Etiquette Training for Miss BC 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on August 1st, 2018
Miss BC 2018 - 4 regional winners

Miss BC 2018 – 4 regional winners with Darren Storsley, Director of Miss/Mrs/Miss Teen B.C.

Congratulations to all! Miss BC 2018! It is my pleasure to announce that Elizabeth Etiquette was once again the official etiquette trainer for Miss BC, Mrs BC and Miss Teen BC this year. During the three-day event in July all of the participants were provided with professional training in areas such as public speaking, community development, health, fitness and nutrition, choreography, assertiveness training, media relations, self-defence and more.

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Summer Etiquette Tips – House Guests

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on July 30th, 2018

WelcomeSummer is here and many of us are preparing our homes for coming house guests and visitors.

If you have children, it is a good idea to also prepare them for sharing their home with others, especially if the guests will be staying overnight.

Children often become comfortable with their routines and may not adjust well to changes.

Before your visitors arrive, take the time to discuss the arrangements with your children and to review good etiquette and behaviour. Some topics to discuss include:

Sharing and making compromises

Having a houseguest usually requires adjustments and compromises. Children may have to give up their bedroom to Grandma or share their bedroom with a visiting cousin. Make sure they understand that the arrangement is temporary and that their cooperation is appreciated.

If other children will be visiting, talk to your children about sharing their toys, but do allow for some exceptions. For example, if they have a special belonging, they may choose to put it away during the visit so it doesn’t get broken or harmed.

Including others and inviting others to play

Children often forget to consider how others might be feeling and, although they might not intentionally leave them out of activities, they may not specifically invite them to play. The visiting children may feel shy or nervous when they arrive and may need some encouragement to participate.

If your children do not know the visiting children well, talk to them about the coming visitors. Show them pictures and tell them about some of the activities they like, things they have done, and suggest ways your child might help their guests to feel welcome.

Being considerate and tolerating other’s activities

Remind your child that different people do things differently and have different likes and dislikes.

When people are visiting, the routines your child is used to may be disrupted and they may be asked to participate in activities or routines that are new to them. Encourage them to keep their minds open and try new things. They just might discover something new that they really enjoy.

We hope this helps to make your guests feel welcome and your children feel comfortable.

Multi-Family Vacation Etiquette

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on May 28th, 2018
Family vacation

Planning is Key

What could be better than getting away for a holiday and having your friends or extended family with you? Sharing a vacation with others can be a convenient and fun way to spend time together and you can save money by sharing the costs.

Before you embark on a multi-family vacation there are a number of things you should discuss in the planning phase that will help to avoid misunderstandings and conflicting expectations:

Identify the goals of the trip

Depending on personal preferences, vacations can be a time to sit back and relax or a time to explore and participate in many new activities. When planning a group vacation, be sure to consider what each person wants to get out of their vacation and try to include opportunities for everyone to do at least some things that they want to do.

Agree on a budget

Discussing money can be uncomfortable, but it is important to be sure everyone understands the limitations and responsibilities around paying for the trip. Make sure both parties agree on the budget before hand. If you will be sharing accommodations, be sure everyone knows how the costs will be divided and how much they are personally responsible for.

Decide on accommodations

If you are sharing a suite or house, decide on how the space will be divided. Try to include some private areas for each person or family and identify which areas will be common areas.Depending on the needs of your families and the number of bathrooms available, it might also be a good idea to have a basic schedule and limits for bathroom use. If private areas are not of equal size, determine who gets the larger area. Are they required to pay extra for that luxury?

Arrange for food and chores

Discuss food options and set basic rules for sharing a space. If you choose vacation accommodations with a kitchen, you can reduce your overall costs by preparing some meals yourselves. Determine what foods you will bring or buy and who will do the cooking.You might want to share those responsibilities or assign one person as the cook and give the others different duties. However you divide the tasks, make sure that no one person is doing more than their fair share. Also set some ground rules for keeping the common areas tidy. Everyone should be responsible to put away their own belongings and you may want to divide other cleaning tasks so everyone takes a turn.

Discuss the activities

Determine what activities you will each participate in, as well as which ones you want to do together as a group. Having a joint vacation does not necessarily mean spending all of your time with each other.Each family or individual may want to participate in some activities on their own. To avoid hurt feelings, be sure to set the expectation in advance for having some alone time and also schedule times that you will be together.

Phones and social media or no?

Many families have different values so have a conversation about expectations for using mobile phones and accessing social media such as Facebook and Twitter. It can make some families uncomfortable as they may be trying to get away from the digital world while you continue your habits.

You could have a box that all phones are put in for the day or the night. Or just lock them in a car’s compartment. Either way, try disconnecting. You never know, you might like it.

Sunset people

Sharing a vacation with friends or extended family can be an enjoyable way to spend time together, but it does require compromise and understanding. Set the expectations before you leave to avoid disappointments. Don’t let hurt feelings stop you from enjoying vacation time with your friends and family.

Encouraging Manners at an Easter Egg Hunt

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on March 27th, 2018

Easter Egg Hunt

Whether part of Christian Easter celebrations or simply a fun activity, Easter egg hunts have become quite popular in the United Kingdom and North America, as well as in many other countries.

Traditionally, boiled eggs are dyed bright or pastel colours and then hidden for children to find. Today, boiled eggs are often replaced with chocolate or candy eggs or, if the eggs are hidden outdoors, with plastic eggs that may be filled with candy or other treats.

Easter eggsAs well as being a fun activity, Easter egg hunts offer a wonderful opportunity for teaching children about good manners and respect for others. However, with all the excitement and the competitive nature of many Easter egg hunts, they can easily turn into a mad race to get the most with little or no consideration of others. Before you attend an Easter Egg hunt with your children, discuss the activity with them and remind them of the rules of fair play: Pushing and shoving are not allowed; if someone is reaching for an egg, it is already theirs and should not be snatched away; be aware of younger children and don’t knock them over in the rush to find the next egg, help younger children who are having trouble, and so on.

If you are planning your own Easter egg hunt, you can control much of the chaos and level of excitement by establishing rules that foster fairness and cooperation rather than sheer competitiveness. Consider the following ideas for creating a cooperative Easter Egg hunt:

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Manners Matter – Even on the Slopes

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on February 26th, 2018

Old ski girls

February often feels like a long month. The weather has not quite brightened for spring and is often still chilly in the morning and evening. To get through these long days, many families look forward to spring break vacation and, perhaps, a ski trip with friends and family.

To help prepare you for such a trip, we have written some etiquette rules for skiers. If you are one of the many people planning a ski vacation for spring break, it is worth brushing up on your ski etiquette before you go.

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Teaching Gratitude to Children

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on September 25th, 2017

Gratitude is an important life skill that can have a lifelong impact on overall happiness and life satisfaction.

Boy thank youNot only does it foster feelings of empathy and consideration for others, but it reduces feelings of entitlement and chronic disappointment all too common in our busy, self-indulged society. Nonetheless, teaching children to be grateful can be challenging.

Simply saying “Please” and “Thank You” and sending thank you cards is not the same as being grateful; although you might do those things, and good etiquette suggests that you should.

Gratitude results when you notice and appreciate what you have. Unfortunately, many people don’t notice what they have until it’s gone and the tricky part of teaching gratitude is encouraging children to appreciate what they have without feeling guilty for having it.

Try the following suggestions for encouraging your children to notice and appreciate what they have.

Be a Good Role Model

Children learn much more through observation than from being told so make sure you model gratitude. Say “Please” and “Thank you” to your children, let them see you happily writing thank you cards, and express your appreciation for what you have often.

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Etiquette Training for Miss BC 2017

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on July 28th, 2017

Miss BC 2017 crowning

Congratulations to all!
Miss BC 2017

It is my pleasure to announce that Elizabeth Etiquette was once again the official etiquette trainer for Miss BC, Mrs BC and Miss Teen BC this year. During the three-day event in July all of the participants were provided with professional training in areas such as public speaking, community development, health, fitness and nutrition, choreography, assertiveness training, media relations, self-defense and more.

Applications for Miss, Miss Teen, Mrs. and Junior Miss BC 2018 are now being accepted. Visit Miss BC website »

Also, as part of the 15th Anniversary celebration, the Miss, Miss Teen and Mrs BC Pageant created a new category: Junior Miss BC*.

*Girls aged 9-12 were invited to participate in this exciting event, where each participant received professional training in areas such as public speaking, manners and etiquette, anti-bullying and online safety, positive body images and vision boards, community involvement and more.

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Instant Text Messaging Etiquette

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on June 19th, 2017

Holding phoneText messages, e-mails, and instant messages are the most common forms, today, of sharing news and communicating with others on a daily basis. The messages are brief and use an abbreviated form of English. They can also be a quick and fun way to contact family and friends. However, there are some drawbacks that one should be aware of.

Here is the etiquette for the use of instant messaging:

  • One can get carried away with texting and e-mails, and waste hours instant messaging when they could be doing productive activities
  • It is not polite to text our friends when it causes us to ignore the people we are with
  • Spending time with family, in school, attending activities, participating in a sport, sitting down to a meal, socializing in a group, or watching a movie are NOT times to start sending messages
  • It is polite to give our undivided attention to the people we are with.
  • We use clipped grammar when we write text messages, but that does not mean we can discard good grammar. Good grammar is vital to good communication and should be a priority when speaking and in the written word

Note: Nothing replaces good face-to-face communication. Part of the fun of life is being with people and sharing.

And don’t forget to remember your manners when texting in public.

Sharing Something

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on June 19th, 2017

Life is sharingSharing is when you allow someone to use something of yours or when you use something that belongs to someone else. The etiquette rules for sharing are:

  • Ask before you take
  • Say, “Please, thank you and you’re welcome”
  • It is polite to “take turns”
  • When you are the person borrowing an item, make sure you treat the item with care and not damage it in any way
  • Return the item when the person you are borrowing from says they want it back
  • Make sure you hand the item back to the person. Do not just “leave it somewhere’’
  • Do NOT ever lend something to someone, when the item is not yours

NOTE: Sharing shows a generous spirit that is a really nice trait to possess.

Remember Your Manners When Texting in Public

Posted by Elizabeth Etiquette on June 15th, 2017

While out at a restaurant to other day, I happened to notice a small group of people at another table. They were chatting together while waiting for their meals to arrive.

Suddenly, a cell phone chirped and one of the people in the group checked their phone, chuckled at a text message they had received, and then, without a word to the others, typed a response to the message and placed the phone on the table before returning to the conversation.

“the situation reminded me of two people whispering to each other while in the company of a larger group of people”

A few moments later, the phone chirped again and the person responded to another message while ignoring the people at their table. This routine repeated itself at regular intervals throughout their meal.

Technology aside, the situation reminded me of two people whispering to each other while in the company of a larger group of people. Holding a private conversation, whether through text or in hushed tones, while in the presence of others is extremely poor manners and is disrespectful to the people you are with.

Good etiquette requires that when you are with other people, you turn off your cell phone and text messaging. If you are waiting for an urgent message and must respond, excuse yourself from the group and find a quiet location to respond to the message. If more discussion is needed, it is best to call the person to resolve the issue rather than letting text messages continue to disrupt the people you are with.

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