For this week’s Modern Manners Monday, we are going back to basics of Please and Thank You How many of you have said to your kids, “What’s the magic word?” Please and Thank You remain two of the most magical words – no matter what the language.
Now, you are probably saying to yourself well, of course, everyone knows that. But Please and Thank You are such simple words, take only seconds to say and cost absolutely nothing, yet they are not used nearly as much as they could be. I truly do not believe that people are rude on purpose in most cases, they just don’t stop to think how their actions or lack of actions can affect others.
Please and Thank You are absolutely necessary in all of our daily interactions, whether that be with our spouse, kids, friends, co-workers, boss, or in the countless number of interactions we encounter on a daily basis.
Importance of Please and Thank You
When you use Please and Thank You:
- It shows respect and that you realize that the other person has a choice in whether they grant your request.
- It shows your appreciation for the other person and their actions.
- It reinforces an attitude of gratitude and we all know how important that is in our lives.
- It creates goodwill between you and the other person and will make future interactions more likely to be positive and productive.
- It has the ability to go viral. If you make someone feel appreciated, they are more likely to pass that or other positive thoughts, words, and actions on to others.
When you should say Please and Thank You
The answer is simple – every time you are making a request of another person and every time another person does something for you – whether you requested it or not. And no, it does not matter if:
- You are having a bad day
- You don’t like the way they did it or that you could have done it better
- You think they are just doing their job
- You think it was no big deal
- You think they are being rude in the process
How you should say Please and Thank You
We’ve all received a mumbled, half-hearted or even a snide please or thank you, but it should go without saying that when you use these words it’s important to sound sincere and look the person in the eye and smile. And just like any other manner, practice makes perfect.
You can make yourself stand out in a rude society by remembering your manners, treating people as respected individuals, and doing what others can’t be bothered to do.
Subsequent Modern Manners Monday posts will be linked here. Or you can see them each week on our Instagram feed, Twitter feed, Pinterest boards or Facebook page.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Modern Manners. Feel free comment below or email me at behindthescenesbelle@gmail.com
Stay humble, work hard, be kind.
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