Tiffany Nielsen

Dining Etiquette, Business Etiquette and Children's Workshop

What Would Charlene Say? Part 3: Three Habits of Gracious Living

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Here’s Part 3 of the daily habit campaign! I’m confident you will find this one necessary for surviving our wobbly, unpredictable life!

Give Thanks. She never complained (at least out loud) to me about surgery or another round of chemo/radiation. She didn’t whine to the doctors, her nurses or the assistants. In fact, Charlene frequently expressed to her oncologist…

Learn to celebrate what's good in the world

What Would Charlene Say? Three Habits for Gracious Living!

“Thank you for taking care of me. I’ve learned so much and I am fascinated by the science and technology that help people like me”. And, if it weren’t for cancer, I wouldn’t know all you great people.”

Leave it to my dear mom (in-law) to be thankful for her situation while her entourage uncomfortably awaited the reading of CAT scans. Charlene Nielsen found the silver lining in everything and everyone.

To recap Charlene’s Three Habits for Gracious Living:
1. Get Dressed.
2. Smile.
3. Give Thanks.

Which habit would you like to see more people practice, and why?

If you please, post your thoughts in the comment section below. By posting, you are helping others benefit from your honest and respectful perspective.

“Give thanks for what is right in the world. Let God worry about the rest.”
 – Charlene Nielsen,  Author, Grandma, Mother and Premier Etiquettes’ Editor (in heaven)

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 that help remedy social and business faux pas. You are invited to attend Tiffany’s upcoming program, Mother May I May 27 or 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. at Snappy Casual Consulting in Bakersfield or at Brandman University in Visalia, CA. The program cost is $34.00.

Please register for Bakersfield’s Mother May I, Etiquette and Style Class here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-year-true-you-bakersfields-workshop-series-for-women-tickets-9943018837

© Tiffany Nielsen | Premier Etiquette. All Rights Reserved.

What Would Charlene Say? Part 2: Three Habits for Gracious Living

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It's Proper Etiquette to Smile

Make Smiling a Daily Habit for Gracious Living.

Here’s Part 2 of the daily habit campaign that you will find super easy to accomplish before the day is up! 

Fill yourself with happiness when people display this habit. Appreciation for your act of kindness and civility will not go unnoticed. Be well aware of those who don’t partake. The 2nd best daily habit is…..

Smile! Smiling doesn’t come easy to some folks, but it did for Charlene! She woke up with a smile, she slept with a smile. She made the miserable people smile even when they didn’t want to.  Smiling at those who annoyed or troubled her was also commonplace. “People, how hard is it to smile? Gosh”, says Charlene. It takes more muscles to frown than smile.

  1. Job interview etiquette tip: A person is required to smile.
  2. Customer service etiquette: Clients and colleagues like seeing smiles.
  3. When you are introduced to people, the proper etiquette is to smile and converse.
  4. Children who smile demonstrate their good manners.

Do you have your own technique for helping people smile? Is it a song and dance? A tug at the check? Please share your wisdom in the comment section below because it will make Charlene smile!

If you please, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and register for our announcements so you don’t miss out on our fun events!

Happy Smiling!

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 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. at Brandman University in Visalia, CA or in Bakersfield. The program cost is $34.00.

©Tiffany Nielsen | Premier Etiquette. All Rights Reserved.

 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

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The Power of CivilityBullying doesn’t have a place in our society or our home, and it serves no purpose. Yet, surveys indicate that bullying is forever present, especially amongst the youth. According to PACER.org, nearly one-third of all school-aged children are bullied each year – upwards of 13 million students.

As I always say, civility starts and ends with the individual. It also starts with groups of people uniting together such as PACER- Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights. In fact, these smart folks are behind the growing and popular “October is National Bullying Prevention Month”. Bravo!  In my opinion, teaching bullying prevention in schools is as critical as teaching math and science.

We personally can prompt change if we choose civility in every sticky situation. It takes work, peer involvement and a zero tolerance policy to end bullying.  One significant personal effort by Rachel Scott to reach out to students who were picked on by others or who were new at her school resulted in Rachel’s Challenge.  This series of student empowering programs and strategies for students and adults to combat bullying was inspired by the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999.  Shortly before her death she wrote,

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”  – rachelschallege.org

I’m often reminded that bullies come in all walks of life. They can be the obvious punk who’s in your face or the seemingly intelligent adult who will verbally beat people down because of his or her own shortcomings. Bullies are not gender specific. They are from both sides of the tracks and just maybe they were bullied themselves. Sad.

The reason I left my corporate career to speak about consideration, respect and honesty and manners includes being personally bullied in the workplace and in high school. I’m a firm believer that the principles of etiquette are some of the several time tested compasses for stomping out bulling in the school yard, in the halls of government and in business.

PACER and Rachel’s Challenge offer inspiration and resources you can use to help ignite an anti-bullying program at home, school and elsewhere. Bullying happens, but we can stop it by educating ourselves on how to communicate, address it and end it, period.

Choose civility.

What Happened to Tiffany?

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This past week I received a phone call from a friend and loyal Premier Etiquette fan. She expressed how excited she was to see my recent email announcing our upcoming communication and etiquette skills class. I always get a warm feeling knowing people do read my emails. Don’t you?

She then told me that in the midst of reading my email, her excitement turned to puzzlement. She said to herself, “What? That’s it? One class announcement? No etiquette tips? No Fall fashion preview? Oh no, what happened to Tiffany? I’d better call her.”

I couldn’t have a better friend looking out for my best interests. We should all be so diligent as to find out what might be happening with a friend when something doesn’t seem right. She trusted her instincts and called me. I’m choosing to share this with you because perhaps you also have wondered, “What happened to Tiffany?” or “That’s it?” when you opened my last email. Let me explain.

This won’t come easy to me since I’ve been schooled to leave personal business at the company door. Rather, stick to positive subjects when sharing out-of-office happenings with business associates and clients. Nevertheless, here we go.

I don’t get by on luck. I achieve success through the help of a very strong, loyal team who has my back. We, the team, see ourselves as well armed soldiers fighting for the common good: stellar etiquette practices by all! When I found out that Charlene Nielsen, my Premier Etiquette In-House Editor, also known as my wonderful mother-in-law, was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung cancer in May, we all put on the brakes to help her.

Premier Etiquette Editor and Mommy-in-Law

Chasing doctors and appointments became our first and foremost task. Poise and persistence ruled as others were dropping the ball and prolonging her treatment plan. At last, chemotherapy was put into action and she finished her first round last week. It took us over two months to make the reality of treatment possible; it has been a grueling and frustrating experience. At the same time, we were blessed to witness her tenacious spirit rise again.  Some of you have had the opportunity to meet Charlene at events where I have spoken. You know her spirit and you can count on the fact that she remembers you!

So, now you know where I, Tiffany, have been. I haven’t given up on my work to rid the world of bad manners, nor have I stopped sprinkling etiquette dust on those who want the positive power of etiquette in business and elsewhere. I’ve simply been lending my heart and dedication to a much deserving loyal subject.

Thank you for your patience and assumed appreciation for our journey here at Premier Etiquette. On the bright side, the power of positive thinking has us all on the right track. I’m pretty sure every one of you reading my letter has been touched by cancer. The fight to beat it is unreal, cumbersome and it takes a team to battle it out. So, if a little bit of time passes and you haven’t heard from me, have faith that I’m here for you too and I will soon surface again. If I don’t, for heaven’s sake, call me!

Your Loyal Etiquette Soldier,

Tiffany

Linking In or Blanking Out? Business Etiquette for LinkedIn Users

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I use the social networking site LinkedIn for many reasons. It’s one of those sites that discourages the nuances of risqué photos and unwanted, uninvited posts. LinkedIn is also the place to showcase our talents, network our business services and dock our contacts online. No matter where professions take us, we can easily keep relationships moving along with us.

I get excited when I receive invitations to LinkedIn with others because I like to meet new people. But what really gets my etiquette happiness bursting at the seams is when I receive a request with a message attached. You know from experience that any invitation you receive, be it to a fundraiser, a party or some other event, usually includes a message as to why: “It’s Tiffany’s 40th Birthday” or “Open House for our New Business”, etc…  you get the point. But, oddly, some networkers purposely or mistakenly skip over this nugget of relationship building which could be a decided business advantage.

Since the fun of my business is sprinkling etiquette fairy dust when opportunities arise, I’m compelled to spread some of it today.  LinkedIn Etiquette? Yes, it exists.

  • When you send an invitation, you can build a friendlier connection if you include a message. The message can be a simple introduction or a sincere message as to why you want to connect. Maybe some people don’t attach a message because they don’t know what to say. Rest assured you can make it easier for people to connect with you by letting them know how you met, why you want to connect with them, etc… We already have enough mysteries to solve.
  • Consider including your LinkedIn URL in your email signature line. This makes it easier for people to find you on LinkedIn. Please feel free to link up with me.
  • Be sure to send a “thank you” message to new connections that accept your invitation. And, don’t worry about those who don’t accept. If you haven’t heard back from an invitation request, wait a few weeks and then resend the request. If you still don’t receive a response, move on.
  • In my opinion, writing a LinkedIn recommendation is a gift to someone, not a requirement. We all can mutually benefit each other if we are willing to give to get.  A personal thank you email or handwritten note to the person who writes a glorious recommendation on your behalf wins friends. And, the offer to write one in return for yours is good business.

I hope these etiquette tips support you in some way or at least validate your own etiquette expectations for LinkedIn. I want to build on this etiquette list with your help. Please comment below with your own tips and let’s mutually benefit each other by sprinkling etiquette anywhere and everywhere we can.