Pubic Etiquette | Tiffany Nielsen

I don’t know what your mamma said about how you are supposed act in public, but I’m guessing, like my mom, she set good boundaries for how to behave appropriately. My mom’s intentions were never to stifle me from having fun and they helped set me up for success by reminding me that I share the public space; it isn’t mine alone.

I’m fairly confident that most of us would like our guests and kids to keep their feet off the coffee table. So, here’s my sales pitch for reminding people to avoid this sticky, yet often committed faux pas: Just imagine for a few seconds where your feet have been today. What icky, gooey mess did you drag onto your shoes while moving from one place to the next? Now that you have a visual of the potential germs attached to the bottom of your shoes, do we really have any business depositing them on a coffee table or other furniture?

Sprawled across a coffee table at the American Airlines Admirals Club, the man in the photo looks right at home. When I received this picture from my cousin saying “You need to blog this. Feet on the table at the Admirals Club?” I thought to myself, ewwwwww!

You get the drift by now that propping feet up on a coffee table is a big no-no. Who wants to set food and drink, or a laptop for that matter which eventually ends up on your lap or desk, on a table smothered with germs?

It comes down to common sense, this public etiquette stuff. How we act at home can sometimes be different in public. If you like to rest your feet on your coffee table, all power to you. However, kindly refrain from doing so in public places. It grosses people out.

Tiffany Nielsen is a motivational speaker, trainer and President of Premier Etiquette. She is co-author of the dynamic books, The Power of Civility and Incredible Business. Visit her website at http://www.tiffanynielsen.com/ to learn more about how you can thrive socially and professionally!