Manners @ The Table: A Modern Guide to Dining Etiquette

The place where our manners are really put to the test is at the table. Eating a meal with others is a veritable minefield of potential blunders and gaffes, so if you’re planning to dine with work colleagues, superiors or clients, it’s wise for you to be fully versed in dining etiquette.

This course covers the fundamentals of table manners, addressing everything from place settings to holding utensils, good posture to appropriate conversation. Business dinners and power lunches are where so many key decisions are made and relationships are formed. So it’s imperative that you go in ready to impress and avoid unforced errors.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Navigate a menu and wine list and order the right thing.
• Hold utensils properly and understand the differences between American and Continental styles.
• Deal with specific courses in the meal, from bread and butter to soup and salad.
• Have good posture, eye contact and appropriate gesturing.
• Handle it if you don’t like what you’ve ordered.
• Toast your host or guest of honor.
• End a meal properly and know when you can leave the table.