When is it OK to call people by their first names?

When is it OK to call people by their first names?

Norine Dresser (Writer) gives expert video advice on: When is it OK to call people by their first names?; Why should I be careful about complimenting babies? and more...

It's better not to call people by their first names unless you know them quite well. Air on the side of formality. In Asian cultures and in Middle Eastern cultures when you address someone you make known the relationship. There was a Chinese girl and her boyfriend was from Hong Kong and so was she, but she had forgotten all about it, and there was a dinner that she was invited to, to meet all the family and his family was very offended because she called Paul's sister by her first name, Christine, and she should have said Paul's sister. And we go Auntie, everybody's Auntie. In many cultures that's always a safe title. Once my daughter had a friend who was Palestinian, and when she called here she would always call on the phone and say Hello Amy's mother, and I thought gosh she doesn't even know my name. I really had such a negative view of her, but she was being polite. She was describing the relationships and that's very commonplace in Asian cultures.