Introduction
"Civility costs nothing and buys everything."
-Lady Mary Worley Montagu, English aristocrat and writer
Congratulations! You have opened an incredible resource, packed with great ideas that will guide you to an improved way of being in the world. The need for civility in all aspects of our lives has been advocated in nearly every form of media. You can make a significant difference in your own life, and in the lives of everyone you interact with, when you adopt the principles we discuss in this book. You are about to discover the power of civility.
We know you want to be the absolute best you can be. Your success in your business and personal life will be determined by how you greet people, respond to invitations, react to difficult situations or treat those who disagree with you. In fact, your success is determined by the way you present yourself in all that you say and do!
As top experts in etiquette and civility, we have joined together to give you the most effective strategies we know to help you deal with almost any situation with civility. Some bits of advice are repeated in different chapters-that should tell you how important that advice is!
Each of us has seen how even small shifts toward greater civility can transform one's self-confidence and uplift one's spirit. When you demonstrate kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness, respect, self–restraint and responsibility, people are drawn to you. When they mirror civility back to you, everyone enjoys a sense of goodwill and heightened self-worth.
All the civility professionals you will meet in this book want you to have the confidence and poise to go anywhere and be welcomed as a caring and considerate citizen of the world. We have shared our best tips and proven guidelines to help you fit in, and to help you put others at ease.
To get the most out of this book, we recommend that you read through it once, cover to cover. Then go back and follow the tips that apply to you, in the chapters most relevant to your current situation. Every improvement you make will make a difference in how you feel about yourself, how you relate to those around you and how others respond to you in your daily personal and professional life.
Mastering all the aspects of civility and considerate conduct can take some time. If you take action and continually apply the strategies, tips and tactics we share in these pages, you will reap many rewards. With our knowledge and your action, we are confident that, like our thousands of satisfied clients, you too will master the power of civility.