Essential Manners of Men

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Collins; 1 edition (October 21, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060539801
ISBN-13: 978-0060539801

Peter Post focused on 3 main aspects of etiquette in life - Daily living, Social living and Living on your job. The essence behind etiquette is essentially having respect and consideration. As long you embrace these 2 qualities in your daily dealings, you may be regarded as a well mannered person already.

Daily Life

1. Kitchen (be responsible for your own mess, no half done chores, help clean up consistently)
2. Bathroom (sink, toilet seats, toilet paper, personal items)
3. TV (don't hog)
4. Telephone (pick up if no one else does, take down messages)
5. Driving (don't be aggressive, be humble especially for directions)
6. Communicating (have clarity, coherence and brevity) - never let a phone call interrupt a face to face communication unless absolutely necessary
7. Email - what ever is sent out should be regarded as public always
8. Greetings (stand, smile, eye contact and proper handshake)
9. Introductions - introduce the less important to the more important

Social Life

• Dress smart, smell fresh, look good
• For dating (flowers, hold doors and chairs, walk on the outside, paying)
• Always bring a gift to a party
• Table manners (elbows on the table is ok at conversations, passing food to people's left hand, always take the cue from the host)
• Flirting - the key is the intention to start a relationship

Job life

• Avoid 2 behaviours - being superior and being rude (putting down others)
• Interviews (punctual, prepared, dress one notch up, greet as above, thank 2 times - after interview and after you get home)
• 5 Questions to ask in an interview
  - Which responsibility is the most important in the job?
  - Review your resume
  - Strengths of the company
  - main problems faced by the staff today
  - describe a successful candidate for this job
• 5 Questions to answer
  - Why this job?
  - What you know of the company and why here?
  - Your strengths
  - Hardest thing faced in your previous job
  - more about yourself