Read a student's account of our most recent session in our Management Leadership and Development program below. For more information, about MLDP, click here.
Robert Shutt’s Etiquette Dinner, sponsored by the Management and Leadership Development Program and catered by the Hanover Inn, was an extremely effective and enjoyable event. After spending the first half hour networking with a range of Dartmouth undergraduate and Tuck School of Business students, the approximately forty participants were presented with a range of helpful business dining guidelines, along with an excellent meal.
Over the course of the next two hours, Mr. Shutt made manners entertaining and applicable. From napkin and utensil placement to the proper means of passing bread and condiments, I am confident that each attendee became more confident in the nuances of mannered dining.
Each course, from soup to salad, entrée to dessert, provided new insights into a business dining experience, as well as new challenges posed with each type of food. We were expertly guided through many possible scenarios. From the mundane case of dropping a napkin off your lap to the truly
embarrassing situation of spilling a drink on someone else, I learned that any event can be navigated with poise.
I particularly appreciated the point that business dinners should be treated separately from social dining experiences. This was especially helpful since, as a woman, social etiquette often dictates that I be treated differently than my male peers. It was important to me that in this business setting, I recognized that I could expect to be regarded as any other member of the organization would be.
The experience that Mr. Shutt provided us was entertaining, but more importantly it created a level of comfort for me when I inevitably dine in a business setting. Instead of becoming nervous because of a small mistake or unforeseen circumstance, I will have a set of guidelines to fall back on.
-Victoria Tersigni '14