1 How important are good manners for successful communication

1. In professional (business) situations

2. In everyday life?

 2 Skim the text below. Then decide which of these headings A-D match parts 1-4 of the text.

A. Forms of address accepted in academic community

B. Addressing people in a variety of everyday situations

C. The importance of good manners

D. Titles and forms of address in diplomatic life

Text 1

Do you know the right way to address people in English?

1

Good manners are said to be the oil that greases the wheels of society. Good manners make it possible for people to live in densely populated places without friction. Courtesy and consideration soften the blows and heighten the pleasures of life. Far from being artificial, good manners are the natural attributes of a civilized person.

Courteous people, regardless of nationality or rank, are concerned with addressing each other properly in formal or informal conversations, as well as in correspondence. There are special books where you can find exact titles of American and foreign officials and information on proper diplomatic, official and social usage.

2

When you know people well, you just call them by their first name, which is informal:

– Hello, Peter, how are you? – I’m fine, thank you. How are you, Olga?

If you do not know a person well, or if there is a considerable distance in age or status, you should use a ‘title’ Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss. This is more formal:

– Can I speak to Mr. Green, please?

– Ask Ms. Brown, to come in, please.

Remember, that these titles should always be followed by the last name (surname, family name) of the person you are talking to, with one exception only: in Britain children often address women school teachers as Miss. “Sir” and “Madam”, on the other hand, are never followed by a name except in the special case when “sir” is a title (not just a form of address) as Sir Francis Chichester. “Sir” and “madam” used alone show respect for position or seniority. Schoolchildren call their male teachers “sir”, but female teachers are never called “madam”. Soldiers address their officers as “sir”. Young men call older men “sir” as a mark of respect. But “madam” is not used in the same way by young women speaking to older ones.

A police officer, a man or a woman, is addressed as “officer”. A constable is a police officer of the lowest rank in Great Britain:

– Were you aware of the speed you were driving at, madam?

– No, officer.

When addressing an audience “ladies and gentlemen” of “friends” may be used.

3

Now, when you have become students, it is useful to know that there are two types of academic titles: one is a doctor’s degree, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and the other is an academic position. If the holder of a doctorate is also a professor, he or she may be addressed as “Professor John Smith/ Joanne Smith” rather than “Dr. John/Joanne Smith”. The academic position title is generally used in making introductions. For example: “Professor John/ Joanne Smith of Riverside College”. So, as you see, Professor (prof) is used as a title for high-ranking university teachers or scientists both male and female.

A President, Dean, Professor with a doctoral degree is usually addressed as “Dr.” with his position written on the same line following a comma, or on the line beneath the name. For those without a doctoral degree, the title “Mr.” is used.

4

While good manners are the rules one follows in everyday contacts with other people, protocol is the set of rules prescribing good manners in official life and in ceremonies involving governments and nations and their representatives. It is a recognized system of international courtesy. The Honorable and His Excellency are the preferred titles used in introducing most high ranking American officials in office or retired. They apply to a foreign Chief of State (the President of a foreign republic), head of government (a Premier, a Prime Minister), a foreign Ambassador and other foreign high officials. For example: The Honorable John Doe Prime Minister of (the name of the country) or His Excellency John Doe Prime Minister of (the name of the country). “The Honorable” is not used in speaking to a person and is never used before a surname only (a position of a person should be mentioned). When addressing a high-ranking person you may use “Your Excellency” without the name of a person.

For personal introductions and in conversation, both professionally and socially, the preferred form is “Mr.” It is used before such titles as “President”, “Vice President”, “Ambassador”, “Minister” and some others. If the official is a woman, the title of “Miss”, or “Mrs.” (or “Madam”) is substituted for “Mr.”, and the surname rather than the formal title is used. For example: “Dear Madam Secretary” (to a woman Cabinet member) or “Dear Mrs. Jones”. In recent years some agencies use “Ms.” when it is known that a woman prefers that title. “Ms.” is not used, however, in diplomatic or official correspondence. In addressing private citizens the same titles of address Mr., Mrs., Miss are used.

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