Monday, December 10, 2007

14 Table Manners Every Child Should Know

By: Elena Neitlich

After interviewing for an exciting employment opportunity, the young candidate was rejected, “When I asked for real feedback, the interviewer told me that although my job skills and education were a good fit, some of my table manners raised a red flag. The position entails many client dinners and I guess I had a few bad habits that they saw at meals during the interview process.” The candidate continued, “I would have loved to have been taught proper table manners by my parents. I feel at a real disadvantage, and I am quite frankly, embarrassed by my lack of manners.”

Sadly the situation the interviewee faced above is not uncommon. Competition is fierce for good jobs and seats in good universities. There are many more highly qualified applicants than positions. Polished table skills are a needed asset and social skill in this competitive culture.

Every parent wants to launch their children into the world with the skills they need to succeed. Equipping children with good table manners is an important lesson that all parents should want to give to their children. Using good table manners allows the focus to be placed on the conversation not on the act of eating. Having good table manners gives people the confidence to participate in any dining situation with ease.

Start introducing manners lessons slowly to very young children and add more refined lessons as the child matures. Consistency and repetition are very important when teaching children. Parents will have to reinforce the rules time and time again until good practices become habit. Remind children whenever a slip in manners occurs but don’t scold or nag.

Practicing good manners daily will eventually lead to mastery and manners will become second nature. As children develop fine motor skills, their use of utensils and glassware will improve. With constant repetition, by the early teen years, kids will have built up a comprehensive collection of manners which parents need only fine-tune for teens to be capable of attending the most formal of occasions.

For the well being of the children, even busy families should find the time to sit down together each evening for a meal. The most simple of meals, including take-out fare, are fine choices. Make sure that the food is transferred and/or served in serving dishes and that the family uses dinnerware. If dinner is impossible on certain evenings, families can sit down later in the evening for dessert; make sure to set the table and use dinnerware and utensils.

Teaching children the proper way to set the table is a perfect start for introducing the use of utensils, plates and glasses. Explain where each utensil is placed, what it is for, when it is used, and the correct way to hold it. Young children love being given a responsibility and will happily and proudly set the table each evening. Put placemats, napkins, silverware, plates, cups and bowls within reach of children to facilitate easy table setting. A good idea in homes with small children is to purchase nice quality melamine dishes so when plates drop they will not break.

Children do not learn proper table manners overnight. It takes years of repetition and consistent training to refine their skills. Parents have eighteen years to help shape their child’s table manners so there is plenty of time to patiently work with them. Expect lots of errors and missteps, use gentle guidance, never scold or embarrass, just kindly correct and continue eating.

If parents begin teaching manners when their children are toddlers, by the time the kids are in kindergarten they will have mastery of the basics.

The following is a list of table manners that your child should have a good grasp of by age six.

Wash their hands and face before sitting down to the table.

Sit down in their proper seat and put their napkin in their lap.

Wait to begin eating until everyone is seated and has been served. Many families wait until an adult gives permission to start eating.

Stay seated in their seats without wiggling in their chairs, going under the table, or getting up and down.

Say, “Excuse Me,” and ask permission to leave the table.

Elbows do not belong on the table.

Mouths should stay closed while chewing and pieces should be bite sized.

“May I please” and “Thank you” should be used when children would like food and never reach across the table.

Participate in the conversation during dinner and no interruptions when other people are talking.

Slurping, burping, squealing, singing, humming are all sounds that are not to be made at the table.

It is never kind or polite to make negative comments about what is being served for dinner.

Before getting up at the end of the meal say, “May I please be excused?”

Ask if adults would like them to clear their dinner plate.

Thank the cook.

Preparing children for adulthood starts the moment the baby is placed in the arms of the mother. Teaching children to use good table manners is a wonderful gift that will serve them well throughout their entire lives. Parents will be proud that their children are using the good manners that they have taught them, and more importantly children will be polished and refined and capable of being comfortable in any situation.

For more information on this author please visit: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/parenting/article_1635.shtml

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Everything was going well, so what happenned?!?!

Q & A

Dear High Level Game,

I went out with a girl last night with whom I have a lot of chemistry. It went alright, but unfortunately, nothing happened. My escalation was weak, although part of that was due to the fact that I didn’t want to force anything unnaturally—especially given the fact that we work together (bad idea, I know). In hindsight, I realize was inside my head for awhile at the coffee shop (figuring out how to close the deal rather than vibing), but she did seem to have fun and came inside before and after (although I couldn’t get her to stay and watch the short film I had told her about, which was where I had planned to make my move). My failure to close recently is becoming very frustrating—this is the third girl who’s come to my apartment on the late night in the last few months that I have failed to do anything with any one of them despite the presence of attraction, and in my co-worker’s case, comfort even—not to mention it’s something I’ve done numerous times before in my life. I am open to any advice/thoughts you have.

--RR, Kansas City, MO

[Click here for the answer to this question]

Monday, July 30, 2007

Why Observing Foreign Culture Can Lead To Business Success

When conducting business abroad, taking the time to learn the differences in cultural and business etiquette can mean the difference between success and an unsigned contract.

[READ FULL ARTICLE]

Thursday, March 15, 2007

5 Instant Ways to Develop Superior Confidence Around Women

Hey ya'll check out this article I came across. I find it very interesting because I know a few guys who are apart of this community they call PUA. As a matter of fact my best-friend is one of the founders of High Level Game. High Level Game is know for there great service in helping men and women with social dynamics. Check out their website at http://www.highlevelgame.com.
You should also click here for more information on other society and culture related topics.



Article:
Let me ask you a question...

Are you one of those guys with absolute confidence in yourself and can attract women just through your presence?

If you're not, then pay close attention to this article...

Have ever noticed how certain guys seem to attract women despite their looks, money or social economic status. What all these men have in common is their superior confidence in themselves and their ability to project this attitude.

But what if you have no confidence when it comes to meeting and attracting women?

Well, you're in luck!

Confidence is actually something that can be developed, regardless of your dating background. So how do you do this?

It's simple! Just follow the 5 steps I'll outline in this article and you'll be on road towards developing superior confidence around women.

Step 1- Develop the right mindset

If you want to become an incredibly confident person, you need to develop the attitude that you'll NEVER fail. Now while you WILL fail from time to time, you have to create the mindset that failure is not a bad thing

Even when you fail, look at it as a learning experience and an opportunity to learn what went wrong. In essence, you're embracing any setback as a chance to learn from your mistakes.

Step 2- Practice confidence every moment of the day

In order to become confident you must practice this attitude all the time. It's not something you can turn on and off during specific periods of the day. That means you can't act like a confident person one time and then like a wuss during other periods.

If you want to become a confident male, you must ACT like a confident male- all the time!

Step 3- Fake it till you make it

There will be times when you don't feel particularly confident. But if you don't have this attitude you have to pretend like you do.

The old adage is true- you must fake it till you make it. By acting like you're confident, you'll at least give off the appearance of someone who is comfortable with himself.

The funny thing is over time faking confidence will actually lead towards to developing this kind of attitude.

Step 4- Talk to everyone around you

Now the key to becoming confident ALL the time is to engage everyone you meet in conversations. As you probably know, a lack of confidence is caused by an inability to become comfortable around the people we encounter in our lives.

The only way to overcome this is consistently start talking to people you meet. Ultimately the more you do this the quicker you'll develop superior confidence around women.

Step 5- Give off positive energy

Your final step to becoming a superiorly confident male is to give off positive energy everywhere you go. By being an energetic and fun person, you'll become somebody who women WANT to be around.

Just remember that energy and enthusiasm is something which should be shared with everyone near you. It's kind of like karma- the more positive things you do, the more it'll be returned back to you.

Superior confidence doesn't come naturally for many men. However if you learn how to develop and control it, you'll become the kind of guy who ALL women want to be around.

All you have to do is follow the five steps I've outlined in this article and you'll be on the road towards developing an incredible level of confidence.