Episode 612 - Responding Gracefully
Here's your Awesome Etiquette podcast episode. Plus your weekly etiquette challenge, Monday joke, and an etiquette extra comic on habit formation science
On today’s show, we take your questions on how to respond gracefully when people constantly misgender you on the phone, whether it’s polite to add your dishes to a friend’s already overflowing sink, and a networking situation that went a little sideways. For Community Members, your bonus question is about managing language barriers with a new employee in an international workplace. Plus your weekly etiquette challenge, etiquette salute, and a postscript segment on outdoor entertaining.
Etiquette Extra - Habit Formation Made Easy
Teaching etiquette to kids and grown-ups gives us plenty of reason to reflect on how we all acquire new habits intentionally to improve our lives. As you can see in the example panel above, NPR Life Kit explores the process of intelligent habit formation via the comic "Can’t keep a habit?” This comic, by Marielle Segarra, Vreni Stollberger, and Mika Ellison shares a proven formula to make it stick.
For a habit to stick, you need to do more than just repeat it, says behavioral scientist BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab. You need motivation, the ability to do the action and a prompt to do it. “When those three things come together, the behavior happens.”
Fogg shares insights based on the Tiny Habits method, a research-backed approach he developed in 2007 on how to create lasting change.
Emily Post Etiquette Trivia
Our Mind Your Manners trivia game is a fun way to learn and test your etiquette knowledge at the same time. Based on our classic book, Emily Post’s Etiquette - The Centennial Edition, available for signing through Bridgeside Books.
The first 50 orders of Emily Post’s Business Etiquette book through Bridgeside Books will receive a link to attend a live Professional Etiquette book talk with our very own Daniel Post Senning on June 25th.
Etiquette Challenge of The Week
This week’s challenge is designed to get you ready for summer. As the days get longer and the sunshine is brighter, this week’s challenge is a reminder to take your sunglasses off indoors and, when possible, in conversation with others. Eye contact is so important to connecting and empathizing in person; don’t forget to remove your glasses when it’s time for some FaceTime in real life. Good luck, stay cool, let us know how it goes.
School is almost (or already) out for summer, and we are excited for the transition. We know, from an etiquette perspective, transitional moments are ripe for us to start new habits. Be sure to check out today’s Etiquette Extra for a primer on setting up good habits that will serve you well all season long.
For now, stay cool, and we will see you on Thursday.
All our best,
Dan and Lizzie
Happy Monday Joke
“I asked the lion in my wardrobe, what he was doing?””
“He said, Narnia your business”