praise.
Taking accountability for your actions.
Settle any disagreements in a responsible and calm manner.
Lastly, Build emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, regulate, and understand emotions in yourself and in others.
Effective emotional intelligence skills can help you empathize with team members and overcome challenges. While emotional intelligence isn’t a direct rule of business etiquette, it will help you in the workplace, no matter what conflicts arise.
For example, imagine you’re behind on work and your boss suddenly adds a large, time-sensitive project to your plate. With emotional intelligence skills, you can speak with your manager to understand the relative priority of the work.
Since you’re already behind on work, you can express your worry about becoming overworked and work with your manager to come up with a solution of which work you can deprioritize or delegate less important tasks.
Always remember to display good manners while in the workplace and follow the principles of etiquette (Respect, Consideration, Honesty and emotional intelligence) to ensure that you are conducting yourself appropriately while at work.
Written by uchechukwu
