The Importance of Greeting ... Such greeting can be so powerful that it can even turn your frown in to a smile and drastically put you in a good mood. Greeting is one of the basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. It helps us connect to people at a more personal level.A hello can make friends of two strangers, it can bring a smile to someone who is alone. A hello can change how we feel about a person, place and ourselves. Notice it when someone says it to you and say it back!
Why should we greet each other?
A very unusual question, isn’t it? Ever since we were born, we have been asked to say Good Morning or Good Evening to people, Good Night to our family when we sleep. We are asked to wish someone a happy birthday or Merry Christmas. The greetings are so ingrained in our minds that not many of us ponder over the question why should we greet each other?
Why should we greet each other?
To understand this, it is important for us to first know, how we feel when someone greets or wishes us.
- A hello
- Greetings start with a hello. Who would have known a small word like this can have a very big impact on someone’s life. A hello can make friends of two strangers, it can bring a smile to someone who is alone. A hello can change how we feel about a person, place and ourselves. Notice it when someone says it to you and say it back!
- Mornings and Evenings
- When someone says a good morning or a good night, even if our day wasn’t good, or hasn’t started well, it’s a wish hoping that the good is yet to come. And our mood automatically lightens up a bit. Not able to relate? Next time, wish someone a very good morning with a smile, see how it changes their day.
- Birthdays and Anniversaries
- When someone wishes us a happy birthday, we feel special. After all, we were born years ago on the very same day and knowing that we are a good person, it feels brilliant to know that people remember it too! It is kind of an acknowledgment of the fact that they are happy that we were born. Similarly, we feel blessed when someone wishes us happiness on our anniversaries, we feel cared for, don’t we?
- Festivals and events
- You remember how you trick or treat on Halloween and be merry on a Christmas? It is because festivals are when all of us come together to celebrate happiness that comes from each other, we celebrate one another and in turn celebrate life! When someone says a Happy Diwali to you, it means they wish happiness and prosperity for you.
All this and it brings us back to our question. Why do we greet each other? To make someone happy, to let our loved ones know that they are cared for, to let someone know that they are the best person we know, to make someone feel better and to wish lifelong prosperity from our hearts. The answer seems simple now, doesn’t it?
Why is it important to greet?
The Importance of Greeting Customers. ... Such greeting can be so powerful that it can even turn your frown in to a smile and drastically put you in a good mood. Greeting is one of the basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. It helps us connect to people at a more personal level.
When someone greets you and says, “Hello”, you will probably respond with your own greeting. Even in your worst mood, when someone greets you with a genuine smile and sincerity, most probably you will acknowledge the greeting and respond appropriately. Such greeting can be so powerful that it can even turn your frown in to a smile and drastically put you in a good mood.
Greeting is one of the basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. It helps us connect to people at a more personal level. Especially for strangers, greeting someone before initiating a conversation is a must if you don’t want to get a nasty stare or a negative response. A warm, genuine, and sincere greeting can cause even a stranger to open up, break down defensive walls, and be comfortable.
When you are introduced to a new acquaintance, your greeting will form part of that person’s first impression of you. How that person greets you will influence your first impression of that person.
If you are tasked to conduct a talk, your first 60 seconds will determine how you can influence your audience’s attention and interest. Within this first 60 seconds, your introduction includes your greeting and how you do this will set the mood and mindset of your audience throughout the entire duration.
It’s amazing how a simple and effortless gesture can have a huge impact and pay off immediately. It is also amazing how difficult it seems for businesses to consistently and appropriately implement this as part of their customer service practices. Whatever the reasons are, the fact remains that greeting customers is a MUST.
It is a common expectation and practice of courtesy that when a family member or a friend knocks on your door, you try to drop whatever you are doing as quickly as possible to get the door as soon as possible and warmly greet him/her. Is this a biased action because that person is special? Fair enough, but aren’t your customers also special?
Every customer wants to feel special and this is because they are special. Thus, should be treated special. No customer would want to feel ignored and should never be ignored. When a customer enters your store, they will expect to be acknowledged. They will expect to be greeted. They will expect to be assisted. They will expect the best experience in every visit to your store.
Customers don’t want to feel that they are just customers and their only purpose when they visit your store is to purchase your product. They don’t want to feel that they are just a part of your statistics. Ineffective greetings make them feel this way.
There are certain particulars that customers want when they are greeted. Aside from being friendly, below are the common characteristics.
a. First 10 seconds – Studies have shown that the first 10 seconds once customers enter the store can be a deciding factor if they will continue shopping at your store or step out in the next 10 seconds. Customers want to be acknowledged and greeted within the first 10 seconds. When customers are ignored, there’s a high probability that they will take their business to a competitor where they will be attended to immediately.
b. Eye Contact – Employees who greet customers while doing something might as well not do it. This is a very disrespectful behavior. Unless you’re assisting another customer, drop what you are doing, look the customer in the eye, and greet the customer.
c. Smile – A smile with a greeting may work in some extent, but a greeting without a smile only sends a message to your customers that it’s just a requirement. But a greeting with a smile is a prefect pair. However, you have to be careful because, believe it or not, customers can see through fake greetings and smiles. It’s no brainer that greetings and smiles are fueled by our emotions. The same emotions are felt by the recipient.
d. Use their name – People love to hear their names mentioned in businesses establishments. This doesn’t just make them feel special, but it also gives them a sense of “belonging”. Make an effort to note down customer names and their usual purchases. By doing so, your customers will feel that you care enough and value them to know something about them. Greeting customers by name develops a more personal store-customer relationship. If you do not know the name of the customer yet or forgot it, you can get away from it for now, but make the customer feel that you recognize him/her by saying something like, “Hi, it’s nice to see you again.” or “Hi, welcome back.”
e. Personalize – Don’t use the same canned greeting for each customer. Be observant. Use any visual, verbal, or olfactory cues from the customer to personalize your greeting. A customer who steps in your store who looks tired, panting, and sweaty will not appreciate a simple, “Good day, how can I help you?” It’s quite obvious that this customer is not having a good day and is feeling uncomfortable. A better greeting would be, “It’s indeed hot outside. Would you want to take a seat for a moment and a glass of water?” This skill is may be difficult to attain, but with enough experience and proper training, it can become 2nd nature.
f. Introduce yourself – Though not a necessity especially if employees wear name tags, it never hurts for employees to introduce themselves especially for new customers. This further makes the conversation more personal.
g. Give space – Never go past the personal space of the customer. This will make them uncomfortable. Stop when you’re at least three feet away from the customer.
h. Be genuine and Sincere – Being genuine and sincere when you greet customers can either positively enhance the customer’s experience or turn them off. Being genuine and sincere is what makes a greeting warm and heartfelt. Just like fake smiles and greetings, customers can also feel if you are genuine and sincere with your greeting. This is a decision. This is either a Yes or No. It is either you’re genuine and sincere or not. There’s no in between.
When customers perceive your store have a friendly environment that makes them feel special, important, valued, and gives them a sense of belonging, expect these customers always wanting to come back to your store.
Is Good Morning a greeting?
There are times of day when there is no really appropriate " Good ..." -- for example, Good morning is not appropriate if you join your friends in a nightclub at 12:30 am, but neither is Good evening. One occasional exception to those rules is that " Good morning" is often used ironically.
What is a formal greeting?
Basically, a formal greeting is a clear, properly-constructed sentence and uses the full words. "Hi" is short for "hello", so that's informal. Avoid shortening words, and avoid slang of course. Informal: Hi, I'm Amir.
What does it mean when you say good morning?
Good morning is defined as a polite greeting or farewell that you say to someone in the early hours of the day. Good morning is an example of something you say to someone when you see him for the first time at 9 AM.
How do you greet someone?
Tips
- Always have a smile and speak clearly. ...
- If you don't know the person's name, say, "nice to meet you" or, "nice to see you again.”
- If you are greeting an adult, smile politely and say hello.
- Or, you can ask them politely, by saying, "It is good to see you again; unfortunately, I have forgotten your name."
How to Greet Someone
Whether at school, with friends, or in business, greeting people is an everyday occurrence and is an important skill to master. Here are some easy steps on how to greet the people you meet in a sincere and open way.
Informally, to Somebody You Don't Know
- Approach the person. It is important to walk confidently. Sneaking up is kind of creepy, and it may come off as stalking.
- Make eye contact before greeting. When you've established eye contact approach and say something simple, like "Hi, How are you?".
- Keep it simple. try not to ask about too personal things such as past relationships, loves ones passing away, or emotional topics.
- Wait until they acknowledge you. When they say "hi" back to you, smile and introduce yourself.
- You might also add how you know them, or how they might know you. For example, "Hi, I'm Johnny. We were in film class together last semester." This helps avoid embarrassing situations or that awkward silence when they don't remember you.
- Start a conversation. Presumably you would like to get to know this person to whom you've just introduced yourself. If you have something in common, talk about that. You could say, "Are you still a fan of Richard Linklater," or "I'd love to talk with you for a few minutes, why don't we get out of this hailstorm!"
- Follow their lead. If they look at you strangely and hurry away, don't chase them. Not only is it kind of creepy, it could get you into trouble. If they smile and start talking with you, congratulations, you've successfully greeted somebody and made a new friend, too!
Formally, By Way of Introduction
- Mind your manners. The polite way of greeting somebody you have just been introduced to is to say, "Good evening, Jessi. It is nice to meet you."
- Offer to shake their hand, and when accepted, use a firm but not crushing grip.
- Ask, "How are you?" This helps break the ice, and gives them an opportunity to greet you as well. Just remember that invariably, when asked how they are doing, people will say "fine" no matter what's going on in their lives for real. Be prepared to move on to the next topic. Notice something about them, what they're wearing, or if your host has indicated what your new acquaintance does, talk about that.
- Find small talk topics to get started. To continue the conversation, you can also make small talk about the weather, family, how far you traveled, where a good spot for lunch might be, and other topics of general interest. Don't try to impress. Simply be affable, personable, and approachable. Keep it simple.
- Be aware. If the person you are talking to is constantly looking over their shoulder, or checking their watch, it's a pretty good sign they're not interested in the conversation. Gracefully excuse yourself, and go refresh your drink.
Formally, By Way of Introduction in a Business Setting
- Be confident. Greet your new acquaintance in a friendly but professional manner.
- Be aware of hierarchy. If you are greeting a colleague or peer, you can be more informal. "Hi, Dan, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard great things about you, and am looking forward to working with you."
- If you are meeting somebody much higher up in the food chain or an honoured and respected member of the community, consider an honorific rather than their first name. "Hi, Mr. Campbell. It's a pleasure to meet you," is much more professional and will make a much better lasting impression than saying, "Hi, Bill. How's it hangin'?"
- Consider greeting somebody at a much more junior level than you, in the same way. "Hello, Mr. Crawford. It's a pleasure to meet you," carries with it the expectation that they will keep a professional attitude in their dealings with you.
- Speak briefly about the business at hand, and move on. Nobody likes being pigeon-holed into a conversation they can't get out of, and it's especially important in a business setting. You don't want to have the reputation of somebody that doesn't know when to be quiet!
What is the meaning of formal greeting?
a. Characterized by strict or meticulous observation of forms; methodical: very formal in their business transactions. b. Stiffly ceremonious: a formal greeting. Characterized by technical or polysyllabic vocabulary, complex sentence structure, and explicit transitions; not colloquial or informal: formal discourse.
So, here are some of the reasons to give "good morning" a try:
1. It's basic manners
Let's be honest, saying hello to people is just a courtesy - one you should have learned at nursery. Greetings should be as basic as "please" and "thank you" in our daily lives, Rosen argues. "These two little words also go a long way towards improving communication and the overall atmosphere," he says.
2. It humanises coworkers
You spend a lot of your time at work, so why not get to know those around you? Rather than seeing your coworkers as other cogs in the machine, get to know them as people, even if it's just for a few seconds in the morning. You might like them more than you think.
3. It creates a more democratic environment
If everyone from the bottom all the way up to the CEO says hello to each other, it gives the impression of a more equal workplace where everyone is valued.
4. It's quick
Even if the idea fills you with dread, saying hello only takes a couple of seconds, at most. If it's really that painful, it might signal a bigger issue.
5. It's free
It also won't cost you anything to give it a try.
6. You might get noticed yourself
Everyone wants to be recognised for the good things we do in our careers. Saying hello to people might get you noticed, and you might then get the recognition you deserve once people actually know who you are.
7. It reduces awkwardness
If you have to talk to someone later on in the day, it is significantly less awkward if you've already said hi when they walked in. Better communication leads to better work arrangements, and you might find a whole load of benefits to getting to know people better.
8. You might cheer someone up
Don't feel so arrogant that you might completely make someone's day, but we all appreciate a smile and a greeting now and then. This is especially true if we're having a rubbish day.
Sommers writes that the biggest obstacle people face with trying to form friendships is the fact we assume people aren't interested. In reality, almost everyone wants to interact with people from all walks of life. Saying hello, Sommers says, is a simple way of starting to break down these barriers.
The Importance of Greeting ... Such greeting can be so powerful that it can even turn your frown in to a smile and drastically put you in a good mood. Greeting is one of the basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. It helps us connect to people at a more personal level.
