The top 10 tips for Gen Z to improve their manners: Etiquette coach reveals the changes youngsters need to make to brush up on their social skills as parents and businesses increasingly turn to experts for help

Gen Z's manners and social skills are so poor that parents and businesses are increasingly calling on etiquette experts to whip them into shape.

A growing industry of coaches are coming forward to help young people learn how to hold a conversation, claiming they spend more time on their phones than is healthy, and struggle to talk to others in real life.

William Hanson, author and host of the podcast Help! I Sexted My Boss, has more than three million followers on Instagram, generating a huge audience for his personal etiquette tips. 

He uploads videos on how to eat politely - including egg and soldiers - and how to navigate various social situations.

It comes as Laura Windsor of The Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy told MailOnline  her top 10 tips for Gen Z to improve their manners.

Etiquette coach Laura Windsor has revealed her top 10 tips for Gen Z to improve their manners

Her list includes advice about respecting others, being culturally savvy, table manners, manners for public transport, asking questions, dressing appropriately and posture. The full list is below. 

Ms Windsor said parents are enrolling their children in her etiquette classes because their table manners are 'usually appalling' and often 'they are shy'.

She added that young people spending a lot of time on social media and on their phones means they don't practice normal conversation, and that Covid led them to become 'lazy', because they had two years without much contact with others.

The expert said: 'I find a lot of young people in a group round a table but all they do is converse with their phones. 

'It is all to do with practice. If they don't get enough practice in, interacting with others, how will they be 'fluent'? It's like learning a language, the more one practices the more fluent one becomes.'

Ms Windsor added:  'Covid greatly impacted on youngsters' social skills - they became lazy, they had survived two years of non-contact. 

'They have become more shy, more introverted and their parents want to bring them 'out' of their 'shell', one mother mentioned.'

Laura Akano, founder and principal coach at Polished Manners, said she is often contacted by parents who want her to work with their children on posture, table manners and conversation.

Gen Z are being signed up to etiquette classes by parents and businesses to help them with manners and basic social skills, like greeting people and making eye contact (Pictured: Etiquette coach William Hanson)

Gen Z being glooed to their phones is a factor in their poor social skills, coaches say

She said many young people 'don't have confidence in meeting people, greeting people, making eye contact, even having a conversation, because they often spend a lot of time on their devices'.

Laura Akano, founder and principal coach at Polished Manners, said she is often contacted by parents who want her to work with their children on posture, table manners and conversation.

Ms Akano said they 'generally can't be bothered or are just not used to communicating with people one-on-one or in a group situation'.

On the growing interest in etiquette classes, she said: 'I feel that it's mainly to do with just how society has become so relaxed.

'In a lot of scenarios, I think people seems to think 'I can do whatever I like and it doesn't matter, whatever the consequences'. There seems to be a lot of underlying issues that people don't want to respect others.'

This affects us all on a daily basis, she said, such as when people talk loudly on their phones or play a music out loud on public transport. 

Reflecting on her experience working with Gen Z, Ms Akano said: 'I could write a book on that!

'Usually when they arrive, they are not in the best moods. I remember one person in particular said: 'Ms Akano, I don't want to be here. I'm only here because my Mum says I have to be here.'

'Within an hour or two, everything was fine. But with teenagers in particular, you get that attitude in the first half an hour or an hour. Soon they see it's actually quite fun and relevant to their day to day lives.'

She recalled another boy, who was 'moody' all the way through, and his mother told her: 'It's not you, even at home he's like this.'

Meanwhile, businesses are investing more in teaching etiquette for the workplace: how to have meetings, take a client for a meal, do a presentation and how to respect your colleagues.

Ms Akano said it's a booming trend, particularly in the US, for businesses and universities to hire etiquette coaches to help those entering the workforce enhance their professional social skills.

Ms Windsor's social and business etiquette for young adults includes: 'How to meet and greet, first and lasting impressions, conversation starters, how to get out awkward situations, especially if someone asks you something you'd rather not talk about, formal greetings, how to introduce yourself and others appropriately, cross-cultural communication in this multi-cultural environment.'

Her classes for children include: 'Learning how to make friends and learn about the importance of being well-mannered, i.e. to make friends easily, get invited to parties, get along better with adults.'

Both children and young adults, she said, 'learn the importance of eye contact, saying hello, shaking hands, smiling, knowing the appropriate behaviour for everyday living, being more self-aware and understanding how their behaviour impacts others.'

Top 10 tips for Gen Z to improve their manners

Etiquette coach Laura Windsor says:

1. Exercise the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Treat someone online as you would speak with them face-to-face.

2. Be culturally savvy - what is considered polite in one culture may be considered rude in another. Adjust your communication style to the culture of the place you find yourself. There is no right or wrong, just different! 

3. Put your mobile device away when you are with others, especially at the table. If you are expecting an (urgent) call, let the people you are dining with know that you will need to step away from the table at some point. Social media and non-urgent calls can wait! 

4. When meeting people, greet them with eye contact, a smile, say your name and add 'nice to meet you.' Shake hands with an adult. Give them a firm grip.

 5. Don't come to the table and start eating straight away. Wait for everyone else and follow the cues of your mum, dad or your friend's parents if you are at someone else's house. Try and keep pace with the other diners. 

6. Learn to properly hold a knife and fork. They should not be held like pitchforks. Nor should you waive around your utensils while talking. In the Middle Ages, knives were not only used as eating utensils but also as weapons. If you waived your knife around, your fellow diner might have thought you were there to slit his throat instead.

7. Let people off the train first. Do not crowd around the exit so that people have to squeeze around you to get off. Stand either to the left or right of the doors, not in the middle. This etiquette applies for anyone who is exiting any enclosed or indoor space. 

8. Ask general and indirect questions, not personal ones, when meeting for the first time. Both adults and children should avoid questions such as 'Are you married?' 'Do you have kids?' or 'Where do you come from?' You have no idea what's going on in people's lives - for example, asking a woman whether she has kids could spark some uncomfortable emotions if she can't have them, or she's just had a miscarriage. Instead of saying 'Where do you come from?, because they have an accent, maybe ask 'Where's home for you?'. Allow others to decide how much or how little information they wish to share.

9. Young adults: dress appropriately. If you are going for a work interview, dress according to your industry. Wear clean and pressed clothes and remember to wear deodorant and polish your shoes! It's all in the details. If there are two candidates going for the same job, they both have excellent qualifications, and the same sort of experience, what is going to help them stand out? Great manners and personal presentation.

10. Mind your posture - your posture is part of body language; it shows your level of self-esteem and how you are feeling on any particular day. Slouching is also bad for your physical health and can give you problems later in life. Keep that spine nice and straight. Head parallel to the ground, shoulders back and rib cage up. Imagine a piece of string is attached to your head and someone is pulling that string upwards.

Overall, keep it positive, kind and respectful - towards others and for yourself.