Etiquette Analysis: Conversation II
Etiquette books are inundated with the dos and don’ts of conversation and social interactions. When to speak up, when to stay quiet. Can you criticize or is it best not to? I do hope to share many more of these quotes in the posts to come but I think the below is the best summary of them all.
“Of all the qualities that make us likable, none is greater than tact… The tactless person causes nothing but distress wherever he goes.” Emily Post (1945), Etiquette, 593.
Tact, as defined by Merriam Webster, means “a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense.” For such a small word, it has a big meaning. Not everyone has tact and that’s okay but tact can be learned. I think the origin of tact is really empathy. If you have empathy for the person you’re speaking to, you are likely being tactful in some way, conscious or not.
Reverse Emily Post’s statement and instead think, “I don’t want to cause anyone distress.” Tact will come naturally if that is your mindset.