Perfectly Polished Spotlight: Leah!

Our etiquette school, Perfectly Polished, opened in 1985; today, we teach around 4,000 students a year in 12 area counties. We've loved watching our students grow up over the years. Sometimes, they become young adults who help us teach our younger students! Join us in spotlighting some of these young adults who make Perfectly Polished so special...

We are pleased to continue our series in spotlighting members of our Perfectly Polished student staff, especially those who have been with us since they were some of our youngest Perfectly Polished students! Today, we spotlight Leah Smith.

Leah started taking Perfectly Polished lessons in fifth grade; now, she's a freshman at UGA. She says that her experience in learning and teaching etiquette has given her "crucial skills" that have helped with job interviews and college applications.

Awkward (but fun!) dancing
"My friends and I always enjoyed learning the simple table etiquette and fun line dances. However, I also recall how the boys never wanted to hold my hands to dance. They always held them slightly below mine floating awkwardly in the air without touching. I didn’t mind though, simply because I thought their hands were sweaty and clammy! I still have the memories of getting dressed up with our little white gloves and eating skittles or gold fish out of a bowl to learn how to properly eat soup."

Changing the world with kindness
"Learning the etiquette skills I have through Perfectly Polished has enabled me to be better prepared for real life situations. Also, the world simply needs more politeness! By teaching etiquette to children, the next generation is learning how to properly treat one another with respect. I’ve learned so much through Perfectly Polished that I hope more children are able to learn as well. Simple lessons, such as how to properly introduce yourself or eat politely and correctly, have helped me so much in life!"

Perfectly Polished Spotlight: Laura Margaret

Our etiquette school, Perfectly Polished, opened in 1985; today, we teach around 4,000 students a year in 12 area counties. We've loved watching our students grow up over the years. Sometimes, they become young adults who help us teach our younger students! Join us in spotlighting some of these young adults who make Perfectly Polished so special...

We are pleased to continue our series in spotlighting members of our Perfectly Polished student staff, especially those who have been with us since they were some of our youngest Perfectly Polished students! Today, we spotlight Laura Margaret Burbach.

Here she is practicing interview skills with students of The Ron Clark Academy .

Burbach started taking Perfectly Polished lessons at age 10; now 20, she's studying public policy at Georgia Tech.

Early highlights

"I loved dancing when I was little, so it was so much fun to get to learn the dances at Perfectly Polished. Once I joined staff, I thought it was so funny that the fifth grade boys already hated holding hands with the girls—even when they were wearing gloves!"

Teaching helps the teacher

"Teaching to someone else always helps solidify what you know. Teaching also serves as a strong motivator to carry out the lessons of manners, respect, and professionalism in your own life, because you know your students are watching you and looking up to you."

Etiquette's opportunities

"Etiquette is subtle thing that is only noticed in its absence. For anything—college meetings, job interviews, class presentations—it'd be silly to miss an amazing opportunity because you had poor posture, failed to hold eye contact, or couldn't hold a simple conversation. Perfectly Polished builds confidence from a young age in these critical areas so that they become natural behavior—one less thing to worry about when these important opportunities do arise."

Charge your plates

What's a charger?

No, not the kind for your phone...but the big, fancy plate that makes your table beautiful. You know—the plate on which you don't actually place food.

Chargers, also known as service plates, sit under the dinner plate. They are typically larger than a regular plate so that an inch or two of the decorative plate is visible. Chargers help create a completed look for the entire table, and also allow for the addition of color.

If you've ever used or seen a charger, it's likely been at a formal event, or during the holidays, when many hosts use silver, gold, green, or red chargers with white plates for a festive table.

And, trust us—you really are not supposed to eat on the charger! It's truly an aesthetic touch, though it does have a practical use—it makes removing plates from the table easy, and also keeps a formal table from having an empty place setting. Next time you want to set an immediate dinner mood in a creative way, think of the charger!

Perfectly Polished Spotlight: Emily Noakes

Since our etiquette school, Perfectly Polished, opened in 1985, we have had the distinct honor of getting to know some wonderful children over the years, watching them grow up, and - in some cases - later assist us in teaching our younger students! Since we teach around 4,000 students each year in 12 area counties, we truly appreciate their gifts—and the  fact that our younger students can see a glimpse of how etiquette and social skills can shape their future.

We'll be spotlighting one of these young people regularly, starting with...Emily Noakes! 

(That's her in the middle.)

Emily started Perfectly Polished in the 5th grade; now she's 16 years old and in the 11th grade. We asked Emily to share her early memories of being in Perfectly Polished and more...

Early days
"I was just like a few of those kids in 5th grade who were not too excited to be in the program. I couldn't see the positive influence it was having on me. I came out of my shell and became a social butterfly, because I learned how to show confidence through my appearance and actions. I want to help shy kids like the old me come out of their shells, and blossom into the kids I know that they can become."

Helping younger students
"I get to see these kids grow. I get to see the impact I have on them, and see the smiles on their faces as they finally break through, and see how much fun Perfectly Polished can be, if you open yourself up to it. I love seeing those shy kids who didn't know anyone laugh with the others, and participate the most by the end of the year."

Why etiquette matters
"I think it is very important to teach etiquette to children, because it teaches the kids how to grow. It teaches them how to conquer the oncoming future with confidence. Things like holding a conversation, keeping an audience's attention, and even writing letters can be a huge benefit to handling life. Skills learned in Perfectly Polished will probably stick with me my entire life, and have opened new doors for me...I learned how to face my fears of public speaking, while showing confidence. I learned how to ace a job interview, and to nail that first impression. Without Perfectly Polished, I would be a totally different person, and I am very glad that it has shaped me into the person that I am today."

Camping etiquette!

In our part of the world, public schools are gearing up to start the school year next month, but the summer is hardly over. Which means you still have lots of time to pack your gear and go camping! (Although, really, any time of year is a good time to camp.)

We asked our camping enthusiast friends for their tips on how to enjoy the great outdoors and behave in a way so others can enjoy them too. Before you roll up that sleeping bag and pack your bag, please remember the following...

• You’ve probably head this phrase: Leave no trace. Or maybe: pack it in, pack it out. This means leaving zero litter behind. Take time before your trip to learn how to do this.

• Be aware of other campers’ spaces. Make an effort not to walk through other people’s campsites, or smoke cigarettes where you know they are getting the lion’s share of smoke wafting into their area.

• Hang up your food! You don’t want bears pawing through you or your neighbor’s stuff. (One friend camped next to a campsite that left a keg out all night. A bear found it and had its way with it.)

• Sound pollution: this is a big one. Learn campground quiet hours ahead of time and follow them—but even during non-quiet hours, keep music (and extremely loud conversation in general) turned down. Also, embrace nature and try to leave the generator at home. “Why camp if you’re going to watch TV all night and not go outside?” a friend asks. Believe it or not, she was once kept awake all night by non-stop air conditioning blowing (in a tent)—and a leaf blower going off first thing in the morning!

• Light pollution matters, too. “In an established campground, there’s nothing worse than headlights flashing in your eyes after dark,” says a friend. “Plant yourself at your site before the sun goes down!”

• Prepare for the dark. Besides keeping your food hanging up, one savvy friend recommends tying ribbons or handkerchiefs on rainfly and tent cords to make things easier on you and your friends— “So you don’t get clotheslined in the dark,” she says, should you need to get up and walk around.

• Leave pets where they are happiest. Some dogs make great camping companions; others, distressed, bark all night long. Make plans for your furry friends before you go on the trip. (And make sure the campground allows pets, too!)

Happy camping!

Training Week Success!

And just like that, another training week is over!

Since establishing The Etiquette & Leadership Institute in 2005 (when we acquired the Children's Training Division of the Protocol School of Washington), we've trained over 350 children's etiquette consultants from all over the world. Since we teach around 4,000 students a year in 12 area counties through Perfectly Polished: The Etiquette School, we really practice what we preach (and vice versa!).

We love certifying our consultants! Last week's highlights include 5-course dining tutorial; dancing with Perfectly Polished staff; a segment on tea etiquette; and all the many opportunities consultants-in-training had to practice teaching (including a class of UGA students on campus!).

And of course we enjoyed PSOW's Robert Hickey presenting on marketing, public relations, and more!

Would you like to join us? Please contact us  for information on our next training week!

World Cup Etiquette

Are you watching the World Cup? If you aren't, you probably know people who are, whether it's your co-workers, family, friends, or folks online. It's impossible to be unaware that it's going on, even if you aren't a sports fan in general, and for good reason—it's the World Cup. The whole world is invested in this, and usually with a fervor many in the U.S. would be more familiar with (American) football, if that. In countries where soccer is the sport, enthusiasm for the game is incredible, even inspiring.

As you surely know by now, if you've been watching the games.

We think it's a great time to talk about sports etiquette! There's a lot to say on this subject, but for now, let's keep just a few things in mind, whether you're playing, watching, or coaching a game for adults or children:

• Sportsmanship. This means enjoying the game for the sake of the game, whether you win or lose. This might be a hard concept to consider, especially when our culture often values striving for perfection— placing emphasis on the end result instead of the process of enjoying and learning from the game. A recent survey suggests that sportsmanship is on the decline among youth sports. We say: try to remember that playing the game can be immensely fun, whether you win or lose.

• Respect. This doesn't just apply to cheating or being uncommonly rude to the other team. Grownups of young athletes: this also applies to Soccer Moms and Dads everywhere. This Washington Post article  reminds us of the perils coaches face...from parents. (Read this for more from coaches' perspectives...and this for tips on how to model good behavior for younger players.)

• Unity. World sporting events can be powerful in drawing people together. Enjoy the World Cup as a way to reach out to other fans and bond over the exhilarating highs and heartbreaking lows of the game. Embrace the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. Bond while marveling at the feats of top athletes. Let the World Cup and other sports bring people together—and have fun!