How To Adult: Being Respectful

The definition of respect: feeling or showing deference or politeness. Respect will get individuals far in life. Respect sets people apart during a job interview, to an authority figure or anyone you would like to stand out for. Overall, showing respect mostly involves being aware of the feelings of other people and how you respond to them.

Say please and thank you
Please and thank you, two terms that children learn as their first words and are trained to say to every adult. “Please” shows that you want something without sounding demanding. Saying “thank you” shows that you actually listened and comprehended what that person had to say.

Make Eye contact
Making eye contact with people during a conversation allows them to know that you are engaged. When having a conversation with someone, if your eyes aren’t straight at them or you look around them, it makes you look distracted and not listening. This could cause them to feel that their opinion does not matter to you.

Don’t interrupt
Interrupting someone during a conversation makes it seem like you value your opinions over others. Also when someone interrupts, it kills the conversation. You either lose your train of thought or it makes the flow of conversation awkward. We all know those people who inject their opinions into everything they can, and do we want to still talk to them? Most of the time no.

Don’t be on your phone
You have to choose, do you want to talk to someone through a screen or talk to a real life person right in front of you. Grabbing your phone during a conversation, looks as though you prefer whatever is on your phone over the person. Also, it distracts the conversation by making you lose your focus on what they are talking about, resulting in people repeating what they said.

Be responsive
In a conversation, standing still or being stiff with your movements makes the conversation unnatural. During the conversation, nod if you agree or understand. Showing that you are listening encourages the other person to keep the conversation going. Also if you have something to say, tell it in a break, wait for them to say their opinion.

Be on time
Showing up on time to an event or engagement shows that you want to be there and you place importance on it. Showing up late to something is says that their time isn’t worth it to you. If you do happen to arrive late, politely apologize and explain. However, don’t create a fake excuse, people hate that, so tell the truth and try to be on time the best you can.