BCMC Etiquette Series finishes with formal dinner

Students learned how to conduct themselves with class at formal dinners for the final event in the Business Career Management Centre (BCMC) Triple Etiquette Series.

Erin Crotty of BloomStra Consulting showed students the finer points of formal dining, covering everything from how to make a toast to the proper way to hold a glass.

Because so many business meetings take place over a meal, Erin said that knowing how to display good table manners is an excellent way of “outclassing the competition.”

“Two candidates can have the exact same skills and the exact same experience, and things like how you conduct yourself professionally, whether it’s at meals or networking functions, can really make the difference,” she said.

The goal with learning how good table manners is similar to that of dressing for respect or networking well: it’s to leave that positive impression so that people want to continue building the business relationship.

“These are skills that aren’t only for formal dining, but are great to apply whenever we eat,” she said. “Practice them enough and they’ll become a habit.”

Yanina Klopotovskaya, a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student, said learning the little details will help her feel more relaxed at formal dinners.

“It was amazing to to learn about all the details that you don’t think of on an every day basis,” she said. “I think I’ll feel a lot more comfortable going out and dining with professionals.”

Yanina said the detail that surprised her the most was the etiquette behind toasting guests.

“I know toasting isn’t something we do very often, so it was interesting to learn how to react when you are toasted and how to give a toast in a respectful way,” she said.

BCMC’s next big series will be the concentration exploration events next term, where Sprott alumni will come in to speak about their careers in different business areas and answer current students’ questions. Watch for information in the coming weeks in Sprott off the Press.

If you missed the previous two events, here are recaps of the Dress for Respect fashion show and the networking for success workshop.