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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.

A lesson from toothpaste

My fabulous children’s manners teacher, Jan Townsend, forwarded me a Facebook post written by someone I don’t know. The author’s name is Amy and I was both excited and moved by her words. In her post she talked about teaching her daughter, who was entering middle school, about kindness. To teach the lesson, she had…

The dreaded invitation: “Let’s have coffee…”

“Let’s meet for coffee.”  Sound familiar? If you’re a business owner you may hear this phrase often. Yet, it’s not always a welcome invitation.

Read the situation or risk losing business

This is a guest post by Stacy O’Daffer, Clise Etiquette Associate. “She will finally appreciate you after she lives without you.” It’s a mother’s universal salve for the wound of a child leaving for college. That this loss will be filled at some later, undefined moment does little to sooth the heartbreak. But then, it’s…

Three tips for making public speaking easier

In 2001 I joined Toastmasters, a speaking and leadership skills organization, and it changed my life. I was a devoted member of the Seattle General Toastmasters club for eight years. Recently, I returned to my club to see all of my buddies, some of whom have been members for 30 plus years.  For many longtime…

How to lose a prospect and annoy others

Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Dale Carnegie wrote this beautiful quote in his bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People.  And it’s true. As he pointed out, when you remember and use a person’s name it makes him feel special…

Five myths and a truth: Surprising wedding facts

Can you hear it? It’s the sound of wedding bells. It’s the time of year when many true loves become married. My husband and I recently attended his nephew’s wedding in Philadelphia. On the plane I met two other people who were flying to attend weddings.  As we gear up for these joyous celebrations I…

Five tips for workplace success

Have you ever wondered why some people have more success in their jobs and others can’t seem to get ahead even though they are very smart? According to a Harvard University study, 85% of a person’s workplace success is due to their personal skills – those intangible skills that lead to better and smoother relationships…

Navigate office dining & drinking like a pro

Some great tips and information in this infographic by Quill.com. Click to Enlarge Image Infographic by Quill.com  

Don’t leave people hanging: The importance of introductions

A friend of mine, I’ll call her Sue, was having a conversation with a couple she met at a party when a colleague walked up and interrupted her discussion. Her colleague Bill didn’t acknowledge the people she was talking to and spoke only to her ignoring the others. It made the people Sue was talking…

Five business etiquette tips all millennials need to know

It’s amazing to me how many younger people there are in the workforce these days. I guess that means I’m getting old. According to statistics by the Pew Research Center, millennials now make up the majority of the workforce. In 2015 they surpassed Baby Boomers and Gen Xers in number of workers.
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