Tuesday is Dating & Relationships ^[1] day at AlexShalman.com

This is a follow up to last week’s post, If You’re Respectful, You Can Dramatically Improve Your Relationships ^[2]. Now that we’ve thought about the benefits of being respectful, let’s look at some ways to accomplish them.

How To Be Respectful

1. Listen harder. We already know that proactive listening should be your first social skill ^[3]. We know this because we love when people listen to us, so we find it safe to assume that other people love when we listen to them.
2. Be considerate. Once you’ve listened, it’s time to act accordingly. If there was anything about the persons tone of voice or body language that gave a hint as to how they were feeling, use that information in your interaction.
3. Keep your promise. By keeping your word to someone, you not only establish yourself as a person of integrity, but make the other person feel as though you value them.
4. Be on time. Another way to demonstrate that you value someone, is by treating their time as though it is valuable. Nothing says this better than being punctual. If you have a problem with being chronically late, read my post Always Late? Let’s fix it ^[4].
5. Have manners. This is pretty simple. Do not interrupt a conversation, be polite and watch your ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. By showing manners towards someone, you make them feel valuable.
6. Encourage. Sometimes when we hear a silly idea, it’s easy to shoot down someone’s hopes and dreams, or otherwise make them feel unimportant. Genuinely encouraging someone could be very empowering and liberating.
7. Be fair. We often find ourselves in a position of power over someone else; to some extent. Having power enables the opportunity to be corrupt. Avoid corruption, give people what they earn-deserve, and they’ll appreciate it.
8. Go out of your way. You don’t have to always do the bare minimum. If you want to show someone that they’re valuable, and that you respect them, go the extra mile without expecting a reward.
9. Preserve dignity. When wronged, mistreated, or otherwise upset in some way handle the dispute with finesse. This means approaching the person in such a way as to preserve their dignity. The best way to handle it is via a calm and private conversation, as opposed to a public screaming match.
10. Do Not Assume. They say when you ASSUME, you make an AS$- out of -U- and -ME. So don’t assume anything about a person based on their race, income level, or gender. Start off each interaction by thinking of the other person as your equal.

There are dozens if not hundreds of other ways to show people respect. However, the key to showing someone respect, is to show the person you are interacting with that they are valuable. Could you name some of your favorite ways to show respect?

If you like this post, please submit it to de.licio.us ^[5].

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