Posts for 'Manners' Category

Bad manners are wearing us down!

A day doesn't go by that I don't overhear some exhausted patron or clerk, grandmother, teacher, CEO, television judge, or tennis coach exasperated by the seeming lack of manners witnessed daily. If I had a dollar for the number of times I have heard, "It is just unbelievable how rude people have become today!" I'd be loaded.

I am not just being hypersensitive to people's complaints because I happen to be an etiquette trainer. Quite the contrary, if I internalized all of the manners complaints that I receive via email in my role as an etiquette expert, I probably would change careers...yesterday. Lately, I have just noticed that the general populace believes that bad manners might be winning the war against civility.

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I read with disgust the letter “Check rude behaviour” (The Star, June 25) and cannot help but agree with the writer about the unpleasant encounters that one gets from the market to shopping malls, from hospitals to airports. Just where has all the teaching gone? The bad manners can be easily felt when one lands on Malaysian soil because of the sudden change in culture.

In Malaysia, it seems that people practise good manners only because they have to do so. They are forced to do so because it is part of their job. It seems that it is not from within them and it is not in them to be polite and customer-friendly. However, to those Malaysians who are genuinely friendly and good mannered, I salute you because you have been brought up and nurtured well.

 Growing up, Kari Doody learned at a young age how to behave in mixed company. Her father, who worked in the advertising industry, hosted Christmas parties for clients and colleagues at their home and took his family to other such events.

"I attended a lot of events, so I had to be on my best behavior," Doody, now 39, said. "I got to learn how to interact with the parents." Doody went on to study communications and business at USC and became an ad sales rep for various magazines during a seven-year stint.

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This is in response to Angry Expat who had an encounter with a person (nationality irrelevant), who was acting rude in front of his Asian wife and two children. Have you heard the term narcissism? It is a personality disorder. People suffering from it are usually self-centred and treat other humans like objects. They crave for constant attention. Unfortunately, the disorder is very common in this part of the world.

The bad news is, in the majority of cases, it is incurable. The best way to save yourself from such people is to avoid them as much as possible. Hope this will help you next time you see him or meet someone like him during your next grocery trip.

We are fortunate to have several off leash parks available in Abbotsford where we can let our dogs free to run, play and socialize. To find the location of these parks, and others throughout B.C., . Please remember, along with the privilege of having dog parks comes a responsibility. Just what does it mean to have good dog park manners?

Your dog should be under control at all times. A dog park should not be your first choice just because you can't walk your dog on leash. All dogs should be trained and preferably have gone to training classes. And the most important command they need to know is the recall. They should come when called.The recall can be extremely difficult in a dog park situation.

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In Japan, can kids slurp soba noodles? In South Africa, is it okay to greet your teacher with “What’s up, Carrie?” The formal and informal rules governing behavior make up what we call etiquette or “good manners.” Expectations for children vary according to cultural taboos, religious traditions, and historical influences. With the help of etiquette experts like Sue Fox, author of Etiquette For Dummies (2007), international ex-pats, and moms-in-the-know, here are some interesting facts about kid protocol around the world.

"West Island family pleased with rights tribunal ruling" (Gazette, April 25). Does multiculturalism make teaching children table manners obsolete? If not, which table manners should be taught, and by whom? Chef Jamie Oliver was stunned that schoolchildren in.

The U.S. are not being taught how to use a knife and fork at school: "This is school. You teach them how to spell, you teach them to read, you teach them to write - you teach them to use a knife and fork!" he says. "You don't want to bring up a nation of kids that only use their fingers and a spoon!"

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Humorist Bennett Cerf once defined good manners as "the noise you don't make when you're eating soup."

Julie Goode agrees, but she will tell you there's a bit more to manners than learning to silently sip soup.

Goode knows because she is also Mrs. Goode Manners, a business she launched in 2008 offering classes in table etiquette and social skills to children ages 5 to 13.

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Clarence Thomas once said that, "Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot" and the SHSU career services believe he couldn't have been more correct. As graduates enter the professional workplace, many are unprepared for the expectations of business etiquette.

Knowing the protocol on attire, conversation and dining may be the determining factor on an interview or a potential client. Every year, Career Services strives to educate students on proper manners during a "Dinner To Teach Job-Seekers Dining Etiquette". It will be held April 21 in the LSC Ballroom from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The dinner will not only discuss dining technique, but also job search procedures, good interviewing, how to use networking and overall basic business etiquette. The Etiquette Dinner is designed for Juniors, Seniors and alumni. With limited seating available, those students unable to secure a seat are asked to attend the next Etiquette Dinner in April of 2011.

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This week, a study said that hearing someone talk loudly on the phone or watching their team lose out of the cup, could increase dangers of a stroke. It has been reported that over 90% individuals surveyed for the Stroke Association, said that they get annoyed on an every day basis, with discourteous people and terrible drivers among the most awful annoyances.

Medics have sent out warnings that, these every day irritants are increasing the blood pressure and putting the health in danger. Neil Shah from the Stress Management Society stated, "For 90 minutes you are on a physical and mental rollercoaster ride. The first places to experience this are your heart and blood pressure”.

He says that since drinking while watching the match could involve more risk so instead one should swap the half time snifter over water. According to the survey, eight out of 10 (79%) said bad behavior and rudeness makes them raged and awful driving is also on the list of annoying habits (61%).

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