Etiquettes

I know I may give you a slight impression that I’m such a “Know It All” girl… What do I know about Etiquettes? Oh well, I admit I’m not perfect when it comes to good manners and right conduct… But I am not insensitive either! I consider other’s feelings when dealing with them whether it concerns business, dining, emailing, or just plain, talking to a friend… I have been insulted, embarrassed and humiliated a lot of times because some people are ignorant of what we call “everyday etiquette”. Or maybe they just don’t know when, where, what, and how to say what they wanted to tell me…

I've done a little research on Etiquette and somehow, it helped me. I bet you guys already know these, but still, there are people who need to know what to do or how to act "mannered" in some situations.

Technology Etiquette: (Netiquette)

1. Always Respond

Junk mail and forwards are one thing, but you should always respond to a real message, whether it's to invite you to a meeting or a hello from an old friend.

2. What's the Story?

Don't keep your readers in suspense, use the Subject line to alert the receiver to the subject matter of your message. You're likely to get a faster response.

3. Addresses

When sending out an e-mail to a long list of recipients, consider using an address book function that doesn't list all recipients in the "to" header. Having to scroll past a long list of addresses to get to the message itself is annoying to many. Plus, many people may not like having their e-mail address displayed to others.

4. Watch Your Language

While our e-mail culture is full of its own shorthand, it's best to always reread your messages before sending to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors in your message.

6. Know Your Role

If you're sending out e-mail that is religious, political or pornographic, be sure to know that your intended recipient wants to receive it. In many business settings, transferring pornographic materials via e-mail is grounds for dismissal.

7. Keep it Professional

At work, keep all personal information out of e-mail. This isn't the venue for dissing coworkers or spilling the beans about your weekend adventures with the copier man.

8. Keep It Brief

When you receive a very informative, funny, or interesting email, and you might want to forward this to others, make sure to delete the first paragraph that contains all the long list of recipients from the original sender, so that your recipient will be directed to what you want them read.

9. Be Economical

When sending fax, make sure to keep it short, brief, and economical. Many are still using rolled fax papers and they sure spend a dime in refilling them. Cut down the "clear part" of the document to be faxed so that the person receiving it shall not waste a lot of fax paper.

GYM ETIQUETTE:

1. Wipe up your sweat, please! This includes mats and machines. Keep a towel with you at all times. No one wants to sit or lie in someone else’s sweat.

2. Don’t hog the weight machines. When others want to use them, agree to rotate your sets.

3. Do reset the weight machines back to a low setting. Otherwise, the next person may have to spend resetting them—or worse—could injure themselves by trying to lift a weight that’s too heavy.

4. Do limit your time on the treadmill or other cardio machines to 20-30 minutes, especially when you see others waiting for a turn.

5. Don’t flirt. If you’re into flirting, and you find a receptive party, flirt only when you won’t be disturbing others around you. If you try to strike up a conversation with someone you find attractive and he or she gives you the brush off (no matter how politely), drop your overture then and there.

6. Don't stare. Staring makes people very uncomfortable and most people want to work out unnoticed.

7. Do obey the fitness center’s rules. These may include wearing correct workout shoes, not using cell phones, and signing in at the front desk.

8. Do think about how you smell! Arrive clean, remember to apply deodorant, and lay off the perfume and cologne (the aromas get stronger as you work up a sweat).

9. Be careful using sprays in the locker room. Out of concern for members with asthma or allergies, limit the use of perfumes, hairsprays, and other spray products to a minimum.

10. Don't be late for personal training sessions and group fitness classes.

11. Do your part to keep the gym and locker room clean.

Everyday Etiquette

1. Say Please and Thank You – no explanations needed.

2. RSVP – reply promptly, within a day or two of receiving an invitation.

3. Is that your final answer? Changing a ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ is only acceptable on account of: illness or injury, a death in the family or an unavoidable professional or business conflict. Call your hosts immediately. Canceling because you have a “better” offer is a sure fire way to get dropped from ALL the guest lists. Being a “no show” is unacceptable. Changing a ‘no’ to a ‘yes’ is OK only if it will not upset the hosts’ arrangements.

4. Gift Recycling – admit it, we’re all guilty. The good thing is, it’s allowed. The bad side is, it has limitations: a. Never, ever recycle an item that has a name written on it! (again, it happened to me!) b. Make sure you list down all the names of the givers and their gifts you want to recycle, so you won’t have any chance you might give it back to her! 3. Make sure that the person receiving your recycled gift will be delighted to receive it, that she may be able to use it rather than recycle it again. It might end up going back to the original giver!

5. When you see a long lost friend – don’t say things like, you lost weight! You look like you’ve gained a lot of weight!, Or even worse, whatever happened to your face, or your hair? Don’t say things that involve the other party’s physical looks. If you have nothing better to say, then don’t talk! Some things are better left unsaid…

6. When you are invited to a dinner, never, ever tell the host to serve the food right away, even if you are dying of hunger. The host should know when to start. That is why she’s hosting. She has to prepare starters and appetizers so the early birds can munch a little while waiting for other guests to arrive.

And lastly,

7. If you are hosting a party, make sure to know all the “how tos” before you engage yourself in being the hostess. Mind you, it’s not easy at all. You have to be sensitive. You have to know the needs and the wants of your guests without them telling you.

I know there are a lot of things we all need to learn about etiquettes… These are just a few things which I think are very important nowadays. Especially when we are unaware that we are already humiliating others…