Getting Courtlier

 

Associate with well-mannered persons and your manners will improve. Run around with decent folk and your own decent instinct will be strengthened- Anonymous

The price for getting better things is not always as high as most people imagine.

Better is better than good and best than better.

Getting better at a fair price should therefore be any noble person’s aim.

Talking about etiquette, one can increase their social appeal by, as the above quote infers, deliberating choosing acquaintances.

There’s no controversy, you are strongly influenced by your closest company.

‘That nasty girl’ quickly becomes ‘those nasty girls’.

So, if you do not like the label, break off from the clique.

It is not incorrect to make an acquaintance of someone who knows something you don’t that will be beneficial to you.

I, for example, attended a Federal Secondary (High) School with a traditional curriculum; Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and so on while my younger sister attended a private school where she was taught Etiquette as a subject.

I was glad that she is circumstantially more than an acquaintance because the subject piqued my interest so much so that I studied her notes and handbooks during the holidays.

The point is I am better off because of those study sessions, thanks to my unique acquaintance.
But honing social skills does not come through acquaintances alone; it can be done through other means.

By Reading: I find that one of the cheapest means to get knowledge is through reading. Books and articles (such as this) give you the edge that you need socially. Even when you read novels, do not take for granted that the gentlemen at the table rose from their seats as the lady approached. It is noteworthy.

By Observing: Someone has aptly said that to the one who observes, everything is revealed.

By watching movies: This is definitely fun. Personally, I learned a lot of social dos and don’ts from watching Princess Diaries and the Duchess of Devonshire. Sure these movies entertain but they also serve to teach. So don’t just watch the movie; learn as you do.

After practicing all these, you will find that you no longer jump queues, slam doors or use vulgar language. You are not being fake, it’s called getting courtlier.