6 Weeks of Common Courtesy Challenge!

Got a GREAT idea from a reader (Thanks Scott Johnston - ITI)!  Each week there is going to be a common courtesy tip that everyone needs to practice, follow and track.  Scott gives some great reasons for this focus:

 

•  Help us all brush up on our common courtesy

•  Help us focus on the common courtesy that's around us, rather than the "common courtesy black holes" (that make

    us want to hit the the gas and ram the car in front of us!)

•  Maybe actually inspire some common courtesy in those black holes!

 

 

Week 1               Say "Thank You"

 

Our first challenge appears to be a simple one. OF COURSE you say"thank you" when appropriate! Do you? I took yesterday to pay attention to how often I say and hear it. NOT ENOUGH! Examples of when you should say "thank you":

 

• •  When a clerk hands you your change & again when they hand you your product/food.
• •  When someone returns a call in a timely manner.
• •  When your spouse takes the garbage out - YES even if you had to remind them 12 times!
• •  When someone holds a door for you.
• •  When someone gives you feedback - Positive or constructive. "I noticed a typo in the book...."  "Thank you for taking
  
•     the time to tell me!"

Scott also had a great idea to track how often people are saying "thank you" to you. Carry a golf counter for a week and keep track. Better yet, keep track of the number of times someone SHOULD have said "thank you" and did not! 

 

Week 2               Hold the door!

 

Again, easy one? Apparently NOT! A 'teenager', or someone that looked like a teenager, let a door slam right in my face today. I KNOW he saw me behind him. He was too busy talking on his cellphone about some "dumbass" party his parents are making him go to. Holding the door etiquette: Hold the door for:

 

•   Anyone within 5-10 feet of you.

•   Anyone who is carrying so much that having an extra hand to open the door would be a challenge.

•   People with babies/kids

•   Someone with disabilities that would struggle with the door ie. wheelchair, crutches, etc. (Seems obvious. It's NOT. I

     have seen too many instances where the door is not held open in these cases). 

 

Remember above: when someone who holds the door for you, say "THANK YOU"!

 

 

 

 

Week 3                     Listen!

 

We all know there is a definite difference between hearing someone and listening to someone. Our tendency is to listen long enough to be able to formulate what we want to say in return. Think of the last time someone really listened to you to where you felt clearly heard. How did that feel? Like winning a lottery?! It does feels really good. Covey says, "Seek first to understand, then be understood". Great idea! Here's more:

 

• •   Make eye contact with the person you are talking to (yes, even if you don't like them!).
• •   Try not to interrupt the speaker! Or finish sentences. No one likes a sentence finisher (I am reminded to work on  
  
•      this one myself all the time). 
• •   Step away from the cell phone when in a face to face conversation!
• •   Ensure you really understand what the person is trying to tell you. How easy is it to take something personal when
  
•      the speaker did not intend it that way? We are very quick to judge.
• •   Keep this in mind, you might learn something if you listen!
• 
  

 

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