Networking etiquette

The sweetest sound

By Arden / November 7, 2013 /

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…

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Why LinkedIn?

By Arden / October 29, 2013 /

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…

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The power of gracious behavior

By Arden / June 13, 2013 /

It’s always heartwarming when I see really gracious, polite behavior, and not just because I’m an etiquette consultant. When I see people being courteous and other focused I am reminded of how powerful it is.

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Lessons learned from an unpleasant coffee meeting

By Arden / May 9, 2013 /

If you are a salesperson, business owner or are unemployed, you most likely do a lot of networking. This often means coffee and lunch dates with people who have complementary businesses or who can be helpful to you in some way.

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The difficulty with discussing politics

By Arden / November 30, 2012 /

I asked my Facebook page Likes for ideas on blog posts and several people mentioned discussing politics, especially in light of the recent presidential election. 

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The hugging dilemma

By Arden / August 14, 2012 /

When I teach handshakes in my client trainings or presentations I’m often asked about hugging. Because the West Coast tends to be more informal, there is a lot of hugging going on, especially between women. But, there are a good many people who don’t like to be hugged. 

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The allure of gossip

By Arden / May 4, 2012 /

I’ve been thinking about gossip lately. The other day, I taught an etiquette class to a mom and her delightful eight year old daughter. One of the topics I covered was gossip.

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Being vulnerable

By Arden / April 23, 2012 /

I met a colleague, Lynn Baldwin-Rhoades, for coffee recently. She is the president of Power Chicks International, a wonderful online and in-person networking and resource organization for women. Lynn is someone I know and like but didn’t know well. I felt like we both wanted a deeper connection with each other.

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

By Arden / November 10, 2011 /

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…

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A story of Hope

By Arden / November 2, 2011 /

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…

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