This week's talking point is celebrations. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
How often do you attend celebrations?
What are the reasons for the celebrations you usually attend?
When did you last attend a celebration?
Do you prefer formal or informal celebrations? Why?
Have you ever been the protagonist of a celebration?
Describe how people with bad manners behaved in a celebration you attended.
Talk about how to behave at a wedding in your country. Think about the following points:
-what to wear
-what topics to avoid in polite conversation
-how to greet people
-table manners
To illustrate the topic you can watch this video on table taboos.
Hello, I'm Nancy Mitchell, the owner at the Etiquette Advocate and today we're talking about dining etiquette. We will now talk about what are some of the things you do not want to do when you are seated at a dining room table.
First and foremost, when you arrive at the table and you have found your place, it is extremely rude
to change place cards. The host/hostess has worked very, very hard on finding an arrangement at the table that will facilitate conversation. There is mixing and mingling of people and corporations and agendas. Don't make the mistake of moving a place card. Find your place and sit where you are assigned.
Other things not to do at the table are taking medications. It makes other people very uncomfortable to see you taking a medication even if you need to do that before a meal. It should be very, very unobtrusive. It should be something that you do not do when other people are watching.
Hygiene. Don't assume that after a meal you can apply lipstick. You cannot use a toothpick at the table. You cannot use your finger to get something out of your teeth at the table. All of those things are very offensive and will disturb the other diners.
Using your cell phone. The cell phone should be under the table. It can be in a briefcase, it can be in a handbag. If it rings, reach down, turn it off, saying to your dining companions, I'm so sorry, I thought I had turned that off. Don't look at the display, don't answer the call to say, I'm sorry I can't talk right now, I'll call you back. You are saying to your dining companions that whoever is calling you is more important than they are. This should be out at the picture.
Other things to remember are… it's your responsibility to talk to your guest on your left and your right. If you’ve come to the event with someone from your business, from your family, it's your responsibility to talk to other people at the table and not just to the person with whom you've come.
Other things to avoid are taking away doggie bags. If you're at a business event or any event where you care about your image, don't ask for doggie bags, don't share bites of your food with other people of the table. Don't ask for a taste of someone else's. These things reflect very poorly on you.
Next we're going to be talking about how to navigate a place setting.
To watch the other segments in this video series or for how-to videos on almost any other topic, visit monkeysee.com.
