Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

hunnychile · 04-20-2005, 04:58 PM

Good manners are good manners. Unless a younger person has been "told to call" the older person another name, such as their first name, I would always rather err in the more old fashioned way and say, "Miss, Ms. or sir". I always try to be formal because I deal with Internationals every day of the week- esp. people from Asia...and they love to be addressed respectfully first. In the office, when I have to interact with older ladies & ask them to help or a question (& I don't know them all that well...I'll say Miss Suzanne or Miss Terry.) They all know I have lived and worked in Texas for over 20 years and always smile when I address them with respect. I'm not a kid any more, but respect is So lacking these days IMHO. And a smile with any title is a must. (we ALL smile in the same language) ....Even if they are being a pain in the butt! This works wonders. The Asian clients always wait for us to bow first and that's an important sign of honor as well. Better to be a bit more formal in business - to CYA !!

It's not rocket science, but it does make life better. Kindness is no big deal.

04-20-2005, 04:58 PM	#53 (permalink)
hunnychile Alien Anthropologist Location: Between Boredom and Nirvana	Good manners are good manners. Unless a younger person has been "told to call" the older person another name, such as their first name, I would always rather err in the more old fashioned way and say, "Miss, Ms. or sir". I always try to be formal because I deal with Internationals every day of the week- esp. people from Asia...and they love to be addressed respectfully first. In the office, when I have to interact with older ladies & ask them to help or a question (& I don't know them all that well...I'll say Miss Suzanne or Miss Terry.) They all know I have lived and worked in Texas for over 20 years and always smile when I address them with respect. I'm not a kid any more, but respect is So lacking these days IMHO. And a smile with any title is a must. (we ALL smile in the same language) ....Even if they are being a pain in the butt! This works wonders. The Asian clients always wait for us to bow first and that's an important sign of honor as well. Better to be a bit more formal in business - to CYA !! It's not rocket science, but it does make life better. Kindness is no big deal. __________________ "I need compassion, understanding and chocolate." - NJB Last edited by hunnychile; 04-20-2005 at 05:01 PM..