Gaining that Competitive Edge in Today's Marketplace: The art of etiquette in the workplace and at the business dinner table | Press Releases

What : The 'Gaining That Competitive Edge' seminar series, an annual event of Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business, offers Fairfield students a crash course in the art of etiquette in the workplace. This event concerns teaching students how to enhance their personal style, mix and mingle, and put their best 'fork' forward at a mock business dinner.

When : Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m.

Where : Dolan School of Business Dining Room, on the Fairfield University campus

Why : The first impression an individual makes in business can make or break a deal or a job interview. That may come down to displaying bad manners at a business lunch or employing poor etiquette in an e-mail message.

Background : Ann Marie Sabath, president and founder of At Ease Inc., a New York City-based business protocol and social skills training firm, will give a talk targeting table manners and the art of the business dinner. She will spend the evening putting students through the paces of a formal dinner, and select some of them to role-play tricky situations. She will also speak about dressing for success, bad body language, and what not to order.

On the agenda:
Which fork should I use?
Are three glasses of wine too much with dinner?
Are elbows on the table always unacceptable?
How do you introduce two people whose names you do not know?
When should you e-mail a thank you vs. pen a note?

Norm Solomon, Ph. D., dean of the Dolan School of Business, said the Competitive Edge seminars help prepare Dolan students for undergraduate internships and their work lives after graduation. "A business student's education would not be complete these days without lessons in interpersonal and social skills. A skill set in manners and diplomacy are key to every business leader's career growth."

Sabath, who has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and numerous television programs, has taught business etiquette to employees of the top corporations in the country. She is the author of numerous books on etiquette.