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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.

How to wow your customers

“Good morning Arden. What would you like for breakfast today?” asked Daryl, the line cook. A simple question, but what made it exceptional was Daryl remembered my name from the day before when he made a point of looking at my name badge. I hadn’t put my badge on yet that morning, but he knew…

14 annoying habits that are driving your coworkers crazy

When I worked for Washington Mutual many years ago, there were a few weeks where I was working on several big, deadline-driven projects and I was pretty stressed. The days ticked by while I toiled away on the assignments. One day a coworker who sat next to me asked if I was okay. Turns out…

The ups and downs of umbrella etiquette

This is a guest post by Eric Mamroth, husband to Arden Clise and regular umbrella user. Perhaps there is no better indicator of a changing Seattle than the proliferation of … umbrellas. Big ones, small ones, cheap ones or expensively fashionable, they are seemingly everywhere now. Clearly our Seattle City Council has left yet another…

Well meaning or just mean?

When I teach dining etiquette I often tell a story that my neighbor shared with me. When she was a teenager she went to her boyfriend’s house for dinner. She picked up her bread roll, cut it in half with her knife and buttered the whole piece. Her boyfriend loudly announced that she was eating…

Six tips for hosting memorable parties

People's hands holding wine glasses that they are clinking
Well, I guess it’s official; the holidays are just around the corner. I received my first December holiday party invitation the day before Halloween. I don’t blame the sender; the holidays are getting busier and busier and if you have any hope of having people attend your soiree you need to send the invitation out…

Handling social media connection requests with grace and purpose

Ever feel confused about how to handle the many online connection requests you receive? LinkedIn, Facebook, Townsquared…the list goes on. You might wonder who you should connect with and if it’s okay to decline a request. People have different approaches to accepting requests but I thought I’d share my approach and why it works for…

Your tipping dilemmas solved

When faced with the tip line on the receipt from the coffee shop do you hesitate and wonder if you should leave a tip for the barista who made your pumpkin spice latte? If so, you’re not alone. I’ve had a few people ask me recently about tipping protocol because it seems tipping has gotten…

Do you practice these eight social niceties?

We’ve all heard the saying “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I’m reminded of this quote often when people share with me their etiquette annoyances or faux pas stories. So often a person’s misstep is simply due to not knowing that their behavior is inappropriate. Or they aren’t aware of the proper way to…

The message determines the medium: Dos and don’ts for event invitations

There are so many ways we can communicate with people – email, text, social media, instant message, phone calls and mailed notes. It can be confusing knowing what medium to use for event invitations. Just recently a friend received a birthday party invitation via a group text message. She thought it was a little odd…

Eight graduation dos and don’ts for grads, family and friends

It’s cap and gown time; that wonderful time when high school and college students graduate and move on to their next adventure. It’s an exciting time. But graduation can also be a bit of an etiquette minefield. I certainly made some mistakes with my own graduation and have made etiquette faux pas with other people’s…
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