Etiquette
Style and grace will boost your
competitive edge.
Know the guidelines!
What is Etiquette?
 A set of rules that govern the expectations of social and
dining behavior in a workplace, group or society.
 Table manners are visible signs that you are a polished
and knowledgeable professional.
 Displaying manners is an act of kindness and respect to
your fellow human beings.
The Basics
• Good Manners come from the inside and do
not change
• Etiquette Rules come from the outside & are
always changing
• Knowing the ”rules” is essential because it
puts you in the position of knowing when it’s
appropriate to bend them.
• A persons feelings are
always more important
than
strictly adhering to the
rules.
Meet and Greet
The Handshake
• Firm but don’t crush anyone’s bones
• Hold for 3-4 seconds
The proper shake ...
Involves eye contact
Is firm but painless
Lasts about three seconds
Takes only two or three pumps
Starts and stops crisply
Doesn't continue through the entire introduction
Begin with your fingers together and your thumb
up.
Shake hands web to web, with a firm but not
crushing grip.
Keep your fingers together and your thumb up.
Slide the web of your hand all the way to the
web of the other person's hand. Otherwise, he
or she ends up shaking hands with your fingers.
Also, shaking web to web effectively prevents
the other person, no matter how strong, from
crunching your knuckles.
Never
offer only your fingertips, causing a weak, limp handshake.
The Art of Introducing People
The Art of Introducing People
• Make sure you do it even if you forget names, get
confused, etc.
• Explain who people are
“Mr. Smith, I would like to present my daughter
Cindy. Cindy this is Mr. Smith, the President of our
company.”
Always stand.
More Examples of Introductions
 “Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I would like to introduce
to you a fellow executive from Salisbury
University, John J. Seagull. John, this is Mr.
and Mrs. Johnson, good friends of my parents.”
 When introducing a stranger to your group, you
should interrupt the group and welcome the
new member
Names?
• If you can not remember, admit your lapse
• If you can remember other aspects about
the person, talk about those first
• If other people have forgotten your name,
don’t make them suffer. Tell them.
• If you have to stop and think if you should
use a person’s first -- don’t!
• Younger person should wait for the ok
from an older person to use a first name
Cell Phone Etiquette
Use common sense
Respect those who share the space around you
Many establishments are now setting rules
Use the vibrate option when in close setting
Be discreet and consider time as a factor-don’t
draw out a conversation when talking to
someone else
Etiquette Points
Use “please” and “thank-you” and always be polite to
the wait staff.
Remember: the main point of the cocktail party/meal is
the social experience or the interview, not the food.
Always send a thank-you note for the interview and the
meal.
Smile!
Smile- it is the ultimate
gesture understood by
all!
Dress for Success
Don’t Wear This!
Wear This
Dining Etiquette
Keep these in mind:
– Why are you there?
– What is your priority?
– Is the booze worth the risk
your opportunity?
of blowing
Dining Etiquette
• Should begin the minute you walk into a
dining event
• Should emphasize people and interaction
rather than the food itself
• Should make a favorable impression
• Reflects on the company you represent – or
your competency as a business person
What stuff is mine?
•Solids to the left – Liquids to the right
– “b”read and “d”rink
•Pick up silverware from the outside in – toward your
plate
Napkin Use
• Place your napkin on lap after
every-one has been seated.
• Fold your napkin in half with
crease toward you.
• Use your napkin as necessary.
• Place your napkin on left side of
plate or on your chair when
temporarily leaving table.
• Leave napkin in lap until
everyone is finished.
Starting

Start only when everyone every one
else has been served. Buffets are the
exception
• Offer to others to begin eating if your food is the
only order not yet served
• Always offer to pass bread, salt and pepper, butter
and other condiments nearest you
Passing Food
• Pass Food -If it is in front of you
• Pass to the right. (Counter clockwise)
• Pass salt and Pepper TOGETHER
– Don’t salt your food before you taste it-shows you
make hasty decisions
Managing Bread and Rolls
•Do not serve yourself bread
•Pick it up and offer it to the person on
your left, then serve yourself and pass to
the right
•Put butter first on your plate, not directly
onto your bread. Butter wrappers•Eat rolls by tearing off bite size pieces
and buttering only one piece at a time.
Mopping up-NOOOO
Managing Soup-How to eat
• Hold spoon with thumb across the top of the
handle.
• Take soup spoon AWAY from you rather than
toward you.
• Sip from the side of the spoon, not front.
• To get the last bit of soup,
tilt the bowl away from you
…the Tug boat goes out
• PLEASE, Do not blow
Managing Soup & Crackers
Placing crackers:
– in soup when home alone with
blinds closed
– Except: oyster crackers placed in
chowder
– other crackers should be eaten
with soup--not IN soup
No, No’s
• Don’t push your plate or chair away unless you
are getting up from the table
 Don’t rearrange or stack your dirty dishes
 Never tilt your chair
 Don’t ask people where they are going when they
get up from the table
 If you belch, excuse your self to no one particular
 Don’t chew ice or other inedible parts of the meal
Yes, Yes’s
• Need to get something out of your mouthuse your tongue & fork
• When in doubt, use a utensil rather than your
fingers
• Hair in your food- don’t spoil someone else’s
meal by talking about it
• Food in teeth, blow nose, rearrange hair- go
to the restroom
• Food in someone else’s teeth- let it go if you
can not be completely subtle
• Don’t like your meal- who cares- tell the host
you do!
Words to the Wise
Nothing that touched your mouth should
ever directly touch the table
If you spill something don’t make a big
deal about it- offer to pay for cleaning
If you decide to pass on food being
offered, simply say “No Thanks”- no
explanation is needed
Learn to try new foods when you have
the opportunity- you may be
confronted with unfamiliar choices in
the future
When You Are Finished
• Lay your fork and knife (sharp side of knife
inward), at the 4:00/10:00 position.
• Leave plate where it is – don’t push it away.
• Used napkin goes next to your plate,
not on top of the plate.
• Do not ask for a doggy bag or a
toothpick.
Ready, Set…. Drink
Ordering Alcohol– When in the company of strangers, follow
the lead of the host if it is appropriate or not
to order
Wine– White Wine glasses are held by the stem, as
not to diminish the chill
– Red Wine glasses are help by the bowl, the
warmth of the hand release the bouquet
Sugar Packets– Limit the number of packets used
– Place trash under saucer or tucked under
placement
Going Through Doors
Our grandparents were taught that ladies should
always walk through the door first-not so in today’s
workplace
Whoever arrives at the door first, should open it for
the other person
However, younger executives should defer to older,
senior executives and get to the door first to hold it
open