Miss Manners Makes A House Call

Miss Manners Makes a House Call


Have you ever attended one of those business luncheons or fund raising dinners and realized you were the only one who knew which eating utensil to use first? Are you one of those people who actually listened when Mom said to get your elbows off the table? Did you know that you can put your good sense and polite manners to work for you?

Anyone who has patronized a clothing store or a family restaurant probably has a story to tell of disappointing, perhaps even deplorable, customer service. It sometimes seems that the old saying is true. Good help is hard to find. What employer wouldn’t hire someone to teach basic etiquette skills to his workers, especially if he thought it would improve the bottom line?

Becoming an image consultant is relatively easy for those people who inherently know this stuff anyway. Quick research at the library will provide you with ample material for a packet of handouts. Have business cards and brochures printed up and you are ready to get to work.

I know a business owner who, after repeated attempts to enforce a proper dress policy, finally spent $400 for a consultant to present a weekend workshop.

Not only did the consultant explain the importance of appearance, she also instructed the staff on the proper way to answer a telephone and take a message. She touched on the basics of good letter writing and sending thank you notes. The employees were taught and then given a chance to practice a really good handshake. They even learned what different types of handshakes communicate.

That evening the consultant dined with the entire staff and offered tips throughout the meal. Who orders first? Is it okay to have an alcoholic beverage? How do you avoid awkwardness when the check comes? What do you do when your meal is prepared incorrectly? In addition, yes, she told them which fork to use first.

A weekend workshop could be held as a retreat. For more convenience, you could offer one-hour courses during lunch right there at the office.

The classes could be changed, of course, depending on the nature of the business. For example, in August of 2003, USA Today reported a widespread problem with inappropriate dressing in the high schools - by the teachers. You could offer to do an in-service for new teachers. Even more fun might be to offer a class to those high school students preparing for college scholarship interviews or college graduates preparing for job interviews.

With minimal preparation, you could make money sharing your knowledge of professional behavior with today’s workforce. With the resulting improved customer service, employers and consumers alike are bound to be happier. Just think, you could be improving business, making the world a happier place and earning a living all at the same time…and all because you know how to mind your manners.

Resources:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080611-microsoft-patent-brings-miss-manners-into-the-digital-age.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-Good-Manners

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manners