For today's youth, etiquette seems to be an ancient collection of rules that impedes communication. However, I would like to say a few words in his defense. Often, it is knowledge of these rules that avoids embarrassment in a conversation.
For example, do you know what to answer the question "How are you?" If we discard hackneyed phrases like "I haven’t yet given birth" and the like, nothing sensible comes to mind. But in etiquette, this situation is stipulated clearly and intelligibly. It is necessary to thank the person, because he showed interest in you, and confine himself to general phrases: “Not bad at all,” “Great,” “Great.” In this case, it is not customary to give answers that can be interpreted negatively. Thus, you draw attention to your problems. Hearing that you are doing “so-so,” a well-mannered person is simply obliged to ask what is wrong and how he can help. And he asked out of ordinary politeness, and to listen to a long story about your complex life was not part of his plans. Therefore, if you do not know what to answer the question “How are you?”, Take an example from the Americans and say “Everything is good.”
Of course, getting rid of common phrases from close friends or parents is not necessary. Well, they probably do not ask out of idle curiosity. But even in this case, you do not need to go into details. If the interlocutor is interested in the topic of conversation, he will certainly ask clarifying questions.
Today, many people prefer to get to know the Internet through messages. Most often, such attempts at communication begin with the phrase: "Hello. How are you?" In most cases, the question remains unanswered and the conversation cannot be started. What to hide, many girls are annoyed by such "verbosity" of the stronger sex, and they prefer to simply ignore such messages. However, often the young lady does not even know what to answer the question "How are you?" to a stranger.
Etiquette rules provide for such cases. After the words "Hello, thank you, I am doing well," ask the other person a similar question. This is enough to start a conversation.
The ingenious Russian people have long figured out how to answer the question "How are you?" Remember the sacramental "... the office writes," "it happened better."
These phrases are familiar to many of us and even seem quite acceptable. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the fact that with your friends you will begin to communicate in this way. If in your company it is customary to joke about and without, go for it. However, beware of using the same answer countless times. At best, you will be considered a person with a poor sense of humor.
Undoubtedly, such phrases are unacceptable in conversation with older or unfamiliar people, this can be regarded as rudeness. In this case, answering questions should be reserved and polite. Try to face the person. A smile will show your benevolence and disposition.
To the question "How are you?" The answers can be very different. But if you dream of the laurels of a great conversationalist, learn to speak less and listen more. This is especially true of communication with representatives of the opposite sex. Even such a trivial beginning of a conversation can be an impetus to an intimate conversation, and from it to a romantic relationship at hand. Therefore, if the first date begins with the phrase “Hello, how are you, how was your day?”, Answer in a nutshell and continue to develop the topic regarding the person you are talking to. Be interested in his story in every possible way, encourage, sometimes insert approving interjections or short phrases. This behavior will convince the vis-a-vis that you are not just a well-mannered person, but also smart enough. Note that all this will happen absolutely without any intellectual effort on your part.