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Not your grandmother’s etiquette

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Hello and welcome to the Clise Etiquette blog, a place to discuss savvy and not so savvy decorum. Etiquette may sound like a stuffy or old-fashioned topic, but it’s really just about making yourself and others more comfortable by being respectful, kind and professional.

I am an etiquette consultant, speaker, trainer, coach and author of Spinach in Your Boss’s Teeth: Essential Etiquette for Professional Success. I share etiquette and protocol tips, stories and techniques that you can use to feel more confident, at ease and successful socially and in the workplace.

I invite you to share your thoughts and questions on the situations in life that confuse you, anger you, give you pause or make you proud. Please feel free to let me know if there are topics you’d like me to discuss or hear more about. Some of my best posts come from questions or stories readers share with me.

Thank you for stopping by. I invite you to subscribe to my blog by clicking on the green button.

Informational Interview Etiquette Answers

I received a very nice email from a graduate student who was seeking answers to coffee meeting and informational interview etiquette dilemmas. He wrote: I found your “Coffee Date Dilemmas” (blog post) very informative and helpful, with its consideration of small but important details, and enjoyed browsing your blog. I do have a few follow-up…

The world’s best brownies

Every year this time my husband bakes goodies for the various people he works with or his Toastmasters clubs’ holiday events. I’m always happy he leaves some for me. One of our favorite recipes is Double Chocolate Brownies with Dried Cranberries. The cranberries and pecans add a tasty surprise.

Further your career this holiday season

Despite what you may think, the holidays are actually a great time to further your career. That’s because it’s a time when we most interact with others, whether it’s mingling at holiday parties, flying to see family or friends or spending time with relatives or pals you don’t see very often. So, whether you are…

The scary thought of in-flight cell phone use

The Wall Street Journal interviewed me and some of my etiquette consultant colleagues for an article on the etiquette of cell phone usage on airplanes. As you may have read the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering allowing airline passengers use their cell phones in flight.

The sweetest sound

a white woman's face with blonde hair and big round glasses with a question mark on her forehead
Are you good at remembering names? If you answered no, you’re not alone. Whenever I teach networking or my First and Lasting Impressions training I ask the participants if they are skilled at remembering names. Usually only a handful of people will raise their hand. Yet, people admit that forgetting names is one of the most…

Why LinkedIn?

I had the honor of teaching networking skills to South Seattle Community College students who enrolled in the Career Smarts program. Career Smarts, part of the Seattle Jobs Initiative, is a program that connects students with HR professionals to teach job related skills. I taught four 30 minute classes on networking. Each time, I asked…

What graciousness and heated seats have in common

On my way to yoga class this morning I was willing my heated seats to hurry up and get warm because it was chilly in the car. Despite wanting to get warm, I smiled as I recalled a time shortly after buying my car when my sister-in-law, Beth, was visiting over the holidays.

What do I do when I spill food on the table & other dining etiquette dilemmas

Sometimes you don’t realize what you don’t know until you’re faced with a situation you haven’t dealt with before. Many of my clients and class participants ask me questions about things they have no idea how to handle or that they aren’t sure how to properly navigate. I especially tend to get a lot of…

Dear Ms. Clise

When people I haven’t met first email me they often address me as Ms. Clise. It always takes this casual Seattle gal by surprise. I understand why people are addressing me in a formal way; they assume it is the proper thing to do with someone who teaches etiquette.

Alot of speiling and, grammer erors

Despite having a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, grammar and spelling are not my strengths. But, I know that to make a good impression it’s important I follow the correct language rules when I speak and write. Therefore, it is something I work on. I’m not perfect. In fact, readers have pointed out errors I’ve made,…
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