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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.

Get your holiday manners on

The holidays are here! As I was standing in a very long line at the post office this morning I reminded myself how stressful this time of year can be. Inside I was feeling impatient and angry at the everlasting queue, but I tried to focus on the positive rather than my irritation. I noticed the surprisingly well-behaved…

I’m RSVPing for your party

The holidays are here and that means a lot of parties. Perhaps you’ve received a few invitations for holiday functions. Whether the invitations are for a holiday cocktail party or a summer barbeque the invitation most likely has the acronym RSVP on it. Let’s talk about that acronym and why people add it to their…

Holiday gift giving and tipping

There is often confusion about who we should give gifts and holiday tips to. The most important aspect of gift giving is that it comes from the heart and you give to express thanks and appreciation, not out of obligation or because you received a gift. Here are a few of the most frequent gift…

A cocktail party primer

Filling your home with your friends and family is a lovely way to celebrate the holidays and a cocktail party is an easy way to gather a large group at one time. Be a memorable host, and a guest who gets invited back, by following these tips.

What to do when you forget someone’s name during an introduction

I was recently filmed giving etiquette tips via video. I made several videos on a variety of topics. Today I’m featuring the video tip on what to do if you forget someone’s name when you have to introduce them. Don’t sweat it, this video gives you a simple way to handle it. Does this tip…

How to impress family and friends at Thanksgiving

We often pull out the linens, nice china and silverware for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals. The formality of the table and the occasion can sometimes be intimidating. Follow these guidelines and your family and friends will be mightily impressed with your lovely manners.

A story of Hope

I was a judge for the DECA mock competition recently. For those of you who don’t know what DECA is it’s a program for high school students that teaches marketing and business skills. At the mock competition students give a presentation on a marketing or business idea or plan to two judges. The judges then…

Teaching children table manners

Guest post by Sarah Morris on behalf of Primrose: preschools with a well-rounded curriculum and a passion for educating children. The art of tables manners will always be in fashion and can add great value to the lives of your children if taught properly. Proper manners travel far beyond “please” and “thank you” in that…

Texting, texting, 1, 2, 3

Recently, I received an email from a colleague who said a hiring manager from a large, somewhat conservative company, texted her the information on her interview. She responded via email because she thought texting him back would be too informal. She emailed me to ask if that was the correct thing to do. I responded…

Six tips for remembering names

Has this ever happened to you? You’re talking to someone and another person you know walks up but you’ve forgotten their name, so you don’t introduce them to the first person. It’s pretty awkward isn’t it? Well take consolation in the fact that it happens to the best of us. However, if you work on…
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