A respectful person is someone who is able to treat others with honor and dignity. Respect does not mean you have to like everyone, and others might not treat you as they should. But even when you disagree with others or have to part ways, you can still treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Being respectful means you have good character.
Listen harder. We already know that proactive listening should be your first social skill. We know this because we love when people listen to us, so we find it safe to assume that other people love when we listen to them.
Be considerate. Once you’ve listened, it’s time to act accordingly. If there was anything about the person's tone of voice or body language that gave a hint as to how they were feeling, use that information in your interaction.
Keep your promise. By keeping your word to someone, you not only establish yourself as a person of integrity, but make the other person feel as though you value them.
Be on time. Another way to demonstrate that you value someone, is by treating their time as though it is valuable. Nothing says this better than being punctual.
Have manners. This is pretty simple. Do not interrupt a conversation, be polite and watch your ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. By showing manners towards someone, you make them feel valuable.
Encourage. Sometimes when we hear a silly idea, it’s easy to shoot down someone’s hopes and dreams, or otherwise make them feel unimportant. Genuinely encouraging someone could be very empowering and liberating.
Be fair. We often find ourselves in a position of power over someone else; to some extent. Having power enables the opportunity to be corrupt. Avoid corruption, give people what they earn-deserve, and they’ll appreciate it.
Go out of your way. You don’t have to always do the bare minimum. If you want to show someone that they’re valuable, and that you respect them, go the extra mile without expecting a reward.
Preserve dignity. When wronged, mistreated, or otherwise upset in some way handle the dispute with finesse. This means approaching the person in such a way as to preserve their dignity. The best way to handle it is via a calm and private conversation, as opposed to a public screaming match.
Do Not Assume. Don’t assume anything about a person. Start off each interaction by thinking and remembering you both are equal.
There are dozens if not hundreds of other ways to show people respect. However, the key to showing someone respect, is to show the person you are interacting with that they are valuable.