Etiquette School of Ohio

Which Shaker is for Salt and Which is for Pepper?

Salt should be placed in the shaker with fewer and larger holes so the large granules pass through the holes easily.

Ground pepper is placed in the shaker with more and smaller holes.

Housewarming Gifts

As many of you travel to visit friends and family during this holiday season, bringing a gift for your host or hostess is a wonderful and most appropriate idea.

Some gifts you may want to consider:

1. Homemade cookies or desserts

2. Specialty foods

3. Candles

4. Wine

5. Ornaments

6. Leather bound journals

7. Picture frames with photos taken during the holiday (sent after your visit)

In addition to a gift, please offer to help with household tasks such as washing the dishes, setting the table, or walking the dog.  Your host may turn your offer down, but will appreciate your willingness to help.

Sandy Hyde to Appear on ABC 22/Fox 45 Dayton

Etiquette coach, Sandy Hyde, will appear on ABC 22/Fox 45 Dayton, Thursday, November 20 at 8:20am.  In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, she will be offering etiquette tips to host Thanksgiving dinner with ease and grace.  Tune in to learn the duties of the host or hostess as well as entertaining do’s and don’ts.

Sending Flowers To A Patient In The Hospital

If you send or bring flowers to a patient in the hospital, please make sure the flowers are in a container.  Most hospitals do not have extra containers available to place the flowers in.

Also, make sure the patient is not allergic to any flowers and check to make sure they are allowed in the room.  Many intensive care units do not allow plants or flowers in the rooms.

There is not a great deal of surface area to place flowers or plants on so consider sending a small arrangement.

Depending on the condition of the patient, you may want to consider bringing a magazine or newspaper for the patient to enjoy instead of flowers.

You may also want to consider sending flowers to the patients home while they are recovering instead of sending them to the hospital.   It is sometimes difficult to transport flowers from the hospital to their home.

Children’s Etiquette, (Young and Old) - Say “Hi” When Passing By

Whenever you pass someone in the hallways of your school or walking down the sidewalk, smile and say hi. It doesn’t matter if the other student is older or younger or if you know them or not.  Saying hello will make them feel comfortable and welcomed.

If you’re walking with a group of friends and another student walks by, it is especially important to smile and say hi.  A group is very intimidating to a person walking alone, so try to make the other student comfortable as you pass by.  Think about how you would feel if you were the student walking alone.

Respect the Privacy of Faxes

When sorting through the company faxes, do not read the content of each fax.  Read the cover sheet only to find your fax or learn who you should deliver a recently transmitted fax to.

Business Dining - Who Pays?

When dining out on business, the host, the person who initiated the invitation, is expected to pay the bill.   Today, business dining is gender-free.  It does not matter if the host is male or female.

The Bride’s Attendants - Junior Bridemaids

Young ladies between the ages of eight and fourteen are often asked to be junior bridesmaids since they are too old to be a flower girl and still a little too young to be a bridesmaid.

Attire should be age appropriate for a junior bridesmaid.  Low cut necklines and high heels should be avoided.  The dress and bouquet of the junior bridesmaid should compliment those of the bridesmaids.

The only prewedding activities a junior bridesmaid must attend are the rehearsal and the earlier portion of the rehearsal dinner.

Avoid The Blind Spot - Driving Etiquette

When driving on a roadway with 4 or more lanes, please avoid driving in another vehicle’s blind spot if possible.

If the driver of the other vehicle needs to change lanes, you will not be seen when they check their mirrors to see if it’s safe to change lanes.  Don’t set yourself up for a potential accident.

“I Need You To…Say Please”

My husband and I recently refinanced our home with a mortgage company.  If you’ve ever been through a home closing or a refinancing, you know there are many papers to sign and the process can take up to an hour.

During our closing, the mortgage company representative continually said, “I need you to sign here.”  Not once did she ever say please.  By the end of the closing, I didn’t want to be ordered to do one more thing.

The same day, I stopped in a retail store to return an item I purchased the week before.  When I approached the sales associate at the counter, she told me, “I need you to go to register 3.”  The sales associate at register 3 returned my item, but told me, “I need you to fill in your address and sign at the bottom.”

I then went to a medical appointment and after signing in, the receptionist said, “I need you to take a seat.”  Once I was in an exam room, the nurse said, “I need you to put this gown on.”  The doctor came in and told me, “I need you to take a deep breath.”

Would you please notice the pattern here?

What is happening to the etiquette of being polite?  Please do not demand someone to do anything for you.  The practice of being polite in our society is deteriorating.

Please stop the rudeness and say, “please”, when phrasing a request.