Do you have any bad habits? While you may be aware of some, others go unnoticed. These habits may irritate those around you, and they may not thrive in your company. From workplace irks to things you may be doing in public, your “polite” habits might annoy others.
1. Saying Yes to Everything
Isn’t interacting with someone who says “yes” to everything annoying? They don’t have a backbone or an opinion. People who express their thoughts even in disagreements are more appreciated than those who don’t. This behavior often leads to resentment and a lack of respect.
2. Eating From Other People’s Plates
While you might think picking up and tasting food from other people’s plates is cute, it’s not. People tolerate others with this behavior because they don’t want to be rude. But realistically, they may not want to share their food. If anything, order what you want to eat from the menu.
3. Offering Unsolicited Advice
If you are part of a conversation, and no one asks your advice or opinion, don’t offer it. They may need to be more receptive to it and listen then. Hold it in no matter how strongly you feel about it until everyone is comfortable enough for you to share it.
4. Sharing a Lot of Personal Information Too Soon
While people may find one-word answers impolite, long-winded ones are equally unappreciated. If you’re meeting someone new, only volunteer some things to know about you. Even when discussing personal opinions, holding back and filtering is perfectly okay.
5. Not Answering Invitations
Checking a “yes” or “no” box doesn’t take much. It isn’t polite when you receive an invitation and don’t care about letting the host know whether you’ll attend. Hosts offer these invitations as a courtesy to know how many guests they should plan for. Imagine showing up without letting them know, only to find that you have no chair or plate; it’s highly inconvenient!
6. Cheek Kissing Hello
Before the coronavirus was upon us, everybody enjoyed greetings in the form of a kiss on the cheek. But that was way before we were all concerned about infectious diseases! A majority of people are protective of their personal space today. A warm smile or “hello” can convey the same feelings as a kiss on the cheek.
7. Sending Long-Winded Text Messages
Granted, you may want to pass on important information and feel a long text is the best communication method. But did you know most people prefer a phone call? Especially when you want to discuss a significant issue. You don’t want someone to look at a very long text message and choose to ignore it!
8. Tagging People on Social Media
You may love tagging people on your social media posts, but not everybody wants to be tagged. Even if you want to ensure they see the pictures, there are better ways than tagging them randomly. People with different comfort levels regarding their online presence may dislike hurtful comments or targeting by a group of people.
9. Responding With “No Worries”
Most people would respond with “thank you” to express gratitude, but when someone thanks you, responding with “no worries” implies the other person was inconveniencing you. Respond with an appropriate “you’re welcome.”
10. Explaining Things People Already Know
We all have been part of a conversation that’s going just fine. When the other person says something you know, such as, “When Nelson Mandela was in prison, he won the Nobel prize,” you chime in with, “I know who Nelson Mandela is. Why are you explaining that to me!” You’ll end up annoying everyone who’s part of the conversation.
11. Correcting People’s Pronunciation
When someone pronounces a word wrong, they are not looking for you to correct them. It’s the fastest way to break their confidence. If anything, it’s unnecessary, and everyone around you will think you’re condescending.
12. Saying “Take It Easy”
“Take it easy” is a tad patronizing. Also, its adjectives, “chill out” and “relax” could work up tempers. When you ask someone to take it easy, you suggest their response is excessive. Remember, everyone is entitled to their feelings.
13. Patting People on the Head
It may sound a little off, but this happens more than you think. The general rule should be, don’t invade other people’s personal space. A pat on the back of the shoulder may be acceptable in a few circumstances, but patting people’s heads is a no-no.
14. Name-Dropping
When trying to be condescending and communicate superiority, you’ll start talking about how Adam Sandler shared your high school locker and Julia Roberts comes over for family dinners. Most people will find this an attempt to put them down, and you’ll seem superior, annoying, and pathetic.
15. Not Muting Your Background Noise During Meetings
Attending online meetings may be polite and the right thing to do, as you’re a company employee. But there’s nothing more irritating than your background noise coming through and bothering everyone else during the meeting. Press “mute.”
16. Wearing Too Much Perfume
You want to smell good when you come around others, and your perfume will do the trick. But bathing in the entire cologne bottle offends other people and will leave those with allergies feeling very triggered and uncomfortable. Go easy on the perfume so your scent is pleasant, not irritating.
17. Using All Caps
You politely want to get your point across and want everyone to understand what you’re trying to convey. The best way to do it is by using all caps. Wrong! Doing this annoys people more than you know. Aim to construct natural sentences in small caps, and you’ll still be able to get your point across.
18. Starting Your Order With “Can I Get a…”
Asking whether you can get a bottle of sparkling water sounds warm and polite, but some online restaurant servers marked this as rude in a survey. It’s more polite to say, “May I get a bottle of sparkling water, please?”
19. Replying All
When working as a team or on a group project, “reply all” sounds like the most convenient mode of communication. However, in most instances, there’s no need to “reply to all” in an email sequence. Even a word as simple as “thank you” may confuse the thread and give people extra work when trying to find necessary information.
20. Starting a Sentence With “No Offense”
“No offense” means the other person should take what you say politely. But it sometimes goes down differently than this. Starting a sentence with this phrase conjures up offensive thoughts even before you begin speaking.
21. Using Overly Familiar Nicknames
Just because you hear a nickname or have a friendly rapport with someone doesn’t mean calling them “hon” or “sweetie” is not annoying. It’s best to be respectful and stick to people’s names unless they light-heartedly bring their nickname up.
22. Always Talking About Your Diet
You want to motivate everyone to cross over to the healthy side. It’s only polite to sit down and talk about your diet and its impact on your life. While most people will take a thing or two from this conversation, they will most likely get irritated if you don’t let the discussion go.
23. Constantly Gushing About New Relationships
Yes, we know you’re in love more than ever! But it could be really, really annoying for a friend who’s going through a breakup or a challenging situation in their relationship to hear you gushing about how happy you are. It’s rather inconsiderate.
24. Taking Too Much Time Chatting at the Counter
You can chat with the lady or gentleman at the counter. It’s polite to do this as there’s nothing wrong with a friendly rapport. But when you overdo it, you’re holding up the line in the back, irritating everyone.
25. Ordering for Others
Just because you feel like having a glass of wine doesn’t mean your friends or loved ones want to have the same thing. They may smile and appreciate it when they find wine lurking on the table, but they are likely silently annoyed, especially if they only want a cold Coke.
Source: becausemomsays.com.
