Social Etiquette

6 Hostess Etiquette Tips for New Year’s Eve Bash

December 31, 2015 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve bash, here are 6 hostess etiquette tips to help boost your spirits while adding a few classy touches to your party.

Be the Ultimate Hostess. Etiquette is your guide to a successful party! Help your guests feel welcome by greeting them upon their arrival, or soon after. Glide around your party topping-off flutes of bubbly, offering non-alcoholic drinks to sober drivers and keeping conversations flowing among guests. By all means, try to refrain from bringing up things like the weather if it doesn’t turn out the way you had hoped. You are the ultimate hostess, after all!
It’s Cocktail Time! If you start to feel stressed about the party, it’s normal; but, don’t let party prepping suck the fun out of you. Before your guests arrive you can meditate in silence for a few minutes or make yourself a very weak cocktail to help take the edge off. Easy-does-it on the cocktail! You don’t want to be completely smashed when guests arrive.
Use Your Very Best! Dinnerware, cutlery, saltcellars, or whatever you may have, are not meant to be stuffed into cupboards collecting dust only to possibly be tossed out by the next-generation who didn’t quite understand all the fuss. Serving your guests, with the very best, lets them know “they are worth it”.
Not a Hostess but a Guest? Try not to arrive to a party empty handed. Even though you weren’t asked (or told) to bring something, etiquette tell us to bring a Hostess Gift. A bottle of wine, fresh fruit from your orchard, a box of chocolates, fresh flowers in a vase, homemade treats, or an exquisite bottle of champagne are just a few hostess gift ideas to consider. Use etiquette -or consideration- when choosing a gift. For example, you wouldn’t want to bring a bottle of Rye to a ‘dry’ house.
Don’t Be Rude! Go without social media for one night. Try focusing on the media right in front of your face—your personal guests.
Have Fun! You might burn the dinner rolls, but oh well! Someone will likely spill a bit of red wine on your white carpet, nothing that can’t be remedied by a strong foot and a paper towel. Smile, be gracious, and by all means, have a good time at your own party!

Stay classy and remember that “etiquette” is not only your friend, but a perfect guide to a successful party.

Happy New Year!

What Would Charlene Say? Part 1: Three Habits for Gracious Living

May 10, 2014 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

Charlene Nielsen and her family. Gracious woman, editor and our #1 Fan at Premier Etiquette.

Charlene Nielsen, my beloved Mother-in-Law, Editor and Board Member here at Premier Etiquette, joined the angels in heaven on May 4, 2014 If I were to ask mom what we can do today to feel better about our situation, she’d recommend the following daily habits, which I would like to share with you over the next three days leading up to her celebration of life service.

Part 1

Get Dressed. In spite of a bald head, pale skin and being at war with the gremlins (as we called them), mom got dressed every day. She styled her hair and wigs and she never left her house looking as if she just rolled out of bed. “Get up, get dressed! You never know who you might meet!” says Charlene. I’d like to add that pajamas are made for bedtime, not for wearing out in public.

To quote mom…

“The hardest lesson to learn is self-discipline”
– Charlene Brooks Nielsen, Author, Editor and Woman of the Year.

Are you getting dressed each morning? If not, are you open to learning about a few simply ways to transform into a habitual pro at dressing for your day? If the answer is “yes”, we should talk! 🙂

Tiffany Nielsen, Founder and CEO of Premier Etiquette, is your favorite Etiquette Lady and Personal Stylist. She lives in Exeter, CA with her husband, David and travels nationwide representing ideas and strategies to help solve social and business faux pas. You can attend Tiffany’s upcoming program, Mother May I on May 27 and 28^th from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. at Brandman University in Visalia, CA or in Bakersfield. The program cost is $34.00.

Small Talk Skills- Make it Count!

November 12, 2013 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

Small Talk: Make it Count

Recently, a woman approached me at an event where I was a guest speaker. She was kind to compliment me on a job well done following my keynote etiquette presentation, but used her compliment as a way to bait and hook me into listening to her well-rehearsed 30 second elevator sales pitch. Right then and there, I had just been handed another good topic for the etiquette conversation, Small Talk Etiquette.

Small talk, sometimes known as “chit chat” is one of my favorite socials skills. It is what takes us from stranger to friend, date to spouse, nervous sales pitch to closing a new account.

It has also been my experience that “let’s get to know each other” – the reason for small talk – is a useful cornerstone for building business relationships. A 30 second elevator pitch won’t seal the deal, and frankly, going in for the kill is old-school. Isn’t that a relief?

Some people despise or fear small talk while others thrive on it. Personally, I have my good days and bad days communicating with the new people I get to meet. I am a chatter box; therefore, I have to work on zipping my lips and listening more intently. How do I listen more intently? I latch on to really good social skills recommendations! Here are steadfast guidelines that make this small talk thing easier.

1. Meet and greet people: Stand up (if possible) to meet people. Look them in the eyes, shake hands and say your name and repeat their name. “Hi, Hello, My name is, Nice to meet you” are proper pleasantries. Pleasantries in return are a must. It is a huge pet-peeve of mine when people don’t exchange pleasantries.

2. Kick-start a conversation by asking questions:
– Jane, what do you do for work?
– Jane, this is my first time attending this event. I’m having a blast! What do you think of the event?
– Jane, I am new here and I would really like to get acquainted with other people. Do you mind if I tag along with you for a bit in order to meet new individuals?
*Try not to linger too long. Jane needs her time too.

3. Be sure to ask questions in return. One-sided conversations are dull. Don’t be dull.

4. If you think, “I just don’t know how to do this,” practice! Try practicing small talk with store clerks, taxicab drivers, etc. I once heard someone say, “Practice makes permanent”.

5. Find out what interests the person to whom you are speaking to. Also, it is okay to talk about the news of the day. Avoid politics; however, this would be impossible if you were attending a political event, right?

Keep in mind, not every new person we meet will converse back with us. Please don’t take it personally; instead, move on to somebody that will gladly want to get to know you. And, as always, treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

Feel free to add your conversational small talk etiquette tips in the comment section below and let’s help as many people as possible make their best connections yet!