common sense 2 | Tiffany Nielsen

Dining Etiquette and Licking Knives

January 4, 2012 By Tiffany Nielsen 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Licking a knife at home is one thing, but licking a knife in public can be seen as an etiquette mishap. Cleaning up what’s left on the blade of a knife could be a personal preference or an old habit for some to break- I get it.

I recently watched a woman in a restaurant lick her knife blade dry. From the tip of the blade to the start of the handle, she didn’t dare let that dressing go to waste.

One problem with licking knives is that it’s dangerous. A bleeding tongue would feel miserable.

If a person interviewing for a job is invited to join a potential employer for a meal, licking salad dressing, butter, or whatever from a knife will likely become an unforgettable moment for the employer. It could also turn out to be a lost opportunity for the applicant. I suppose the interview situation would be different if the job somehow involved knife tricks.

I’ve seen plenty of people use knives as toothpicks, to pry open bottles and so on. So be it. However, licking knives during a job interview won’t necessarily leave a positive impression. Not everyone has stopped caring about etiquette.

Like I said earlier, this may be personal preference or old habits for some. For others, they may not know that there is the option not to lick their knives. In other words, no one taught them any different or they didn’t care to listen.

The moral of the blog is to create awareness and help anyone looking for modern, helpful etiquette tips.

Public Etiquette: Where Has Common Sense Wandered Off To?

September 28, 2011 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

I don’t know what your mamma said about how you are supposed act in public, but I’m guessing, like my mom, she set good boundaries for how to behave appropriately. My mom’s intentions were never to stifle me from having fun and they helped set me up for success by reminding me that I share the public space; it isn’t mine alone.

I’m fairly confident that most of us would like our guests and kids to keep their feet off the coffee table. So, here’s my sales pitch for reminding people to avoid this sticky, yet often committed faux pas: Just imagine for a few seconds where your feet have been today. What icky, gooey mess did you drag onto your shoes while moving from one place to the next? Now that you have a visual of the potential germs attached to the bottom of your shoes, do we really have any business depositing them on a coffee table or other furniture?

Sprawled across a coffee table at the American Airlines Admirals Club, the man in the photo looks right at home. When I received this picture from my cousin saying “You need to blog this. Feet on the table at the Admirals Club?” I thought to myself, ewwwwww!

You get the drift by now that propping feet up on a coffee table is a big no-no. Who wants to set food and drink, or a laptop for that matter which eventually ends up on your lap or desk, on a table smothered with germs?

It comes down to common sense, this public etiquette stuff. How we act at home can sometimes be different in public. If you like to rest your feet on your coffee table, all power to you. However, kindly refrain from doing so in public places. It grosses people out.

Tiffany Nielsen is a motivational speaker, trainer and President of Premier Etiquette. She is co-author of the dynamic books, The Power of Civility and Incredible Business. Visit her website at http://www.tiffanynielsen.com/ to learn more about how you can thrive socially and professionally!

Conference Call Etiquette

July 26, 2011 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

Conference Call Etiquette
Public or Private?

According to a new survey, 81 percent of respondents say it is somewhat/completely inappropriate to take a conference call on a cell phone while in public. I personally can vouch for this majority opinion!

Before there was Premier Etiquette, I worked in corporate America. At one point in that previous career, I dialed into a conference call while sitting in a hotel lobby. Big mistake! As you can imagine, the background noise was streaming through my phone straight to the CEO’s landline and it was horribly loud.

The CEO, who I once thought was cool and collected, stopped the conference call comprised of 30 people to bark loud orders to the fool not on mute who muttered, “Duhhhh, Tiffany.” Embarrassed – and I think I even chuckled – my fingers found mute and I sat, not moving for fear of making another mess of a situation that could have been avoided if I had participated from the safety of a quiet hotel room.

Ah, the business we learn the hard way, speaking of which, make it easy to stand out-not stick out professionally and socially by joining my next public dining etiquette class:

Family Etiquette Night: Dining at its Finest!

Date: September 19, 2011
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Monet’s Restaurant in Exeter, CA.
Fee: $45.00/person. This fee includes dining etiquette instruction, a scrumptious 4 course meal (tax and gratuity included) and a perfect opportunity to create a treasured lifetime family memory.
*Open to families, couples and singles.

Tiffany Nielsen is a sought-after speaker, trainer and author whose wit and wisdom engages, inspires and motivates audiences. She is the President of Premier Etiquette, a full-service etiquette and image training and consulting company, and co-author of The Power of Civility and Incredible Business. Visit her website at http://www.tiffanynielsen.com/ to learn more about how you can thrive socially and professionally!

July is National Cell Phone Month

July 13, 2011 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

July is National Cell Phone Month
Cell Phone Etiquette Guidelines

At the start of just about every business etiquette seminar I present, I always ask participants, “When it comes to rude behaviors seen in public, which one annoys you the most?” Nearly all say, “The misuse of cell phones.” If participants in my seminars are saying this, then what could the rest of the country be saying?

Making cell phone users more respectful of their surroundings is the motto of July National Cell Phone Month. Let’s not let our use of cell phones offend others or take precedence in areas of our lives where it serves no purpose. In fact, courteous cell phone practices are easily accomplished when we commit to these cell phone civilities:

Switch the Sound In business, switch your cell phone ring tone to vibrate or silent. When can you leave the jingle on? When you are at home, but only so long as your ring doesn’t wake a sleeping baby or your spouse. As always, let common sense be your guide.

Mind the Meeting Room In most cases, bosses and meeting leaders would prefer that cell phones be switched to silent mode or vibrate to avoid having a loud, ringing device disrupt a meeting, not to mention sending the violator into panic or denial mode. Nobody wins in the “It’s not me!” – “John, it’s you!” game. If you are expecting a call that can’t end up in voicemail, let your colleagues, boss, etc… know ahead of time the importance of taking an incoming call. When it does arrive, quietly grab the phone and disappear without slamming the door behind you.

Mind the Kiddies Parents, advocate in your house that “National Cell Phone Month” is an everyday celebration. Feel free to set boundaries as to when and where cell phones can be used. After all, you pay the bills; therefore, you get to set the rules, right?

Quit Playing Around Honestly, there’s nothing more annoying than seeing colleagues or guests super-glued to their phones when clearly your company is not boring. If you find yourself addicted to the little gadget, follow First Lady Nancy Reagan’s motto and “Just Say No.” This is an especially important exercise when entertaining guests and clients, attending meetings and workshops, waiting at the altar to get married, etc…

Remember, we own our cell phones – they don’t own us! I challenge all of us to stick to the cell phone etiquette tips offered above, not just in the month of July but year round!

Fretting Over Introductions

May 5, 2011 By Tiffany Nielsen Leave a Comment

Dear Tiffany,

I’m always attending work-related events and find it royally confusing, and sometimes intimidating, to introduce myself to strangers. I also notice that there are a lot of people not being introduced to others, leaving them to wander about alone and unsure. I’m confused about who should introduce who?

Dear Not-As-Confused-As-You-Think,

There’s something really uncomfortable about attending a work-related event and finding yourself unsure how to break the ice with new people. It is worse to be a veteran at the event allowing a never seen before or “new-be” linger along the wall alone and timid and doing nothing about it.

All I can say is you should be the one who gets introductions done so everyone feels at ease, including yourself. Never let “wallflowers” blossom too long alone in a corner. Draw them in like a good scout to help them make new friends. If you want to stand out, always remember that everyone was the lone wanderer at one time and a good leader recalls and remedies this uneasy situation by connecting people.

Say the most important person’s name first. For example: Congressman ________, I’d like to introduce you to our Vice President______. If you don’t know who is most important, better to guess than duck the introduction.

Refer to The Power of Civility as a great guide for the dos and don’ts of introductions. I promise, you will love this book!

« Previous Page

Conference Call Etiquette Public or Private?

Family Etiquette Night: Dining at its Finest!

July is National Cell Phone Month Cell Phone Etiquette Guidelines

Conference Call Etiquette
Public or Private?

July is National Cell Phone Month
Cell Phone Etiquette Guidelines