It may get hectic during the 2012 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week but one way to insure your best experience is to remember to be civil. An act of kindness can go a long way and will be remembered.
Common courtesies sometimes fall to the wayside when people are in a hurry and not on their best behavior. This doesn’t mean we can't have fun, just be sure it is not at someone else’s expense.
Here are the Twenty Five Rules of Considerate Conduct from Dr. P. M. Forni from his book “Choosing Civility.” (St. Martin’s Press, 2002) Consider picking up a copy of this book for your personal library.
- Pay attention
- Acknowledge others
- Think the best
- Listen
- Be inclusive
- Speak kindly
- Don’t speak ill
- Accept and give praise
- Respect even a subtle “no”
- Respect others’ opinions
- Mind your body
- Be agreeable
- Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
- Respect other people’s time
- Respect other people’s space
- Apologize earnestly and thoughtfully
- Assert yourself
- Avoid personal questions
- Care for your guests
- Be a considerate guest
- Think twice before asking for favors
- Refrain from idle complaints
- Give constructive criticism
- Respect the environment and be gentle to animals
- Don’t shift responsibility and blame
Meeting Dr. P. M. Forni, a professor at Johns Hopkins of Baltimore, Maryland. at a conference in Irvine California in May of 2009 we shared a memorable conversation. I inquired as to why do we need to raise civility awareness? Dr. P. M. Forni looked at me and kindly reflected, “People have forgotten some of the general rules of courtesy. “
Dr. P. M. Forni also has written, "The Civility Solution: What to Do When People are Rude." It's a great reference tool if you ever need help dealing with a difficult individual.
So take a look and see which of the rules you will put into play over fashion week and beyond. If you can’t remember all of them just try to be nice by holding the door open for a stranger and be sure to allow extra travel time to ease pressures.
Here's to a great week of fashion, style and civility in style.
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