8 old-fashioned manners you can comfortably leave behind

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Mind your manners.

Is chivalry dead?

Well, it's been deceased for a while, in the sense that we as a society no longer require a code to dissuade knights from harassing peasants (for the most part).

But what about good, old-fashioned manners?

The thing is, etiquette isn't etched in stone. Social mores change over time. So some manners that would've been acceptable a few decades ago might make you look out-of-touch in a contemporary setting.

To find out which manners we can drop without appearing rude, Business Insider spoke with business communications expert, speaker, and "The Communication Clinic: 99 Proven Cures for the Most Common Business Mistakes" author Barbara Pachter.

She says that the majority of outdated customs stem from one thing: gender.

"Many of the ways that men and women interact in today's business world are different, as gender has been put aside in favor of professional standing or whether one is the host or visitor," Pachter says.

Pachter says that people sometimes behave differently in their personal life. That's up to you, but in a business environment, it's probably time to modernize your etiquette outlook.

Basically, be courteous to everyone, and consider letting go of some of these old-fashioned manners in your professional life: