You Should Stop Making These Social Etiquette Mistakes at Age 30

Not Making Eye Contact

While it’s always uncomfortable to feel like someone’s peering into your soul when you’re trying to have a casual conversation, avoiding it altogether is also quite the etiquette no-no. “Making eye contact when you’re having a conversation with another person shows respect for that other person and shows that you have confidence,” says Napier-Fitzpatrick.

So, how much time should we be spending looking at the person we’re talking to? “We should make it 40 to 60 percent of the time when we’re talking to someone,” she recommends. “It makes you a better listening and it shows that you’re interested in what the other person is saying.”