Outclass the Competition: Protocol Etiquette Seminar

Professional Development - Engagement Event

I am proud to announce that I have attended my first event for the Passport program, and it was a great experience! On Saturday, January 30, 2016 from 8:30am - 3:30pm, I attended the event Outclass the Competition: Protocol Etiquette Seminar hosted by the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center and put on in Talley Student Union. The workshop was led by Kay Leonard, Chief of Protocol at Joint Special Operations University (JSOU). Throughout the day we learned how to give the "ultimate greeting," how to "dine like a diplomat," and "dress for success." Each section involved a short presentation from Ms. Leonard and allotted time to interact with one another and practice what we were being taught. 

"If you're going to play the game, you better know the rules." This was the quote Ms. Leonard shared with us at the beginning of the day. From this, she taught us how to play the part in professionalism and how to act as the guest or the host in a situation. When showing us how to give the "ultimate greeting" Ms. Leonard showed us the proper way to give a handshake. I remember when I first learned how to greet someone with a handshake, my dad would tell me to have a firm hand, but not to squeeze the other person's hand too hard. I had a general basis of how to shake someone's hand, but it was interesting to me to be able to shake many people's hands and get feedback on how my handshake was. The main thing that I enjoyed about the workshop was that I got to interact with almost every person in the room and receive feedback on how I was applying the techniques we were being taught. Here are a few tips I learned about giving the ultimate greeting: always keep your right hand free, have good posture and stand up if you are seated, and maintain good eye contact to make the person you are greeting feel welcome. 

The next section of the day was learning how to "dine like a diplomat." This was my favorite part of the day because I learned so much about placement, manners, and how to give a toast. Ms. Leonard first presented about how the table should be set up at a professional dinner with a four-course meal. After we had a clear idea of how to dine with etiquette, we went to our own four-course meal and practiced! We learned the acronym "SOLTOR" which means to serve on the left and take on the right. This would be used by the host or waiter/waitress. A few tips that I found interesting during this sections were to work from the outside-in with your silverware, to never put your napkin on the table until you are done, and to always thank the host and guest of honor at the end of the meal. I also learned how to give a proper toast if you are the host of the meal. I have never given a toast before but I learned a lot from Ms. Leonard's presentation and from practicing at the table. Now if I am ever eating dinner with the President, I will know how to give a proper toast! 

In the final portion of the day, we learned how to "dress for success." I found this section very valuable to me because I am at a point in my life where I need to look professional for interviews or business meetings I will attend in the future. The picture on the right is of Ms. Leonard speaking to us about the colors of success and how to impress your interviewer. She told us that some safe colors to wear to an interview are blue, gray, black, and white. A few other tips that I found helpful during this section were to carry a jacket just in case, eat a small amount before the event, and to ask first before taking notes. One main thing that stuck with me that Ms. Leonard said was, "The chances of getting a job are zero if you don't know what you want." This is very applicable to me as an undergraduate student. I feel that I need to make sure I know what I want to get out of things before I attend an event, that way I can focus on achieving the goals that I set for myself. 

One thing that drew me to this workshop is that my grandma is a big stickler on etiquette, especially at the dinner table. She used to tell me which silverware to use when, not to put my elbows on the table, to keep my napkin in my lap, and she would always get onto the servers when they cleared the table while she was still eating. After taking part in this event, I was able to let her know that I can "outclass the competition" by using all the information I learned to be professional in a work setting. I learned a lot about how to act, dress, and be professional when a certain situation requires it. By interacting with many different people throughout the day, I became more comfortable with making small talk and maintaining eye contact throughout conversations. I am now able to use this experience to better me as a professional in my life and in my future career as a teacher. This was a great experience and I would recommend this to any of my peers who would like to learn how to use proper etiquette in a professional situation!