12 Habits Only Very Educated People Have

Being polite is very important for our social and business life, but sometimes it can cause embarrassment to others or ourselves. The essential rule is to show respect. But there is a very fine line between being respectful and becoming an easy target for all the rascals in the world or, on the contrary, tending to be rude.

O awesome.club presents a list of habits that only educated people have.

As part of business etiquette, it is considered polite to stand until your host takes your place. If there isn’t one, you shouldn’t sit down until the oldest person at the table is seated. But if you’re the newest employee at a meeting or conference, you don’t have to wait for everyone to sit down. This behavior can be unpleasant for others and can be interpreted as “a desire to stay in the circle”, which is not always so convenient for your career.

Courtesy means having respect, but to respect others you must first learn to respect yourself. It’s good to lend a hand here and there and be an effective employee, but that doesn’t always mean “yes.” People will simply consider you a weak person and force you to do things even if you refuse. They’ll try to get you to take care of their work, even if you’re loaded with yours.

This mainly refers to placing your order in a restaurant or deciding something for someone else, when they should decide for themselves. Yes, it is polite to help others, but you must do it with grace. Classy people always remember that what’s right for them may not be right for others, and let others do the asking for themselves.

Friends and colleagues tend to express or vent their problems to others, but that doesn’t mean that some kind of advice should be given. Advising someone can often feel like judgment or criticism. Educated people never judge others for having a different culture, race, or sex. They know they are not perfect either.

If you want to be respectful, you should keep your opinions to yourself unless someone asks you what you think.

Complimenting colleagues on their skills or accomplishments is part of “business code,” but you should never comment on anyone’s appearance. Not everyone is willing to receive such words and often it only makes them feel insecure or embarrassed.

This is something most of us do. It seems polite enough to clean or remove dirty dishes from the table while people are still eating to clear everything. But some etiquette experts say this habit can stress people out. It sounds like you want your guest to hurry up, eat and leave.

It is better to wait until everyone has finished their meal or to replace the empty plate with a new one. This is something some waiters should also look out for.

It’s very important to have a conversation, especially when you’re at some kind of networking event. But no matter how noisy and crowded the place is, you should never pretend to hear what someone else said if you don’t. Even if it looks like the other person hasn’t noticed that you’ve faked a reaction, they certainly have.

Although we try to be kind, when we do, we are only distancing people from ourselves. It’s best to ask questions, clarify, and show interest in the conversation. Show that you care a little.

As incredible as it sounds, arriving at an event early to help people who haven’t asked for help isn’t very polite—in fact, it’s just as rude as being late. Your intentions may be very good, but they can get in the way of the host and surprise him before he is ready to receive you. And that can be quite uncomfortable.

Yes, it’s very polite to talk to your new colleagues or people you’ve just met, because it makes you friendly and open to new contacts. But you should never share your life stories, as this can make people suspicious of you.

A particularly educated person should be a social jiu-jitsu teacher. It’s the ancient art of getting other people to talk about themselves without them realizing it.

Even if you think patting someone on the shoulder or forearm is extremely nice and polite, it isn’t. Polite people expect the other to set “the rules of contact”: don’t touch unless touched first by a stranger.

Remember to keep a polite distance from your colleagues and partners (approximately an arm’s length away). But if you really can’t do without a little touch here and there, don’t forget to ask first.

Keeping eye contact is the most courteous and wordless message you can send to others. Not keeping it up long enough can make you look untrustworthy. But if the other person doesn’t even look at you, trying to make contact with them will feel like “spying,” and we all know that for these people, it’s not polite to stare.

Shutting the door in someone’s face is very rude, isn’t it? That’s why it’s common courtesy to keep it open to others, but not always. It all depends on the distance between you and the person. If she’s far behind, then you shouldn’t close the door, but if she’s a mile away, it would be quite uncomfortable to wait around.

You should always keep that fine line in mind and trust your inner comfort zone detector.

Are there people in your life who seem to be very polite, but who really want to take advantage of you? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!