E- Zine - September 2003

WELCOME to the PROTOCOL PLUS MONTHLY E-ZINE

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:
Tips to Outclass Your Competition – Discover the new meaning of NFL!

I recently worked with a client to improve his interviewing skills. His training included a dining tutorial. A few days after our training, his wife called to tell me what he had done. My client enjoyed cooking and planned a nice meal for his wife when she returned from a trip. He did this often, but this time, in addition to a wonderful meal, he formally set the table. She said everything looked perfect and he beamed with pride at her surprise and enjoyment. Do you know how to properly set a table or navigate a place setting? Have you ever been uncomfortable because you didn't know which fork to use? Do you want to understand these rules? Do you want your children to understand these rules? 

September is Children's Good Manners Month. Make table setting and table manners a game with your children so it becomes part of their basic knowledge. Be careful not to overwhelm them. Each week, add one new table manner. Start with something simple, like using napkins, or waiting to eat until everyone is served. Set a good example, and praise your children for good manners.

I talked about the BMW in my March E-Zine. I now offer the NFL tip. Someone recently asked me about napkin placement and my acronym brain went into high gear. With the football season upon us, I came up with NFL - Napkins and Forks go on the Left side of the plate. Of course, there is always an exception as many banquet tables have the napkin on the plate to save space. For fun napkin folding tutorials, visit http://interiordec.about.com/library/bl_napkfold000.htm.

Some of my clients now have a weekly or monthly formal dinner with their family. They take turns setting the table, seating guests, serving food, being the host or the guest of honor, and giving toasts.

If you want to refresh/revive/renew your family table manners, let's plan a fun family etiquette dinner. We can have a meal in your home or reserve a room at your restaurant of choice. Your family will remember this experience and the vital social skills they learn for a lifetime. Give yourself and your family the gift of polished dining skills so you have complete confidence dining with anyone, anywhere. Call Gloria at 405-341-3216.

Because of growing readership and response toward Etiquette and Coaching, I am now offering a special Etiquette/Coaching Package. Visit http://www.protocolplus.net/schedule.html.

Customer Service Techniques – The top 10 tips to motivate customer service in yourself.

  1. Remember that each person you interact with will tell 6 other people about the experience, good or bad.
  2. Imagine that your interaction is being videotaped or tape-recorded.
  3. Think about the best treatment you've ever received as a customer and strive - in your own way - to be that memory for someone else.
  4. Brush up on learning styles. Sales is education and education is reaching your audience. There are four different ways that people learn and you'll want to apply the right methods with the right people. Put "learning styles" in a search engine and have a ball.
  5. Visit and interact with a business that is similar to yours. You'll be amazed at what you can learn from what your competition is doing right and wrong.
  6. Pretend that any person you interact with could be a "secret shopper."
  7. If appropriate, walk your client to the door, elevator or to their car.
  8. Say at least one thing that makes this person feel special.
  9. Keep personal items off your desk and concentrate on the personal life of the person sitting in front of you: their family, their interests, their hobbies, their causes.
  10. Give yourself an award at the end of the month for service "above and beyond the call of duty."
This piece was originally submitted by Nancy R. Fenn, Vision Coach and Intuitive Counselor, who can be reached at parklanenancy@hotmail.com, or visited on the web. Copyright 1997 - 2003 CoachVille CoachVille membership is free to join at www.Coachville.com. It 's a wonderful source of information and tips. To learn about my customized customer service programs, call 405-341-3216 today or visit me on the web.

The Coach’s Corner – Where is your gremlin stopping you?

Your gremlin is the little voice inside of you that tries to sabotage you from moving forward. Your gremlin is the voice of your doubts and fears; it resists change and limits your possibilities. It is your negative self-talk, your inner critic. It says you shouldn't or can't do something because you're not good enough, or smart enough, or handsome enough, or calm enough, or too old, or not disciplined enough. Here are some tips to help you tame your gremlin.

  1. Stop what you are doing.
  2. Take several deep breaths.
  3. Be aware and simply notice your Gremlin talk.
  4. Don't argue with your Gremlin. You can't win; just be aware.
The most important thing about your Gremlin is to notice him. By simply noticing, your Gremlin looses its power. Don't try to figure him out - just be aware - but don't let him run your life. You can even have a conversation with your Gremlin and tell him that you hear him, but choose to move on without him for now. I highly recommend Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson. It's a fun book with humor and practical advice.

Coaching questions:
  • Is there a particular circumstance when your Gremlin shows up?
  • What does he/she/they say to you? Yes, you can have many Gremlins.
  • Would you like to give your Gremlin a name?
  • Would you like to draw a picture or describe your Gremlin?
  • What is your Gremlin stopping you from doing?
  • What are you afraid of?
Together we can explore ways to retrain your thoughts to connect with your "Inner Ally" for help when your "Inner Critic" shows up. If you want to make significant changes in your life, hire me as your coach. Our coaching relationship is powerful, and when the going gets tough we stay in collaboration and work through to the other side. As your coach, you have my word that I am 100% committed to you being powerful, successful and to having the life you want.

To experience three complimentary coaching sessions, please visit http://www.protocolplus.net/schedule.html for information on my Etiquette/Coaching Package.

Quotes of the Month – Invest in yourself.

"The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any."
         --- Fred Astaire

"I free myself not by trying to be free, but by simple noticing how I am imprisoning myself in the very moment I am imprisoning myself."
         --- Zen Theory of Change

Ask the Expert - What can I do when criticized in public?

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