Questions tagged [greetings]

expression of goodwill upon meeting. When questions are related to civilities, pleasantries or salutation.

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How to shake hands with someone having a prosthetic right arm/hand?

Airbus did a few years ago a few videos about inclusion of disabled people, including this one: https://youtu.be/RJuE_Ywl64o It features a disabled woman with a prosthetic right arm (or hand, it is ...
WoJ's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
491 views

What is the maximum interaction where saying goodbye is unnecessary in the US?

Often when you meet people on the street you may opt to say "Hi" and then be on your way. To my understanding this is not considered a rude behavior. It is also common to greet someone have ...
Gregory Furmanek's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
457 views

How many "bise" (kisses) should I give?

Context Let's assume we are in a COVID-free environment. In France, depending on where you are, we give different amounts of "bises" (kisses on the cheek) in greeting. For example, we give ...
Ael's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
642 views

How to address a Chinese co-worker?

Question similar to How to address a Korean co-worker? When interacting in direct chat messages in English with co-workers (software developers like me) from Chinese offices ; is it rude to address ...
wip's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to address a Korean co-worker?

My current employer is a global software company with offices in several continents. The company tries to maintain a culture of conviviality. Our main communication medium is text chat in English ; ...
wip's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
422 views

What is the etiquette around greetings in online communication in India?

Background I work with people from a rather diverse set of cultures. We are spread across several cities, so most of our communication takes place on Slack. I have several co-workers who are from ...
Rainbacon's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
613 views

How to greet Teachers and Staffs?

I am in the final year of my Engineering degree but still find greeting my teachers difficult. It happens whenever I am on my way to college, when I have to walk from the Hostel to Campus, which ...
Bijay's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
668 views

How can I greet people when I encounter someone searching for bottles in trash cans?

Often, when I bring out trash, I see homeless people (maybe not all of them are homeless, I'm not sure) searching for plastic bottles and other things in trash cans. Usually I greet neighbors and ...
lawful_neutral's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
1k views

Telling parents that it's okay if their child doesn't kiss me

I have cousins who both have children. Whenever we see each other, my cousins always told their children to "go kiss Ælis" but the children are sometimes reluctant to kiss me (which I can ...
Ael's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
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Handshake Etiquette when wearing a Bandaid

How should one behave in situations that require a handshake but are wearing a bandaid on their hand or one of their fingers? Many people will find it unhygienic or at least unpleasant to touch a ...
FictionStatsSoccer's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
293 views

How do you open/close a friendly personal message to somebody with a terminal illness? [closed]

Somebody I have a close but not entirely personal relationship with (think long time boss, landlord, doctor, etc.) was recently diagnosed with grade 3 brain cancer, ending their career. I sent them a ...
Jason C's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
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How to find out, if it is ok to hug (opposite sex)?

I am male and I regularly hug my good male and good female friends. At the very least when saying Hello and Goodbye. I have the feeling that is not uncommon here in Germany. Now, I have a a small ...
YesIDoLikeHugs123's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to avoid shaking hands?

I recently developed dyshidrosis, which makes my palms look disgusting. So I don't want to show my hands to anybody to see. People often do not looking at the hands when shaking, and this eczema ...
sean's user avatar
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8 votes
5 answers
1k views

When should one do "la bise" in France?

As a French woman with ASD, I often find myself struggling to know if I should do "la bise" (cheek-kiss) in greeting. In general, I don't like to do "la bise" for various reasons--one of them being ...
Ael's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
677 views

How would one greet a person on his/her birthday today, especially when his/her father died yesterday?

How would one greet a person on his/her birthday today, (at least some sort of greeting to acknowledge his/her birthday) especially when his/her father died yesterday. I am from Sri Lanka and he is ...
AMN's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
85 views

How to greet someone in a long corridor [duplicate]

Sometimes, as I am walking, for example, in a long corridor, I will randomly make eye contact from across the corridor with someone I know personally who is walking in the opposite direction. I want ...
OfficialQueensbridgeMurderers's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
342 views

Do people really care about handshakes? Is there statistics on it? [closed]

We're often told that a good handshake is important and makes for a strong first-impression. Personally, I don't think a handshake says anything about a person, other than the fact that they have a ...
rRheto's user avatar
  • 59
1 vote
3 answers
3k views

How do you greet people you barely know?

I often find myself in situations, where I'd love to greet someone that I barely know. For example: when I'm doing my workout routine in the gym, I see a person that I once helped to e.g. lift ...
user4139197's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
999 views

How to say hello without asking "how are you going?"

I try to say what I mean, and mean what I say. Sometimes I just want to say "Hi" or "Hello" without asking the person how they are going. I like to ask how they are or how they are going only when I ...
Tom Hale's user avatar
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2 votes
6 answers
508 views

How to interact with a senior colleague who does not reply to my greetings?

I went to my supervisor's office the other day to update him on my task status and I started by saying: Hello, Good Morning. He did not reply, kept on looking at his screen and drinking his ...
LAYMOONI's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to politely ask someone why they didn't say hi back?

I brought a family member over to my house. One of my roommates was home and my relative smiled at him, said hi and waved. He just stood there and stared without waving back. He definitely saw and ...
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-1 votes
3 answers
603 views

Etiquette question regarding conveying enthusiasm in email communications - used in academic settings

I have a friendly, close relationship with these professors - we are research collaborators and communicate daily. Our communication scope on emails is never personal, it's strictly about research ...
D.Hutchinson's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
776 views

What's the best way to talk to/meet a woman when you're an introvert who is nerdy/geeky type person? [closed]

Context: I am an introvert; I would classify myself as a creative problem solver with a love for art/math/science. Specifically drawing, computer programming, solving mathematical equations etc. My ...
jeffery's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
192 views

A birthday greeting [closed]

What could be a nice birthday message for someone I haven't talked to in a while? We were best friends at school, but, due to the course our lives took later (different colleges, less contact), we ...
stoic-santiago's user avatar
28 votes
7 answers
7k views

Greeting others as someone with clammy hands

As someone with clammy hands, I feel very self-conscious about shaking hands with others. I can't shake the thought of the other party being repulsed and have sometimes received comments on how clammy ...
BlueRidge's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is it considered rude to not shake hands when wishing a group of people Happy Christmas and the like? [closed]

At work I have a close circle of about ten people that I interact with frequently. Then there are some eight people I do greet on the aisle, but we do not work closely together. And then there is a ...
pat3d3r's user avatar
  • 193
63 votes
8 answers
17k views

How do I announce my presence to someone who is not aware of it without frightening them?

First of all, I'm not sneaking up on people on purpose. But it seems, that I'm quite Ninja-like in my movements and this has caused problems. People are immersed in something (e. g. computer, TV, ...
Anne Daunted GoFundMonica's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
6k views

Should I apologize for not acknowledging a colleague in office? [closed]

At my new office, I got to know a few people and among them is a woman ("Alice" for simplicity). I could call all of them acquaintances including Alice. I usually greet Alice outside of work, with ...
Bharath's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
932 views

How not to be rude when noticing people?

I wasn't sure how to word my question so let me explain what I mean. I currently work in a corporate setting where greeting and acknowledging people is important. It's awkward if you don't ...
Sherlock's user avatar
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54 votes
8 answers
20k views

How to politely receive someone when you don't know how to pronounce their name?

The situation is a one-on-one meeting with someone I have never met before. I don't know much about that guest, just their profession or connection to our organization, not even if they are from a ...
Anne Daunted GoFundMonica's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to quickly greet and identify visitors at work?

I work in a smaller startup (about 30 people). We rent an office space in an affluent neighborhood. The office has a very small (3ft x 3ft) "atrium" between the outer door and our office ...
Alex's user avatar
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5 votes
4 answers
20k views

Is it OK to stop saying hi to people that you have no interest in? [closed]

I got introduced to this person in my neighborhood by a friend, and for a couple of times I said hi to him out of politeness. He also does not have a very close relationship with my friend. I don't ...
Didami's user avatar
  • 279
3 votes
4 answers
265 views

How to remember names? [closed]

I am "working" in the local library team (about 20 members). I don't know why but it is very difficult for me to remember the names of the other members, even though I know some of them for more ...
Féileacán's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
752 views

Tactful way to explain that I have trouble recognizing faces?

I have mild developmental prosopagnosia. It is very difficult for me to recognize people, particularly if I have not seen them in a while, or if they're in a context I'm not expecting. If I have ...
Beofett's user avatar
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53 votes
7 answers
11k views

Why is a 'good' handshake important?

When preparing for job interviews in the past, my recruiters have told me to ensure that I greet the interviewer with a "good firm" handshake. Even so, outside of the work environment when I've ...
Bradley Wilson's user avatar
39 votes
9 answers
26k views

Why do men shake hands with each other but hug women?

I've noticed an oddly confusing greeting mismatch in the US that I wanted to understand. Unless men are very close friends or family, they tend to shake hands in greeting. When greeting a woman - even ...
Catija's user avatar
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20 votes
3 answers
3k views

How do I explain to family members that I don't like to be greeted with a kiss?

I have an Asian background, and I live in Australia. My husband is European, and at family gatherings, his family members tend to greet me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, which makes me ...
Fodder's user avatar
  • 2,467
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

What reply is expected to the query "How are you?"

This is closely related to the How to respond to "What's up?" post, but carries some different nuances. What is the best course of action when a casual acquaintance or work colleague ...
r m's user avatar
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33 votes
8 answers
108k views

How to respond to "What's up?" [closed]

Often when I start talking to people they say "What's up?". How do I respond to this? Should I say "What's up?" back? I typically can't think of any good response and usually settle with "hi" or "...
10 Replies's user avatar
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