I was watching two little boys play yesterday, taking turns jumping off of a bench, and I hear “Get out of my way” from one to the other. Well, that wasn’t very nice.
I called that little boy over and said, “Okay, I’m going to say the same thing to you in two different ways and I want you tell me which one sounds nicer. ‘Get out of my way’ or ‘Excuse me, please’. Now, you tell me which one sounds nicer.” Little boy responds, “Excuse me, please.” It didn’t take him long to decide, either. And he’s four.
When they went back to playing the other little boy kept getting in the way, and I heard “Excuse me, please” about a half a dozen more times. The other would still move, but the outcome was the same as if he’d said “Get out of my way”. It was just a nicer way to do it.
Moving into adulthood, the same concept applies. Why demand something of someone you could request as a favor? Most of the time, people are happy to do for us what we present in a respectful way and they’re more willing to oblige when they’re asked rather than when they’re instructed.
Deeper Than a Puddle 