Is politeness DEAD?

Certainly not... manners cost nothing, says leading etiquette coach William Hanson

We live in a world where emojis convey more emotions than words, and LOL is a universal language of amusement, so it’s unsurprising that the art of modern manners finds itself in the midst of a quirky and unpredictable dance. Every generation thinks the ones that follow are ruder and less courteous. It’s a belief that dates back hundreds of years and will continue forever. Are we getting ruder? Maybe. But what has denitely changed is how easily we can interact with others, giving rise to the opportunity to annoy, irk, and offend.

Manners and etiquette are simply a series of conventions we follow to be nice, so we all rub along with others with little con ict. But whether it’s a passive-aggressive post, someone making a speakerphone call on the bus, or not knowing who we need to hold doors open for, etiquette has changed. And – spoiler alert – it will keep changing as society evolves.

Welcome to a potted guide to the sometimes comically chaotic realm of modern manners, where navigating British social conventions is like trying to nd your way out of a virtual maze with a navigation system that occasionally suggests the scenic route. British people are notoriously less direct than our US or European counterparts, which means we often have a tendency to dance around rather than say what we mean.

How to decline an invitation