The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure. MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE, ESSAYS, 1588 Today the world is a smaller place. Exotic ports and distant places are only hours away. Electronic communication, mass media, global travel, and international trade expose us to cross-cultural table manners where food may be [...]
When you stop to reflect, you can see the logic in the importance to others of your own table manners. Whenever people sitting at your table or even near you glance in your direction, they can’t help but notice how you are handling yourself during the course of a meal. If your table manners are [...]
Cell phones have a place in today’s business world. But that place is when you are alone – such as when you’re walking or riding in a cab. If you’re using your cell phone anywhere in public, such as on a train or in a mall, find a secluded corner to converse away from others. Respect [...]
With the new flexibility in the workday, business isn’t restricted to the office or the restaurant anymore. The contemporary world has as many venues for business as it does activities that colleagues and associates can share. Whether you and your best client are avid ice climbers or fanatical golfers, at some point in your career [...]
As a salesperson, your primary objective is to gain your customer’s trust. Touch can be a useful tool in building and solidifying that trust. Here are a few useful suggestions about when to touch – and when to absolutely not touch – a customer. Touch them “accidentally”. One study done on librarians showed that when [...]
Protocol School of Washington Press Release: New York, May 27, 2011 – A recent survey of more than 500 human resources and business professionals found half of all college grads don’t exhibit professionalism at work and executives don’t expect any change in the near future. No surprise to Pamela Eyring, President of The Protocol School [...]
Most table settings include salt and pepper shakers or grinders. At formal meals, you’ll see individual salt and pepper dishes with tiny spoons. WARNING! In some situations, where there is no salt or pepper on the table, do not ask for any salt; this is considered an insult to the chef. It is fine to [...]
by John Sedgwick Tired of being thanked “for your patience” and told to “have a nice day?” Perhaps it’s time for a refresher on speaking from the heart. When my Internet service went down the other day, I knew the drill. Call customer service; be put on endless hold while a recorded voice repeatedly apologizes [...]
To ignore a request from the parents, or even to “pass the buck” to another sibling, when there’s a chore to be done, an errand to be run, a favor to be granted. To be someone who cannot keep a secret who is the family “snitch.” To go through a family member’s mail or listen [...]
Some observers believe that the Internet has been a great democratizer because it has made great volumes of information available to everyone who has access to a computer and modem. People who have never left their hometowns can take virtual tours of the Louvre or travel anywhere in the world by using Google Earth. But [...]