One of the social kills that is close to extinction or almost lost in modern day society is knowing how to greet.
People today walk into places and just go past you like no one is there. Imagine you hold a door open for someone and the person could not even acknowledge you as they go past. First impressions count.
It is sad especially that we do not feel the need to teach our kids how to greet and sometimes feel we are asking too much of the young ones by asking them to open their mouths to say hello to others. This kids are the ones who end up tomorrow in work places and public spaces and if not taught, they will not realise that they lack skills that can give them that 25 percent start in life.
A child taught to greet develops social skills and manners and the way you greet and respond to others could set the tone for the way we socially interact and this will affect how we make friends or even find the child finds his/her way in life when the child eventually leaves home.
How we present ourselves tells how well mannered we are. It's an important skill to teach a child for the adult years. Children not properly thought this skill will be unsure and uncomfortable around people even sometimes family members so its important to teach a child early in his/her life.
Its important to realise that parents are responsible to implant this skill in our kids and the are not expected to know what to do. We need to teach them what to say, tell them how important it is to make eye contact and when to shake hands, when to stand up e.t.c.
One of the reasons greeting is important in the African context is that it gives people a first impression of a person. Greetings are ice breakers which help a person to not only communicate positively but also gives an impression of sincerity, professionalism and confidence. Also, it is difficult to get a second shot at creating a good first impression. But its not just an African thing, it is just the right thing to do.
Greeting helps to trigger positive conversations and it is a basic function for communicating. Saying hello can bring a smile to the face of the person the greeting is directed at and even at times, it can change the way we feel about a person or even oneself. To make a good first impression, when greeting, we should smile and make eye contact with the person or people the greeting is directed at. Greeting does not only act as an ice breaker but also eases negative feelings the recipient might have been having prior to being greeted.
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