The world we live in as we know it is constantly evolving; us as individuals, our surroundings and what we are exposed to. In the journey that we are starting I am hoping that we will learn, grow together, teach and empower each other and also share all that will make us better individuals with those that are not on this platform as yet. There is so much to learn and I’m looking forward to unpacking each topic weekly.
The first question I often get from people when I mention etiquette is – “Yini manje leyo? Uyabona nje lezizinto zenu, nilokhu nizenza abelungu.” loosely translated “What on earth is that now? You like behaving like Caucasians!” So here it is – Etiquette is simply a system of conventional rules that regulate social behavior.
The word literally means a ‘ticket’ or ‘card’, and refers to the ancient custom of a monarch setting forth ceremonial rules and regulations to be observed by members of his court; I could bore you with the whole history lesson but I won’t.
Now a secondary question would be – What is the difference between Etiquette and Manners? Etiquette: Is a set of rules which when followed shows that you are doing things properly e.g using a flute to drink Champaign from instead of a cognac or brandy goblet. Manners: are what you do in a specific way to be polite and courteous e.g. saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.
There are different categories of Etiquette and the most common one is Dining Etiquette which we will focus on, next week where I’ll tell you a story about Gregory, an elderly Caucasian acquaintance of mine, sweet old man.
Corporate/Office Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
Interview Etiquette
Meeting Etiquette
Social Etiquette
People Etiquette
House Guest Etiquette
Engagement Party Etiquette
Wedding Etiquette
Gym Etiquette
The above all fall part of Etiquette. As we evolve, Etiquette rules will definitely evolve as well – I’m quite certain that when it all started nobody thought there would ever be ‘Gym Etiquette’ because there were no gyms then lol! Over the next weeks we will tackle some of these categories individually.
In a world keyed to speed, skills development and personal branding; good manners, civility and etiquette are more important than ever before. Whether it’s unfair or not, people will make character judgments about you based on how you handle social situations. This can be a crucial factor when your superiors make decisions about how far and how high you can go in an organization or certain individuals have to decide if they want you around their personal space as you will soon learn in Greg’s story. You do not know these rules instinctively, no matter how smart you are. Somebody has to teach you. Somebody had to teach me.
We can no longer take for granted that we cannot be taken seriously if we do not take care of our image, etiquette and manners; fortunately for us two of these things can be taught, the question is – Are you willing to learn?
Till next week, stay true to you!
Sindisiwe Uzuri
Twitter: @sindisiweuzuri
Facebook: Sindisiwe Uzuri
The first question I often get from people when I mention etiquette is – “Yini manje leyo? Uyabona nje lezizinto zenu, nilokhu nizenza abelungu.” loosely translated “What on earth is that now? You like behaving like Caucasians!” So here it is – Etiquette is simply a system of conventional rules that regulate social behavior.
The word literally means a ‘ticket’ or ‘card’, and refers to the ancient custom of a monarch setting forth ceremonial rules and regulations to be observed by members of his court; I could bore you with the whole history lesson but I won’t.
Now a secondary question would be – What is the difference between Etiquette and Manners? Etiquette: Is a set of rules which when followed shows that you are doing things properly e.g using a flute to drink Champaign from instead of a cognac or brandy goblet. Manners: are what you do in a specific way to be polite and courteous e.g. saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.
There are different categories of Etiquette and the most common one is Dining Etiquette which we will focus on, next week where I’ll tell you a story about Gregory, an elderly Caucasian acquaintance of mine, sweet old man.
Corporate/Office Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
Interview Etiquette
Meeting Etiquette
Social Etiquette
People Etiquette
House Guest Etiquette
Engagement Party Etiquette
Wedding Etiquette
Gym Etiquette
The above all fall part of Etiquette. As we evolve, Etiquette rules will definitely evolve as well – I’m quite certain that when it all started nobody thought there would ever be ‘Gym Etiquette’ because there were no gyms then lol! Over the next weeks we will tackle some of these categories individually.
In a world keyed to speed, skills development and personal branding; good manners, civility and etiquette are more important than ever before. Whether it’s unfair or not, people will make character judgments about you based on how you handle social situations. This can be a crucial factor when your superiors make decisions about how far and how high you can go in an organization or certain individuals have to decide if they want you around their personal space as you will soon learn in Greg’s story. You do not know these rules instinctively, no matter how smart you are. Somebody has to teach you. Somebody had to teach me.
We can no longer take for granted that we cannot be taken seriously if we do not take care of our image, etiquette and manners; fortunately for us two of these things can be taught, the question is – Are you willing to learn?
Till next week, stay true to you!
Sindisiwe Uzuri
Twitter: @sindisiweuzuri
Facebook: Sindisiwe Uzuri
