Don't eat another important business meal without reading this first!
Let’s take three scenarios. An international client is visiting and you have a lunch meeting. A potential commercial partner suggests you go out for dinner. You are attending your first corporate annual holiday banquet.
You are confidant, charming, sharp and dressed for success. But what about your table manners? Place your fork the wrong way and your international client is not impressed. Eat the bread of your potential partner’s plate and she starts to question your judgement. Argue with the waiter and your colleagues think you can be a real jerk. In today’s climate of rising globalism, dining etiquette can make or break your success.
From being a new employee at your first formal social event or an experienced executive out for your typical client lunch meeting, corporate meals can mean big business. Improper dining etiquette is simply bad for business. People today understand the importance of protocol and etiquette. As Sandra McCance, the Career Manager at Queen’s University School of Business, succinctly stated, “Protocol is everything.”
During my time at the Washington School of Protocol, it became clear that dining etiquette skills are a priority among business people. At a formal dinner with the Speaker of the House on Parliament Hill, everyone was watching the Speaker before they picked up a fork, anxious to not make a faux pas. With great delight I watched another guest who had taken our dining etiquette training, perfectly at ease, making conversation, and never once worrying about how to act. Dining confidence is critical.
Of course it is important to recognize a fish fork from a dinner fork, but what is most important is to feel confidant and not let the “little things” ruin your presence or conversation. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you are so preoccupied about your table manners that you are neglecting social etiquette, your company or even your reputation.
Here's where we can help.
Learn at your own pace with Corporate Class Inc.'s Executive Dining Etiquette CD. With 50-mintues of enjoyable practical hands-on instructions, this unique CD uses a common sense approach. You get a true dining/video experience: you are seated at the dining table with simultaneous images, voice and text summaries.
You are taken through real life dining dilemmas and are shown how to reach a new level of confidence and competency. There is also an entertaining quiz at the conclusion of the program to test your dining etiquette understanding.
"In the pharmaceutical industry, our sales representatives take clients to business luncheons and dinners regularly. Some of our representatives are young and not quite comfortable in these situations. It is also our belief that some of our senior sales representatives could equally benefit from your training."
We conducted a dining tutorial over a four-course meal with representatives at their national sales and training meeting.
Feedback from a senior manager after our training program:
"I had no idea your training covered so much. Based on conversation with the reps. I believe all of us have adopted your way of handling the bill. Such a classy way of doing things. I also have to tell you that in the 20 years in this business, no one ever told me I held my knife awkwardly or suggested how to invite clients to dinner in a way that demonstrated integrity, sincerity and professionalism. I know we all benefited from the dining etiquette training."
In 10 Easy to Follow Steps You Will Learn:
How to take the lead when hosting guests
How to be a gracious guest
Top five dining etiquette mistakes you should never make
Top 3 Essential Place settings – casual, informal and formal
Styles of eating: To switch or not to switch
Toasting at the beginning and the end of a meal
Handling your knife and fork
Napkin Etiquette
How to eat difficult foods
Paying the bill
Fast and easy learning.Corporate Class has made its dining etiquette lessons available in both audio and video format so you get a total learning experience.
For the seasoned professional. Often highly visible people tell me about the importance of what I do, however, as we start eating, I quickly realize that they overlooked a few simple important etiquette rules themselves. This dining etiquette CD teaches you everything you need to know to impeccably handle any business or social meal.
For any professional on the fast track to success. Employers often conduct interviews over lunch. Here’s where you can stand out from the crowd of other applicants. From these comprehensive dining etiquette lessons you will learn how to behave graciously, identify and handle tableware, eat difficult foods, and much more!
Makes a great gift for students or any professional.
Don’t take our word for it. See for yourself the difference correct dining etiquette can add to your success. Get your Executive Dining Etiquette CD today!
