How to Properly Address People in Formal Situations

May it be in a letter or an email, an in person encounter or at a formal event in a speech, there is an acceptable manner in which to address people based on their rank, designation, role in that specific instance and other social factors.

Here is a quick look at a few important ones which might save you from awkward situations and scrapes.

The Misses and the Misters
First up – the right way to address someone when referring to them as Mr. or Ms. is by their surname and not by their first name. Mr. or Ms. followed by say Tom or Elizabeth is informal and possibly not the sought after option to address anyone. Instead, it should be ‘Mr. Cruise’ or ‘Ms. Bennet’. This is by far, the most common acknowledgment that would need to be done.

All of the Kings and Queens
If ever you need to address royalty, remember, the King/ Queen is referred to as and addressed as ‘Majesty’, while the Price/Princess is referred to as ‘Royal Highness’.

The Statesmen
Presidents/ heads of state and ambassadors receive the same respect as ‘Excellency’, while other persons with political and diplomatic positions can be referred to as ‘Mr. or Ms.’.
Effectively, you would refer to the President of a country as ‘His/ Her Excellency’ and in person, you would say ‘Your Excellency’ when addressing him or her.

The Sacred Leaders
Religious leaders need to be addressed by the position they hold such as ‘Father’ or ‘Imam’. However, the Pope is referred to as ‘Holiness’.

If in doubt and are struggling when composing a speech or drafting a letter, reach out to fullofetiquette@gmail.com and let’s crack the code together.