It is improper to ask someone how old they are. It is also improper to ask others to guess your age.
If you find yourself in the dilemma of guessing a person’s age, it is politically correct to subtract at least five years from the age you believe them to be.
If you are asked by a teenager to guess their age, add one or two years.
If a child under ten asks you to guess their age, you better be right on. They are all about exactness.
I recently made a purchase at a retail store and after the sales associate completed my transaction, she walked out from behind the counter, handed my bag to me, and with a sincere smile said, “Thank you for shopping here. We really appreciate your business.”
I was in another store and asked a sales associate where an item was. He stopped what he was doing and walked me over to the location of the item on the opposite side of the store. Later, the sales associate passed me in the store and asked if I found exactly what I was looking for and if I needed help finding anything else.
Yesterday, I was visiting another city to deliver a presentation. Two of the employees of the business I was working with offered to sit with me while I waited outside for my ride to pick me up.
In each of these situations my initial thought was, “How nice.” All of these individuals went above and beyond the anticipated level of service. They were willing to go the extra mile to help me. As a result, I will be loyal to their businesses and share words of praise about them with others.
As we negotiate through a tough economy, it is important to remember to go the extra mile for others whenever we can. By doing so, you will gain respect and loyalty for yourself and your place of employment.
An RSVP is critical to the planning of a successful event. It gives the host or hostess a number to work with when making arrangements for food, beverages, seating and more.
If you fail to appropriately RSVP or uphold your commitment to the RSVP, your are creating a difficult situation for everyone involved.
If you say you are attending the event and don’t show, money was spent anticipating your participation.
If you don’t RSVP and decide to show up at the last minute, you are taking resources away from the other guests who did RSVP.
A good example is a wedding I attended this past weekend. 72 guests replied to the invitation indicating they would be attending the Friday night reception. 100 people actually attended the reception. There was not sufficient seating for all the guests at dinner and many had to eat dinner while standing. The food was also limited. Some people didn’t get a dessert.
The next evening at the wedding reception, 16 people who said they were attending did not. The bride and groom had to pay for those 16 meals.
If you make a commitment to attend an event, you should not back out unless there is a personal emergency you have to attend to. If you do have an emergency, you should notify your host or hostess as soon as possible. None of the 16 no shows informed anyone they would not be attending. I also doubt there were 16 personal emergencies on the same night of this wedding.
Regardless of your job or career field, it is important to be your boss’s public relations specialist. It is your responsibility to make your boss look good within the company and to clients outside the company. Any disagreement or ill feelings you have with your boss should stay private between the two of you.
I was shopping in a department store this weekend when a woman near me started speaking. Thinking she was speaking to me, I turned toward the woman. At first I was confused because she wasn’t looking at me, there were no other shoppers near us, and she wasn’t holding a phone to her ear. I became even more confused when I heard another woman’s voice speaking.
As I approached the woman, I saw she was holding a cell phone by her side while having a business conversation on the speaker phone.
I enjoy shopping because it is an opportunity to escape from the daily grind and relax. It was so frustrating have to hear business taking place where I like to relax. It was also very uncomfortable hearing information I didn’t think I should be hearing. I tried to ignore the conversation, but both parties were speaking so loudly, I couldn’t help hearing every word. I finally had to leave that area of the store.
If you’ve read past posts, you know I recommend finding a private area to have a cell phone conversation in so you don’t disturb the people around you. If you intend to have a conversation over the speaker phone, you absolutely must find an area where no one else can hear the conversation. Not doing so is rude to the people around you as well as the person on the other end of the conversation.
Combing a long piece of hair from one side of your head over to the other side might make you feel more confident about your image and the fact you’re losing your hair, but it doesn’t fool anyone and makes you look like you’re insecure about your hair loss.
First of all, balding is not shameful. It’s a normal fact of life. Some very sexy and famous men are/were bald. Think of Telly Savalis, Yul Brynner, Samuel Jackson, Sean Connery, Bruce Willis, and Vin Diesel.
As you begin to lose your hair, find a good hair stylist who can help you make the most of what you’ve got.
Gentlemen, manicures are not a grooming process for women only. It’s important for men to have handsome hands. They will be noticed in a professional environment as well as a social or dating environment. Ladies do not find dirty hands or fingernails appealing.
Nails should be short and cut to the quick. If you are a nail biter, it’s time to break the habit. Hands, especially the area underneath the nails, should be kept clean.
Find a good manicurist and visit them at least once a month. They will remove or push back unsightly cuticles, trim and shape your nails, and buff the surface of the nail. Some men like a clear coat of polish on their nails to protect the nail and give a well groomed appearance, but this last step is a personal preference only.
In between manicures, use tools you can purchase at any drugstore to maintain your nails. These tools may include nail clippers, a file or emery board, an orange stick to push cuticles back, and a nail brush to keep your nails and hands clean.
While you’re taking care of your fingernails, don’t forget to check your toenails. For some women, including yours truly, unsightly toenails are a turnoff.
Finally, if you need more incentive to visit a nail salon other than maintaining your nails, you will be surrounded by a bevy of women who will adore you. I can’t think of many other places where there’s such a good male to female ratio and the only thing the men have to do is sit and be pampered.
Have you ever approached a door at the same time as someone going in the opposite direction approaches the door? There is usually an awkward moment between the two parties as they try to decide who is going to go through the door first.
This awkward moment doesn’t have to happen if you know the rules of the door.
The person exiting the building or room should proceed through the door or doorway before the person entering comes through.
If you find it difficult to remember this rule, think of an elevator or a bus. You must let the people inside the elevator or bus exit first so there is room for you to enter.
Believe it or not, the fork was a controversial utensil and not accepted in all countries until the mid 1600s.
The word fork comes from the Latin word furca, meaning pitchfork. Many cultures made a connection between the pitchfork and the devil. The Greeks used forks until a princess died shortly after eating with one and then banned its use believing it was a punishment for using a utensil associated with the devil.
Until forks were used, only wooden spoons and knives were placed at the table setting. However, a two prong fork would be used as a serving utensil. People believed forks were unnecessary because they thought that’s what fingers are for.
England first began manufacturing forks in 1632. Charles I of England declared, “it is decent to use a fork” in 1633. Even then, only the wealthy began to use them.
Today, it would be an etiquette faux pas to use your fingers rather than a fork. Unless of course, you’re enjoying fried or barbecue chicken at an outdoor picnic. Then that is what fingers are for. Just be sure to use your napkin too.
