MIT understands you can be a genius and still not know what fork to use, this is why the school created MIT Charm School.
10 Tips on How to “Talk Politics” When There is No Escaping it!
We should all know we never speak about “Politics” at the dinner table, at a gathering with family or friends, the office, but what are you to do when there is no escaping it. Here are 10 tips written by Diane Gottsman of The Protocol School of Texas.
1. Allow the other person to state his or her opinion - Don’t interrupt – allow others to make their feelings heard.
2. Ask questions – Even if you disagree with the comments of others, show respect by asking pertinent questions. You may be surprised to learn something new!
3. Keep your voice down to a low roar- Don’t allow yourself to get worked up and start a shouting match with your coworkers or dinner guests.
4. Educate yourself on important issues – It’s important to at least be familiar with the beliefs and platform of each candidate to allow for knowledgeable discussion. Remember, being well-informed is always best!
5. Don’t take it personally – Keep the discussion in perspective and ask yourself how much anxiety and conflict you are willing to undergo at the office or with friends by arguing over who the better candidate may be. Never resort to name calling or shame tactics, “I can’t believe you are that ignorant!”
6. Vote – it’s a cop-out to say, “I don’t like any of the candidates so I’m not going to vote” – if you don’t vote for someone, anyone, you have no room to complain.
7. Politics is not off limits at a dinner party or social event – be prepared! You can answer with “I’m off political debate duty tonight – argue amongst yourselves” and opt out or jump in and make your point. Do what feels right but always keep in mind you are a guest and don’t want to offend your host.
8. Keep it clean – Use your best judgment and keep your interactions civil – you host will thank you for not inciting further furor among his or her guests.
9. Don’t assume that everyone wants to talk politics – Asking someone how he or she intends to vote in the election is invasive unless the information is offered first.
10. Use your sensitivity training – Be mindful of how you are making others feel by voicing your strong opinions and avoid monopolizing the entire conversation with politics. Have other conversation topics handy in your conversational arsenal to pull from when the conversation is too heated.
Are Manners a Thing of the Past?
According to a few studies Americans lack in Civility.… Do you agree?
Courtesy of: Schools.com
Politics and Etiquette: Incivility in the Workplace and Congress
Here is a great article form the Boston Globe which discusses incivility in the workplace and Congress. What do you think? Is there a problem?
Maine Senator Olympia Snowe is just the latest example in politics and business to demonstrate the ugly effects of incivility. She said last week that she is not going to seek another term in the US Congress.
The three-term Republican senator did not make her decision because she was facing a difficult reelection bid. Instead, she blamed the intense and sometimes destructive partisanship in Washington. That, in a nutshell, is the problem with incivility. At a certain point, people say, “No more. I don’t have to put up with caustic, vitriolic, negative behavior.’’ And they disengage, refuse to serve, quit their jobs.
It’s not just in politics that incivility causes a problem. In business, it is costly to replace a worker. There’s downtime between when a person leaves and a qualified replacement is hired. There’s a learning curve for the replacement.
While businesses don’t expect to keep a worker from leaving for a good reason — a better position, a relocation — good businesses ensure that employees don’t leave for preventable reasons. When a person leaves because of incivility, that’s preventable.
And it should be unacceptable to the American public. I can accept any elected official’s decision to return to private life; what is unacceptable to me is a resignation caused by the atmosphere in Congress. The atmosphere of the past few years is reflected in Congress’ steadily declining approval rating, which hit a record low of 11 percent in December 2011. It is time to demand civil behavior from Congress.
Rudeness and incivility in the workplace — and Congress — are preventable. Prevention begins by changing the workplace culture and that means change must be embraced from the top down. That change is grounded in three powerful principles that should govern interactions in the workplace: be considerate, be respectful, and be honest.
It’s time for congressional leaders to recognize that the current culture is toxic and to take responsibility for restoring civility in the House and Senate.
Source:Boston Globe
Written By: Peter Post
A TITLE IS EARNED.… How to Address a Retired Lt Col
Fox News Channel’s The Five, co-host Bob Beckel expressed his displeasure with Representative Allen West’s comments about the Democrats at the Lincoln Day Dinner. Mr. Beckel continuously referred to Representative West as Mr. West while criticizing his views. Co-host Eric Bowling correctly pointed out to Beckel that he should be referring to Allen West as Representative or Lt Col Allen West because he had earned both titles.
Here is what etiquette states:
Although Representative or Congressman/Congresswoman are not traditional honorific titles, they do express the person’s current position and can be used to refer to the person.
The formal form of Mr. (name) or Ms. (name) should be used when addressing an envelope as shown below.
Envelope, official:
The Honorable
(Full name)
United States House of Representatives
(Address)
The proper form for Lieutenant Colonel would be Lt Col without periods. You do not need to use Retired unless you were addressing an official envelope. In which case you should use “…
Clarkson, USAF Retired” or “…Clarkson, USAF Ret.”
See examples below for the differences between an official envelope and a social envelope.
Formal forms for an “official” envelope would be:
Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Clarkson, USAF, Retired
and Mrs. Clarkson
Address
Formal forms for a “social” envelope would be:
Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Clarkson
and Mrs. Clarkson
Address
Lt Col Joe M. Clarkson
and Mrs. Clarkson
Address
Whether you agree or disagree with someone, you should show them the proper respect by referring to them using the title(s) they have earned.
