Civility

Do we still need etiquette?

By Arden / July 6, 2012 /

I was invited to be on The Boss Show to talk about the five workplace etiquette no nos that can derail your career. The fun hosts, Jim Hessler and Steve Motenko, and I had a delightful time discussing the no nos and teasing each other. Steve opened the interview by asking me if etiquette really mattered any longer.

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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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My Facebook regrets

By Arden / April 10, 2012 /

While on Facebook I saw a friend had posted a political video. I watched the video and thought, wow, this is really great information. So, I shared the video and posted why I thought it was worth watching. An hour later I started to have regrets. I had justified to myself that the post was…

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The power of words

By Arden / March 14, 2012 /

My husband and I often go someplace warm and sunny in the winter to escape the gray rainy Seattle days for a bit. This year we decided to go to Costa Rica. Many of our friends have been and spoke highly of the country. 

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2012 Academy Awards Musings

By Arden / February 27, 2012 /

On the red carpet, actress Maya Rudolph shared her Oscar advice with Tim Gunn, “have good posture. Stand up straight, shoulders back.” Sage advice for anyone, whether posing in your Academy Awards finery or giving a presentation to clients. Good posture communicates confidence and makes you look more elegant and self-possessed.

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Are we teaching children to be disrespectful?

By Arden / January 23, 2012 /

I occasionally teach children’s etiquette classes and I always introduce myself as Ms. Clise to the children. When I ask the kids in my class how they address their teachers and their parents’ friends the majority of them say they call these adults by their first names. I’m continually shocked by this.

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Get your holiday manners on

By Arden / December 19, 2011 /

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…

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Civility in the age of incivility

By Arden / May 2, 2011 /

Did you know that May is International Civility Awareness Month? The goal is to spread awareness of the meaning of civility and help people to embrace the civility code of conduct: Respect, Restraint and Responsibility. Saturday night, I attended the District 2 Toastmasters contest. There were seven excellent speakers competing to win and advance to…

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Divas, taskmasters and slackers

By Arden / March 7, 2011 /

Last night I watched the first episode of this season’s Celebrity Apprentice. I don’t normally watch it, mostly because I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I was not feeling well so I decided to turn it on. The show is a perfect microcosm of a company. It’s a group of disparate people trying…

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All we need is love

By Arden / February 14, 2011 /

Today is Saint Valentine’s Day. A day many men dread, women anticipate and singles hate. While I think Valentine’s Day is more of a Hallmark kind of holiday I believe the spirit of it is good; that is to celebrate love. And, I don’t think we need to celebrate only being in love or loving…

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