What costs very little to bring with us wherever we go, but it can have a heavy cost when we forget it? Politeness!
There is a German proverb that says, “politeness is what warmth is to wax”, and the Chinese say, “politeness wins the confidence of princes”. Despite the cultural differences and physical distance, their consensus on the importance of politeness when it comes to interacting with others is a hint at just how important it is to people all around the world.
We need to keep in mind that there is no universal consensus on what constitutes ‘politeness’; it varies from culture to culture. However, common sense should lead us to some basic good manners.
So, how is this related to the quiz, and what is ‘tel-iqette’?
Tel-iquette is etiquette for our tele-interactions: good manners for our interaction with others by telephone or in a teleconference. (Tele = both landline connections as well as VoIP services.)
Why is tel-iquette important?
Because…
- Many people seem to have become oblivious to the obvious. (e.g. Even when we have phones stuck to our ears, others seem to overlook that fact and interrupt our calls.)
- Tele-conversations already need more concentration than face to face ones…background noise can be a huge (and annoying) distraction.
- It is easy to forget our manners when we don’t see the reactions of others (or when they can’t see what we are doing).
- It is easy to get a bad reputation due to a lack of tel-iquette.
So, how polite are you?
You may remember last month’s buzzword ‘staycation’ – a vacation spent at home or very near home. Why not use your staycation as an opportunity to keep your English in shape? But wait, you say, I’m living in Spain and Portugal … how can I possibly practise my English when at home, and why would I want to study English on my holidays?
Far too many people try to learn English for years without success. It’s hard to believe that so many people are incapable of learning and using English as a tool to communicate. 