We had the opportunity to spend Tuesday evening with Marie Hornback, owner of . Marie offered information, tips, and tricks teaching us basics of etiquette when dining formally in the context of a business dinner and attending a cocktail hour. Information ranged from how to take your seat (there is a right way to do that?!), which utensil to use when, and even how to eat bread. I was surprised at how much I learned from this (what do you mean I鈥檝e been holding my fork wrong for 30 years?) and I was curious what my classmates thought. Here are some key takeaways from the 2018 and 2019 cohorts:
鈥淵ou should always sit down and get up from the right side of the chair.鈥�
鈥淣ever put used silverware back on the table.听 Always prop it up on an unused item, place on a napkin, or leave it on your plate.鈥�
鈥淥ffer to the left, pass to the right, but use your common sense.鈥�
鈥淣ever use a butter spreader (aka butter knife) to cut a roll.听 You should break off bite size pieces and then spread the butter with the spreader on each individual piece.鈥�
鈥淵ou should spoon your soup away from you.鈥�
鈥淣ever blow on your soup or slurp it.鈥�
鈥淲hen you have multiple utensils always work from the outside in.鈥澨�
鈥淟ook into your glass as you drink or else it is pretty creepy looking.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know you offer (bread/water) to the person on the left and then pass to the right.听 That鈥檚 useful!鈥�
鈥淣ever separate salt and pepper!鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 an animal that should never have been let out in public鈥�
听鈥淲hen you enter a networking/cocktail hour event, you should make an entrance; stand to the side of the door and scan the room for friendly faces, allowing yourself to be seen as well.听 This way you come across as more confident as well as narrow in on who you want to connect with.鈥�
鈥淎t a networking event you should never approach a pair of people already talking, always look for solos or groups of three or more.鈥�
听鈥淚t was useful to learn we should always have our right hand free during cocktail hours which means either choosing food or drink, but not both at the same time. Also, we should eat quickly on our own if we need to and then return to connecting with people.鈥�
