No matter how old you are, good manners will always be useful. If you know how to behave and what to say or when to say nothing at all, you will have few problems in your future job or at university.

When you meet new people, smile at them and be ready to shake their hands. Make an effort to remember new names. If you see these people again, always say hello, even if you’ve had a bad morning. It’s not their fault, is it?

Make sure that you don’t put your hands to your mouth or bite your nails. This isn’t hygienic and will be seen as bad manners. When talking to someone, don’t play with your hair or swing on your chair. Sometimes you might do it without thinking. Adults won’t tell you about it, but they’ll probably think that your manners are poor.

When you bring lunch to school or the workplace, remember to check if it doesn’t smell too strongly when you heat it in a microwave oven. Fish or aromatic spices may be unpleasant to some people. Also, avoid bringing salads with garlic sauce or burgers with fresh onion. What you eat shouldn't bother others.

If someone tells you about their private life, mentions weekend plans or a friend’s name, do your best to remember these pieces of information. Next time you talk to this person, refer to the things you know and ask a few questions. It will show the other person that you care for them and will help you to get on well with them in the future.

No one likes to be kept waiting. Remember to be on time. It shows you respect other people and their schedules. If something happens on your way to school or college, let others know you might be late. You would want to know about such things if you were the one waiting for someone, wouldn’t you?

It often happens that people don’t agree with you. Sometimes you are the one who has a completely different opinion. Always remember to let others explain what they mean before saying you don’t agree with their ideas. Use polite words, be calm and don’t shout at people. You don’t have to agree, but you should respect other people and their opinions.

Make sure you don’t talk about others behind their backs even if they make you angry. Time moves on and in the future someone can tell others what you said about them before. It might cause you problems and you may lose people’s trust.

You should also remember about politeness and good manners when you are online. If you post a photo from a party and use bad language below, someone can copy it and post it again, even many years later. There are people who lost their jobs because they did stupid things as teenagers and put it online. Always think twice before you click to publish a comment.

Knowing and using good manners will help you meet new people and keep friends. You’ll be seen as a friendly person and if you need help, others will be there for you. Say ‘hello’,’thank you’ and ‘please’. Smile back at people and you’ll see that politeness helps having better relations with others.