10 Essential Social Etiquette Secrets You Should Know If You Can’t Take Etiquette Classes
You already know that good manners are important, but you many not want to shell out the cash to learn all the ins and outs. Here's everything you'll learn in a fancy etiquette class—free of charge
By | Kaitlyn Chamberlin | www.rd.com
Pass dishes to the right
If you’re eating a family-style meal (meaning not individual plates, but multiple dishes that are shared amongst the table), you always pass the dish to the right, or counterclockwise. This is very helpful if multiple dishes are being passed at the same time. Not only will this help you get to eating faster, but if all dishes are going the same direction, there’s a lot less of a chance of dropping a dish or other food disasters. Mind your manners by following these 50 additional etiquette tips.
Introduce the oldest person first
According to Myka Meier, founder and director at Beaumont Etiquette, a company that provides online and in-person training to adults and children, you want to start with the oldest person, or the highest ranking person first, i.e. introduce your Grandpa before introducing your little brother and the president of your company before a colleague. One last note: introduce a woman before a man.
Shake hands the right way
While you probably know that a firm handshake is very important, shaking hands for the proper amount of time is equally as important. You wouldn’t want to shake your boss’ hand the same way you’d shake your friend’s. “When shaking hands, it is two pumps of the hand in business situations and three pumps in social,” says Meier. Shaking hands may seem trivial, but we’ve all been in a situation where the other person won’t let go of your hand. A handshake can reveal a lot about a person—here’s what yours says about you.
