It can be as simple as holding a door for a stranger, yet for some reason even that polite gesture no longer seems to happen in today’s society. I don’t know if that is because people are so into themselves that they don’t pay attention to anyone around them or if it is a total lack of respect for the people around us because we don’t believe they deserve it. In either situation, it makes me sad because that is how we are raising our children to think and treat their peers as well as their elders.

I was raised to “do unto others as I would have others do unto me.” This, in essence, means, treat everyone you meet the way that you want to be treated. Not only does this show that you respect those around you, it shows that you have good manners and good manners are essential to getting anything you want out of life…personally or professionally.

These are some basic “good manner” guidelines to follow for every aspect of your life.

Always respect older people…listen to them and learn, their knowledge is invaluable. This applies to all elders and not just parents or grandparents.

Use the terms ‘Thank You’, ‘Please‘, and ‘You are Welcome‘ as this shows that you appreciate what someone has done for you.

Pay attention to how you carry yourself. In other words, act like you have some class, which goes hand in hand with manners. Don’t slouch. Have a neat appearance, shake hands firmly, be clean and smell clean (use deodorant! Don’t overdo the perfume or cologne!), hold your head high and don’t hide behind dark sunglasses inside or wear other “trying to be cool” looks at the “wrong” time…it gives the impression of arrogance and immaturity.

Do not swear. It’s unprofessional. People who do this are usually very immature and have no self-control or respect for themselves or others. Eventually, you’ll see that bad words are not appropriate and you will begin to feel more comfortable avoiding them altogether. Profanity is a sign of an angry person and it puts people off you immediately as its very distasteful and offensive. Using a good decent vocabulary gives the impression of intelligence, self-respect and character.

Try to show that you are more interested in the person you are speaking to by asking them questions about themselves. Be a listener. Don’t steal their spotlight by just talking about yourself. You don’t want to come off as selfish.

Don’t put other people down. Never openly criticize someone in an attempt to put them down or to make yourself look better. If you don’t like people speaking about you in that way then don’t do it yourself! Be complimentary and positive. Something to remember is that good manners are based on your consideration for the people around you and the principle of not making them uncomfortable. Having an opinion is one thing, but being insulting is nothing more than bad manners.

These are just a few suggestions of how to treat people in any given situation, but if a situation would arise and you are unsure what to do, always remember…Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

This is a guest post by Michelle Noe