Social Graces Sunday--Remembering Names

Goodness gracious, have you ever forgotten the name of someone you were just introduced to?  How embarrassing is that?!  How does it feel when someone forgets your name?  Not good, right?  Usually you forget someone's name because you are not listening or paying attention.  It happens to all of us...You meet someone during a social function and the next day you see that person again and draw a blank on their name.  Faces are easy to remember, but names, not so easy.

Having just moved to a new town, I meet new people every day.  I'll admit that it's not easy to remember all the names of the new acquaintances I've met at church, at shops, neighbors, et cetera.  

Remembering a person's name is being polite and considerate.  It's the most basic step in showing respect and building a meaningful relationship.  There is no sound as sweet as the sound of one's own name.  You have to make an active effort to focus on the person's name to remember someone's name.  

When you are introduced to someone, repeat their name.  "It's nice to meet you Mary."  Use the person's name frequently in conversation and when saying goodbye.

Find something about Mary and associate that as a visual with her name; i.e., a similar person, place, or thing that you will remember later.  You might also ask for the person's card and make a note later on the card to help you remember the face to the card.

When people wear name badges in public gatherings, it makes things a lot easier!  Name badges should be worn on your right shoulder.  The reason is when we extend our right hand {always the right hand} for a hand shake, our eye automatically goes in the direction of the person's right hand and their right shoulder.  

Everyone struggles with remembering names from time to time.  If you forget someone's name say "Please tell me your name again."

Social Graces Sunday

Your posture says so much about you!  The perfect outfit, immaculate makeup, and beautiful hairdo will not camouflage poor posture.  I remember as a little girl walking around inside my home with a book on my head to improve my posture.  Did y'all do this?

The way you stand and they way you sit can make you seem more confident and attractive.  Perfect posture not only keeps you looking youthful, it also helps to alleviate headaches, back pain, and neck pain.  Standing up straight increases your height and is the fastest diet trick ever...you will instantly appear to lose 10 pounds!

Do you have good posture?  Have someone take your full length photo from the front and the side.  Your head and neck should be centered above your torso.  Your chin should be parallel to the floor.  Your back should be straight.  Your shoulders should be pulled back, down, and relaxed with your core muscles pulled in.  Tuck your buttocks under and keep your knees relaxed and your feet forward.

This chart illustrates perfect posture on the top and types of poor posture on the bottom.

The manicurist on the left is displaying poor posture and the right illustration shows her spine aligned correctly.

It's is so easy to slouch, right?  I am constantly correcting my posture and I assure y'all that it is more difficult to maintain proper posture as you age.  I hope y'all won't follow the look of the "Runway Model Slouch" of today or the "Debutante Slouch" which was in fashion years ago!  The rounded shoulders and relaxed stomach is tres chic with some, but over time, poor posture will take a toll on your shoulders, spine, hips, and knees.

So how can you improve your posture?

• Balance a book on your head and practice walking.

• Stand as if a string were pulling you up from the top of your head.

• Sit up straight and don't work humped over at your desk.

• Consult a personal trainer who can assist you with exercises to strengthen your spine and build core strength.

So start practicing to improve your posture.  Sit up straight.  Stand up straight.  Smile and project an image of confidence!

How to Descend Stairs Gracefully

While watching a national pageant recently, I could not help noticing one of the girls in the Top 5 descending the stairs very ungraciously.  She was wearing a tight evening gown that flared just a bit at the bottom.  Instead of stepping down with one foot on each step, she had to step down with the right foot, then the left foot on the same step.  It was very awkward!  Of course, safety comes first, but if your gown is too tight to descend stairs graciously, you need to wear a different style of gown.

I was taught that you stand at the top of the stairs with your head held high and shoulders back.  Turn your body at slight angle away from the stair rail and place your hand on the rail.  Don't grip the rail unless you start to fall.  If there is no rail, you are on your own.  Glide down the stairs gracefully.  This takes practice, practice, practice y'all. 

Above all, please don't clunk all the way down the stairs in a loud and tacky fashion.

Social Graces Sunday

Lately I find myself visiting Facebook less and less.  I love the idea of keeping up with family members and friends who live far away.  I confess that I also like to keep up with friends I haven't seen in years...being curious about third grade classmates or high school friends.  I especially like following businesses so I can keep up with sales, etc.

What I do not like is the ever-increasing political/religious arguments.  I'm also not a fan of bashing your boss or workplace, trashing ex partners, or over sharing.

The over sharing is out of hand.  Seriously, when did sharing a photo of your naked, pregnant belly become interesting to anyone?

Horrific photos of your latest medical procedure are also considered over sharing!

And would someone please tell me why parents are sharing photos of their naked children in the bathtub?  Why anyone would post such a thing, especially in today's world?  It's baffling!

On another level of annoying me is the "Poke."   Am I completely out of the loop?  Why would grown people do such a thing?

Those vague status, attention-seeking{vague booking}posts crack me up too.  You know the ones meant to generate comments of interest.  Whatever.

People don't like complainers in real life and certainly not on social media.  Keep your negativity and ailments to a minimum, or better yet, keep them to yourself!

Please, please stop with the game application requests...Lord have mercy, I don't want to be your FarmVille neighbor!

Be considerate when tagging others in photos.  Not everyone wants their photo to appear online.  It is not a breech of Facebook etiquette to untag yourself in a photo.

You don't have to share every little detail of your life on Facebook or any other social media site.  I do have a tendency to over share my whereabouts{per my husband who shares nothing}, so several years ago I decided that I would not advertise where I am in real time.  For instance, I post photos of a restaurant, store, etc. after I have left, not while I'm there.  Of course, I don't do this all the time, but whenever possible.

Last, but not least, don't like your own posts.  That's just plain tacky!