Before you head off along a pavement today, a quiet word – you’ve been walking along pavements all wrong.
A ludicrous notion? Well, according to etiquette guru William Hanson’s book, Just Good Manners, you’ve been walking in the wrong group formations, failing to give way and, what’s more, failing to operate pedestrian crossings in a suitable manner.
Scandalous.
But fear not, because William, a veritable Merlin of manners, has all the necessary guidance to ensure that the next time you walk along a pavement, you don’t make a fool of yourself.
NO PAVEMENT PARTIES
Do not treat the great British pavement as your own personal party space.
William says: ‘When in public, on a pavement or otherwise, Brits do not like loud, disruptive displays of bacchanalia [revelry]. The pavement is a public, shared space, and anything that makes others assume you are not playing the game of considering those around you will irritate them.’
GROUP FORMATIONS
William Hanson has revealed how to walk correctly along a pavement in his new book, Just Good Manners
William, above, says: ‘‘When in public, on a pavement or otherwise, Brits do not like loud, disruptive displays of bacchanalia’
Avoid blocking pavements with overly wide group formations, the duke of decorum advises.
He writes: ‘When in large groups, do not walk in a horizontal line, blocking the passage of others. Instead, shatter into smaller groups of two or three if it’s a wide pavement – and carry on walking.
‘If there are many other people heading straight towards you and the pavement is too narrow to fit you all in, it is polite to stop and let the other people pass.’
ALWAYS GIVE WAY
Always assume those coming the other way are more important than you, stresses the emperor of etiquette.
He explains: ‘Automatically assuming [those coming the other way] are more important than you is healthy, and a good way to lead a mannerly life. Hopefully they stop for you, too, leading to both polite parties giving small chuckles as to how courteous you have all been and how you have succeeded as humans.’
William’s new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out now
WEAVING
Do walk in a straight line, says William, ‘rather than slaloming around, getting in everyone’s way’.
PRESS THE BUTTON!
William includes in his tome a ‘note for visitors to Britain’, which is this: ‘When at a pedestrian crossing you will be standing there an awfully long time if you have not pressed the button to cross.’
WALKING ON THE OUTSIDE
‘If you know the person you are with will like your supposed protection, position yourself on the outside of the pavement,’ says William, who explains that this rule goes back to a time when gentlemen were expected to protect women from splashes from passing stagecoaches.
He adds: ‘With a shift in gender norms and expectations, this rule can be used in moderation and depends on your company.’
For more from Mr Hanson visit his TikTok and Instagram profiles.
Just Good Manners – A Quintessential Guide to Courtesy, Charm, Grace and Decorum (Penguin Random House), is out now. It is billed as ‘a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette’.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .