Basic Dining Etiquette

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Nancy Mitchell
The Etiquette Advocate, Inc.
www.etiquetteadvocate.com  
(301) 320-2393

Nancy R. Mitchell is an established protocol and etiquette consultant and advisor with more than 30 years of experience in the field. Currently, she is an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University, where she developed and teaches protocol courses to Event Management Certificate Program students in the School of Business and Public Management, and at Stratford University, Falls Church, VA. She serves also as protocol and special events consultant to the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library and cultural center. For 23 years, Mitchell was Director of Special Events and Public Programs at the Library of Congress where she and her staff were responsible for planning and managing over 400 events each year. She coordinated the institution’s major special events, visits of heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, fundraising galas, conferences and meetings. As the Library’s chief protocol advisor, she served as liaison to the White House, U.S Department of State, the Congress, the Supreme Court and other government agencies, foreign embassies, academia and corporations. Mitchell owns The Etiquette Advocate, Inc., a firm providing etiquette and protocol training to corporations, universities, embassies, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals. She is the etiquette consultant to Engaged! magazine; has been featured on Good Morning America, Fox 5 News, WTOP Radio and National Public Radio; and is quoted on matters of etiquette and protocol by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Washington Business Journal. She is a co-owner of the firm, Protocol Partners-Washington Center for Protocol, Inc., and is a member of the Protocol and Diplomacy International Protocol Officers Association.

Basic Dining Etiquette

In this video, etiquette expert Nancy R. Mitchell, The Etiquette Advocate, guides viewers through established rules and nuances of dining etiquette. Segments presented cover responding to an invitation; do’s and taboos at table; navigating a place setting; use of utensils, including American vs. European styles of dining; eating various courses; toasting; and mastering challenging foods.

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Transcripts

Nancy Mitchell: Hello, my name is Nancy Mitchell and I am the owner of the Etiquette Advocate in Washington DC. My firm provides social and business etiquette and protocol training to corporations, universities, embassies and government agencies. Today we where going to be talking about, dining etiquette skills and our goal is to make you more comfortable, when you dine for business or pleasure. When you know that your manners measure up, youll be able to concentrate on your dining companions and your agenda and not on your silverware. We will be talking today about utensils, glassware, dishes, well be learning how to eat difficult foods. We will talk about the service, how foods come out to you what you do when waiters come to the table. We want you to get ready for primetime. What we will be doing today too is we will be working with a very elaborate place setting and talk about formal meal service. But, you will know that these skills and manners translate to any dining experience you may have in your business or your social life. So lets begin.

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