Photo by Michael Yarish

I have been consumed by Mad Men madness. I think what’s so compelling about the show is witnessing a way of life that is so foreign from our lives today. A way of life that included a three martini lunch followed by a scotch on the rocks afternoon meeting; cigarettes being smoked everywhere including the doctor’s exam room, by the doctor, nevertheless; and a diet of meat, potatoes and canned vegetables.

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The other day my husband, Eric, and I grabbed a fast dinner at Whole Foods Market. We love the variety of options and how easy it is to get a quick meal.

As I was enjoying my chicken mole I noticed a very nicely dressed family sit down near us with their dinner. They must have been at a formal event because they definitely stood out amongst the rest of the jeans and t-shirt crowd. The family was a mom, dad and their son, who looked to be about 11 or 12. I had to laugh because the boy had chosen a sensible dinner of salmon but no vegetables. I surmised that the parents had given up fighting him to eat his veggies because they didn’t seem to be bothered by his choice.

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I sometimes get invited to a business lunch as a potential client. Interestingly, at the last two lunches I’ve encountered hesitant hosts. That is, after sitting down with our food, the host has waited quite some time to start eating. The etiquette is for the guest to wait for the host to start eating before beginning, yet these hosts were just sitting there with the food in front of them.

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I asked my Facebook fans for ideas for a blog post and got some really good questions. They were focused on job search etiquette.

Q. When meeting a potential employer for coffee or a meal to discuss the possibility of working together who picks up the tab? And how do you handle the awkwardness when the check is delivered?

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When you are an etiquette consultant people love to either share with you their etiquette horror stories or ask for etiquette advice. I love that my friends and business associates want to tell me their stories and trust me for advice.

I thought it would be fun to feature some of the etiquette faux pas and questions I’ve gotten over the last month or so.

Etiquette faux pas

A business owner discovered he wasn’t going to be able to deliver on a project for a client, so three months after their last communication he sent an email breaking the bad news.

My response

Never ever give bad news to a client over email. Call them. Also, if you value your clients you should get back to them within 24 hours of their email or correspondence. If you don’t have an answer, communicate to them that you will have an answer by x date.

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Thanksgiving is almost here and with the holiday comes etiquette challenges. Make your Thanksgiving a happy occasion by following these tips.

Approach Thanksgiving with a giving heart

While you may not look forward to seeing loud Uncle Joe or crazy cousin Sally this is a time to be gracious and kind even to those who irritate you. Don’t engage in conflict or arguments. Let others “win” or steer the conversation to something more neutral. [...]

Have you ever attended a lunch or dinner meeting where someone used your bread plate? Or maybe you weren’t sure which coffee cup was yours and you used the wrong one causing everyone else to use the one intended for their neighbor. Surprisingly, this happens a lot. I attend a lot of networking and conference meal events and there always seems to be confusion about the place setting. [...]