The Etiquette Blog
The Etiquette Blog is dedicated to the Quest for Civility in the modern world. Our goal with each article is to answer your etiquette questions on table manners, your social life, the work environment and more.
A new article is posted each week. You can search the over 250 current articles by typing a keyword in the search box to the right of your screen.
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Explore and enjoy!
Remaining Etiquette-ful When Out for a Walk
Watching pedestrians navigate sidewalks and walkways makes it look easy and natural. While practice may make this true, there are rules in place to help keep you civil and safe when out for a walk.
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Why You Should Aim for Stress-free Meals
Any time a meal is shared, being relaxed is the desired state of mind. Creating a stress-free and happy emotional climate where positive interchange can occur is always the goal.
The Food-Obsessed Dinner Guest
Most get-togethers center around fun conversations and good food. But when you host a food-obsessed dinner guest, there's a chance the lighthearted enjoyment of a meal could go right out the window.
What Restaurant Servers Would Advise Diners NOT to Do
One point that comes up often in discussions with waitstaff is the behavior of restaurant guests. Diners, here are the things your servers would like you to know if only they could tell you.
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Making Etiquette-ful Hospital Visits
There are many reasons to visit a hospital, and displaying good manners are bound to make those situations better.
How Not to Be a Jerk
No one sets out to be a jerk. But we all know one when we see one. And sometimes, after the fact, we know if we've been one.
Etiquette is Not "Outclassing the Competition"
The promotional phrase, “outclassing the competition by learning etiquette” gives etiquette a bad name. Aiming to be etiquette-ful is not about positioning yourself to “outclass” anyone else.
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Using Utensil Placement to Send Signals to Servers
The only signals your server needs to receive via utensil placement is whether you are pausing during your meal, or whether you are finished with your meal. No other signals are necessary.
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What's Wrong with Licking Your Fingers or Utensils?
Some foods need to be savored. And when crumbs or a trace of sauce are left on your fingers, it needs to make its way to your mouth, right? Wrong.
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Who or What Comes First?
Etiquette is an information system that depends on knowing who and what comes first. With this information, the back and forth of human interaction is put into play.
Using Tolerance to Maintain Civility
Tolerance involves the recognition that just as you want to be treated decently, others also want the same treatment.
Women Doctors and What to Call Them
Women doctors have earned their title. Yet, there remains a double standard when it comes to addressing them with the appropriate honorific.
How to Avoid Dining Faux Pas
The best way to avoid dining faux pas is to remain mindful of others at your table. However, as with any occasion involving humans, orderliness is dependent on the behavior of each individual.
Managing Office Gossip
There are many factors that can affect work productivity and employee morale. One of the biggest culprits is office gossip.
When Curiosity Doesn't Include Sympathy
Etiquette asks us to show interest in others - to show curiosity. But curiosity with some sense of sympathy can negatively affect your interactions with others.
What's Wrong with "Just Kidding?"
The phrase “Just kidding” is many times preceded by an insult of some type. Even when it isn’t, you may leave people wondering if it was.
Don’t Take it Personally
When you take things personally, you head in the direction of a negative reaction. Rather than let someone affect you this way, try these strategies to offset your self-talk from the start.
Etiquette-ful Reciprocity
You feel gratitude when someone extends an intentional good act toward you, leading you to extend a good act back to that person. This is reciprocity in action.
A Modern Definition of Etiquette
A definition of etiquette includes the ways we show up in our behaviors. At its core are the principles of good manners: respect, courtesy, tact, restraint, self-command, and responsibility.
Giving Appropriate Compliments on Jewelry
A compliment on jewelry is meaningful. When a person chooses to accessorize with jewelry, they have privately, and perhaps subconsciously, made a decision about what complements their style.
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Candace Smith Etiquette appears in:
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Candace Smith Etiquette
Orange, CA
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