Missed manners
Everyone remembers the first time they were admonished for having their elbows on the table. What most people don’t know is that your elbows are not the only thing you should watch.
Maggie McQuown, founder and president of VisibleEDGE Resources, was invited to lecture Tuesday night on the importance of good manners during meals, especially during a business interview.
The lecture was held in the Andersen Gallery of Cox School of Business. Rather than the tedious “all talk” lecture style, students paid $20 for a meal and direct instruction sitting around tables and sipping on iced tea. As McQuown pointed out various common mistakes that people make at the dinner table, participants were able to have first-hand experience in etiquette.
Francesca Patrizio, a senior business student and a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, first became aware of this class when she went to an MBA luncheon. After discovering the benefits a program like this can give, Patrizio went directly to the undergraduate department where she found support from the Marketing Club, as well as her sorority.
“Hopefully next semester we can use student funds to defer all costs of the students. That’s our goal, to have it not cost so much next time around.”
Possible sponsors for next semester are 7-Eleven, Target, Frito-Lay, and JC Penney.
There was much surprise over the dinner’s turnout. Ninety-seven students turned up, a number of whom are first-years that live in Virginia-Snider Hall. They were told by their R.A., Cedric Scott, about the business etiquette dinner.
“I decided it would be a good activity for the students to come to,” said Scott, who heard of the dinner from one of the organizers. ” I am very happy I came; this will prepare me for the real world where I’ll meet managers and CEOs. Now I know how to behave and not make a fool of myself.”
The four-course meal was prepared and served by SMU Catering. Soup preceded salad, then Chicken a la Marengo, and finally a chocolate mousse. Every bite, though, came with a tip from the knowledgeable lips of McQuown.
“Sometimes you just have to use common sense,” she said, “you need to understand the subtleties that people use when they are hosting a meal.”.
As dinner ended, the happy mumble of voices rose to a rumble, and the students leaned back to give room to their full stomachs. Laughter and questions came with coffee, and everyone was sure to keep their elbows of the table.
