Posts by Arden
Make Kindness Your New Year’s Resolution
I recently wrapped up my 14 week kindness “class”. This class was offered to the general public by the Puget Sound Community School, a private school in Seattle for 11 to 18 year olds. The school founder, Andy Smallman, created the class “to start ripples of kindness that will be felt in far away places,…
Read MoreIs Chivalry Still Appropriate Today?
I’ve been asked to teach a kid’s etiquette class to both boys and girls. As I’ve been putting together the curriculum, I had to pause when it came to teaching appropriate behavior for boys for treating girls and women in this modern day. I wondered should men still be expected to open the door for a woman,…
Read MoreEtiquette Questions and Faux Pas
When you are an etiquette consultant people love to either share with you their etiquette horror stories or ask for etiquette advice. I love that my friends and business associates want to tell me their stories and trust me for advice. I thought it would be fun to feature some of the etiquette faux pas and…
Read MoreThe Six Biggest Mistakes Employees Make at the Company Holiday Party
It’s that time of year when businesses host their annual holiday party. The corporate event can be a wonderful time to make and strengthen connections, or leave you disgraced and possibly fired for your lack of good judgment. Avoid these six pitfalls to steer clear of the latter. Dressing Inappropriately Follow the attire description on…
Read MoreDon’t Go There: Taboo Topics in Business
I just attended a small business roundtable group which serves as a forum for entrepreneurs seeking business advice and mentoring. The facilitator couldn’t be there so we were on our own to lead the discussion with a couple of suggested topics. Unfortunately that led to trouble. We started out talking about economic projections but a…
Read MoreKeeping the Giving in Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is almost here, and with the holiday comes etiquette challenges. Make your Thanksgiving a happy occasion by following these tips. Approach Thanksgiving with a giving heart While you may not look forward to seeing loud Uncle Ernie or crazy Cousin Sally this is a time to be gracious and kind even to those who…
Read MoreHow Not To Do Sales
I just experienced a perfect example of how not to do sales. Someone I met at a networking event followed up with me by leaving a voicemail message marked urgent. He said he wanted to talk. Didn’t say why he was calling but wanted me to call him right away. I smelled a hardcore sales…
Read MoreEpidemic Etiquette
There is quite a buzz about the H1N1 or swine flu. And, for good reason given how dangerous it’s proving to be with younger people. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself and others from getting sick.
Read Moreb + d = success
Have you ever attended a lunch or dinner meeting where someone used your bread plate? Or maybe you weren’t sure which coffee cup was yours and you used the wrong one causing everyone else to use the one intended for their neighbor. Surprisingly, this happens a lot. I attend a lot of networking and conference…
Read MoreOld Habits Die Hard
In a recent yoga class we were asked to switch the cross of our legs and change how we intertwine our fingers so the other thumb is on top. It wasn’t easy to do and it felt very uncomfortable. It reminded me that habits are so deeply engrained in us.
Read More