I recently read the book “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct,” by P.M. Forni, Cofounder of the John Hopkins Civility Project. Dr. Forni, an award-winning professor at John Hopkins University, where he has taught for the past twenty years, is “a self-appointed manners maven” who teaches the rules of considerate conduct. In 2000, he founded The Civility Initiative at John Hopkins and over the years, has continued to teach courses on the theory and history of manners. His book, Choosing Civility, has sold more than 100,000 copies. P.M. Forni believes, “Civility is a form of goodness, it’s the basis of all ethics.” National and foreign publications that have mentioned his work include The New York Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and Forbes Magazine. In addition, Dr. Forni has appeared on a number of radio and television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Sunday Morning and BBC’s Outlook.
Lat week, I was fortunate to listen to Dr. Forni, as he was the guest speaker at an Etiquette Consultant’s meeting I attended. He spoke on the mitigating power of politeness. Dr. Forni, an eloquent speaker, sets out to imbue America with “gracious goodness.” In his book, Choosing Civility, he proclaims, “To live a long healthy and serene life, we need the crucial help of a network of caring people – we need social support.” He goes on to say, “In order to gain and keep social support, we need social skills.” Choosing Civility rediscovers and expounds the essential skills that allow us to live well among others. Dr. Forni believes being considerate to one another is the foundation for everything from the environment movement to women’s rights.
P.M. Forni is on a mission to promote gracious behavior. With Thanksgiving three days away, what a perfect time to join his mission. Read Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct, you will be “thankful” you did.
P. M. Forni’s book on civility is available for purchase online at these vendor web sites:
Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and WalMart.
Social Profilr
Follow me