Thanksgiving Etiquette

Thanksgiving Etiquette: Mind Your Manners

The holiday season has arrived, which means calendars will soon be filled with company dinners and client gatherings. Promotional Consultant Today is preparing you to make the best impression during this festive season with these etiquette reminders so you'll appear polished and professional. Managing your napkin: Your napkin comes off the table when everyone is seated. The dinner napkin is folded in half and placed in your lap with the crease facing your waist. It is used only for blotting your mouth. It is not meant to be a multi-purpose item and never serves as a handkerchief. Starting to eat: Wait until the host has raised his fork before you pick up yours. If he stops with fork in mid-air to answer a question or complete a sentence, you can proceed to eat. It is a matter of who raises their utensil first, not who begins chewing first. Using the correct utensil: Forks are on the left and knives and spoons are on the right. Take the utensil that is the farthest from your plate and work your way from the outside in. Using the right glass and side plate. It's often confusing when there are multiple settings placed closed together on a table. If you're not sure which is your plate or your glass, just remember BMW, or bread-meal-water. The bread plate is always in the upper left corner and water glass in the upper right corner. Breaking your bread: When eating bread, tear off one small piece at a time. The bread and butter knife is used to butter the bread, not to cut it. Placement of used utensils: Once you have used a piece of cutlery, it never goes back on the table. Rest it on your plate. Knives are always placed at the top of the plate with the blade facing in and forks are put in the lower right-hand corner of the plate when you are resting between bites. When you have finished your meal, place the knife and fork together with their handles in the lower right hand corner of the plate. Removing unwanted objects from your mouth: If you have something in your mouth that you cannot swallow, remember this. The item comes out the same way it went in. If it went in with a fork, it comes out with a fork. If it went in a spoon, it comes out with a spoon. If it went in with your fingers, it comes out with your fingers. That's the rule. If this sounds challenging, try it in the privacy of your home. You'll find that it is not as difficult as you might think. Don't forget to pass to the left, and look for PCT right back in your inbox tomorrow morning. Source: Lydia Ramsey is an international business etiquette expert, professional speaker, executive coach and the author of numerous books including Manners That Sell--Adding The Polish That Builds Profits. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and many other off-line and online publications. She shares her business etiquette tips in her monthly e-zine, her blog, and on Twitter.