Man is a social animal and mandatorily needs to mingle with others. Since we need to be in the company of others very often, we must be mindful of our manners and always strive to be full of etiquette. If you mind your p’s and q’s, hold open doors and do say excuse me and please all the time, you should be a great complier of etiquette, but have you ever wondered whether you ruin the peace for others? If so, what is the outlook from an etiquette point of view?
I laugh aloud and my voice can carry across hundreds of yards without an issue; so believe me, speaking in hushed tones and keeping my volume down are challenges thrown at me by etiquette on a daily basis. I have come to terms with my loud laugh (which embarrasses everyone around me) and my sloppy excuse is that I burn calories with it (much to the indignation of all my close friends, family and co-workers). Well, at least, I do not laugh constantly and incessantly – it is a sporadic disturbance which lasts a few seconds.
On the other hand, let’s look at bigger and more annoying issues which we face on a daily basis as we eat out, go to work, shop, go for a run or simply sit around and relax in a public place.
01.Telephone Howlers
We all know these people who bark down telephones as though Alexander Bell’s invention serves no purpose. While you can be as loud as you want inside a sound proof office cabin, the same does not apply to the great outdoors. When seated at a restaurant, when walking down the aisles of a supermarket and when travelling in a vehicle with others, you should either speak softly or inform your callers that you are unable to speak to them.
02.The Loud Talkers
Being an extrovert is not an excuse for being a sound polluter. Some people have grinding voices that reach rather high decibels when speaking to the person right next to them. At all times, make it a point to speak in such a way that you are not heard above the general volume of the room. If you are not sure, ask your neighbour and adjust your tone.
03.Talking Over the Pots and Pans
When in a large group, move between seats or swap seats with one another when you want to talk to someone who is seated far away. Don’t shout across the table over the crackling china and the conversations of others – it honestly serves no purpose than irritate people around you.
04.Attention Seekers
These sorts are a complete nuisance and are the bane of any society. Either they love their voices a little too much or want to be the centre of attention wherever they are – am no psychologist, but from an etiquette point of view, these are two sicknesses that need to be cured by oneself. Don’t assume it is cute or adorable that you ruin everyone’s peace.
If you are having a one on one conversation, you need to be heard only by the other party and if you are speaking to a small group of about four or five, only those need to know what is being said. If you are speaking over the phone, no one needs to hear you, except the person at the other end of the line.
Etiquette helps us lead better lives in our communities and creating noise where it is neither needed or desired is only a nuisance. If you find it challenging to control the noise you create, write to us at fullofetiquette@gmail.com and let’s find creative ways to solve the problem together.
Till I return with ‘Full of Etiquette’ next week, stay safe!
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Praveeni Jayasekera is the Founder and Editor of fullofetiquette.com; she is a regular advocate on the subject. She is an ACMA, CGMA; holds a BSc. Economics and Management; PG in IT and Diploma in Social Sciences. She is employed full time in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at CL Synergy (Private) Limited; a Sri Lankan freight forwarding company. She is an ardent fan of the written word and has compiled content for numerous websites for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, corporate profiles and blogs. She has experience in training corporate professionals on customer service and business etiquette. She conducts coaching sessions on etiquette for school children every now and then
