Take a Bite Out of Life!

The necessity for chewing bite-sized pieces is one of our favorite lessons to teach our students.

1. First, you will need 1 large marshmallow, 3 miniature marshmallows, and a napkin. 

2. Place your napkin in your lap.

3. Put the large marshmallow in your mouth and try to chew it politely while talking with your dinner partners. 

4. Put one miniature marshmallow in your mouth at a time and chew politely while talking with your dinner partners.

How did it go? Chances are you looked funny trying to chew the large marshmallow in one bite. Mini marshmallows are the perfect bite sized pieces. Chewing with bite sized pieces sets the perfect pace for being a great dinner conversationalist!

Making the Most Out of Dinner Conversation as told by George Washington in "Rules of Civility"

1. "If anyone comes to speak to you while you are sitting, stand up, though he be your inferior, and when you present seats, let it be to everyone according to his degree."

2. "Put not another bite into your mouth till the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls."

3. "Drink not nor talk with your mouth full, neither gaze about you while you are drinking."

Thankfully, the choice to sign up for ELI training is not hard!

96 days to the next Etiquette and Leadership Institute

"Train to be a Manners, Etiquette, Leadership and Character Coach/Consultant."

June 20 - 24, 2016

Call April McLean at 706.769.5150 to reserve your seat. 

Tips for the imperfect (or normal) Thanksgiving gathering

If you have never looked this happy at the dinner table, don't worry. You are not alone.


Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather cherished friends and family, eat delicious food, and bask in collective gratitude for all the precious things in our lives.

Of course, no one is perfect. Some Thanksgiving dinners are less like a soft-focus greeting card and more like a semi-polite line of scrimmage. Some guests might not get along. Someone may not like the food. Before you know it, the once-tranquil atmosphere around the table has gotten tense.

What should you do?

We say: prepare now! Here our some quick tips to ensure a happier gathering of any sort:

1. Don’t discuss politics, religion, or money. There are a lot of other things to talk about, trust us.

2. Do keep your phone off the table and out of sight! Unless you are expecting an emergency, calls and texts (and Facebook-checking) can wait until after the meal.

3. Do take the stress off yourself, host or hostess, by having the table set before your guests arrive and letting family members serve themselves (to keep the flow going, pass dishes to the right, unless someone to your immediate left requests what you have in your hands).

4. Do take things outside. If children are getting rambunctious, adults are falling into tryptophan-induced sleepiness, or an argument is getting heated, suggest a walk around the block or some playtime in the yard. (Inclement weather? Hand them umbrellas and boots and get to it.)

5. Do try to see your guests as who they are: loved ones. Maybe quirky or argumentative or sensitive or sarcastic, but all people who matter in your life. Try to embrace it. Cherish those memories! Someday, you might even be able to laugh about some of them.