Business Etiquette
December 15 is national Wear Your Pearls Day in the U.S. Far from a frivolous salute to a gem that is the unofficial symbol of the protocol profession, the day has a deeper meaning whose symbolism correlates nicely with what we do. The observance was started in 2016 by motivational speaker and author DeAnna Bookert…
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I have a great resource for you. It’s the protocol officer’s association, an amazing organization for special events planners, chiefs of staff, people who work in government relations, international affairs, for hospitals, corporations, the military, who manage official residences, and for all of us who welcome distinguished guests, famous people, elected officials, or who plan…
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The January 6 House Select Committee hearings have yielded shocking revelations, but one of the biggest disappointments for me is learning that many of our highest-ranking officials and their staffers have extremely limited vocabularies. I’m talking about the ubiquitous use of the f-word. What was once the most incendiary “naughty” word, one that is exceedingly…
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Being cooped up in my World Headquarters (aka my home office) has made me thoroughly sick of videoconferencing, texts, and e-mails. Can we just talk? A simple phone call would solve most communication needs and have the added benefit of providing a more natural connection to the person on the other end. While the…
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Last week Americans got a lesson in the important role parliamentarians play in ensuring that organizations do things according to their established rules. Elizabeth MacDonough, parliamentarian of the U.S. Senate, ruled that a proposal to raise the minimum wage could not be part of a COVID-19 relief bill because including it would violate Senate rules.…
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Campus closures have forced a crash course in something that most events planners don’t really do—audio and video conferencing. After all, our business is creating ways to get people together, not working with technology to keep them separated. Our staff was sent home last week with a directive to download several types of virtual meeting…
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Do you work with a volcano? I’m talking about an irascible person whose irrational adult temper tantrums explode on all bystanders at the most inopportune moments causing fear, confusion, hurt feelings, and embarrassment just when the team most needs to pull together. The deadline pressure of special events in particular seem to provoke these people.…
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I’m proud to announce that updated editions of two of my most popular books, Special Events Planning for Success, 3rdedition, and Etiquette and Protocol A Guide for Campus Events, 2ndedition, are now available from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Both have been extensively updated to reflect our current societal norms including everything from…
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People often ask me what protocol professionals do. The simple answer is we ensure that things run smoothly so that business can be accomplished and relationships can develop without the distraction of logistics. We just finished one of my favorite events of the year, the week The University of Alabama in Huntsville hosts the annual…
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A woman and her service dog attended one of my etiquette classes this week. It was my first experience working with such a team. The class was learning about how to work a room with exercises that required stand-up participation and handling food and drink. It was a beautiful thing to watch the woman and…
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