Tiffany Nielsen

Adult and Youth Etiquette Workshops

California School Loves Etiquette

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Personal image and etiquette leadership were the hot new topics for 25 girls at Valley Preparatory Charter Academy. These smart and sophisticated girls relinquished their Saturday afternoon to hang out with “yours truly.” Keep in mind, they CHOSE to be there.

Mock interviews and confidence building activities broke the ice, helping the young women move comfortably past what they might have feared their Saturday would turn out to be- a boring lesson on how to be nice. Yes, we spoke to them about pleasantries and why they should abundantly use magic words like “please” and “thank you,”  but we also guided them to use the principles of etiquette so they could learn how to make this “life thing” work for them. I’m always surprised when I hear people say that their kids wouldn’t enjoy such a program. Au contraire!

There comes a point in education when we leave scissors and glue behind for more grown-up classroom materials such as computers and interactive white boards. In this case, since we believe it is more fun to interact  than listen to boring lectures about “do’s and don’ts” of how to look and behave, we splashed tables with craft supplies and fashion magazines to open a montage of collage making.  The agreeable chatter of “Oh, I love that!” and “I want these shoes. They are so me,” crafted the perfect opportunity to teach the girls how discover their personal image.

A three course dining etiquette lesson included warm bread, tasty soup and a deliciously prepared entrée followed by a late afternoon dessert. Mix good food with fun tips on how to refrain from grossing people out at the dinner table and you get a pleasant-to-be-around, graceful, enjoyable person.

Each girl received a personal consultation from my in-house image experts Marytina Lawrence and Sabrina Jimenez. Some people might not see how image and etiquette are connected, but they are. Imagine what it is like for a young girl to hear she’s beautiful and perfect just the way she is when statistic show eighty percent of girls find fault with their image?

It was our mission to energize these young women to become the best possible version of themselves.  We owe an abundant amount of gratitude to Executive Director, Shelly Melton, Educator, Lisa Taylor and Nutritional Coordinator, Janice Walstrom (below, third to the right) and her thoughtful team. Without them, this program might not be possible. Thank you!

Be on the look-out for these shining stars. We are so proud of them and we are forever grateful that schools like Valley Preparatory Charter Academy find means to continuously invest in their kids, knowing they deserve every ounce of it.

© Tiffany Nielsen

Image Consulting Teaches Effects of Color

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The Power of Color
Image Consulting Teaches Effects of Color

We just concluded our first California women’s image consulting “Train the Trainer” program. It was so fun!! The four day action-packed training for aspiring consultants focused on color, body frame and fashion personality for women. Our volunteer models praised the consultations, finding the results fascinating and eye-opening. Our new consultant team emerged empowered and anxious to build their businesses. We are so thankful for the positive outcome!

On the subject of color, we discussed how we connect or respond to it visually and mentally. Our lead trainer Marytina Lawrence shared some color connections that I found intriguing and sometimes very funny! I figured you would too, so here are a few examples to ponder.

Yellow Legal Pads: I don’t know about you, but when I write on a yellow legal pad, my penmanship earns me a failing grade! A reliable resource informed me that the color yellow affects our small motor skills, thus taking legible writing to pure messy note-taking for some people. So, why would a manufacturer produce yellow writing paper if it sends our penmanship right down the tubes?  Beats me.

US Armed Forces: Navy blue is the authoritative color in formal and semi-formal suits of all US Armed Forces. The color emphasizes a polished look, is found in our country’s flag and is non-combative. People in uniform always appear confident and ready to get to business…exactly what we need in this day and age.

Green Grass in the Meat Case:  Here is a humorous take on the color green. Remember when meat cases were lined in fake green grass?  I do.  Does that date me? Come to find out that the reason the savvy meat retailers decorated their meat cases with green was to draw out the “red” found in red meat. Bright red meat means “fresh.” I don’t see turf bedding in cases anymore.  I’m always intrigued with what merchandisers figure sells best. We learn something new every day, don’t we?

Imagine the power of color to lift our spirits, cloud our motor skills, awaken our senses and even scream danger. I’m really glad we have color because the world would be awfully dull without it.

Sporting Shorts at Work

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Sporting Shorts at Work
Fashionista or Big Mistake?

Lucky you if you get to wear shorts to work.  Keep in mind, shorts are like any other clothing; some look and feel like casual weekend shorts while others lend a more dressy appeal.

Style experts like “Professionality” and Ann Taylor suggest you keep it classy and in touch with your work culture.   

Ann Taylor marketers nail it by suggesting women pair dressy shorts with shoes that make others say, “Wow” or “She’s got it together”.

Wondering if you have it together?  Check yourself in the mirror before you dash out to work and ask, “Am I ‘wow’ for the right reasons?” The right reasons, in case you’d like to know, would include:

  1. I won’t be like a school girl whose skirt is too short and sent home by my boss to change clothes.
  2. “Oh, I want to look like you,” not, “Oh jeez, she did it again!”
  3. When the president of the company or your boss walks in unexpectedly and doesn’t notice your outfit, I say “Good!” because then you know you aren’t a distraction for the wrong reasons.

Workplace Tip: Follow the company policy regarding image. It’s a perfect guide to help you dress for success.  

Stay cool this summer; however, if you live in California you are wondering if you will ever sport shorts this year, period! But then, history shows a balmy June in these parts doesn’t necessarily indicate no heat wave in July!