Everyday Etiquette

1. You sneeze and your friend hands you one of their cloth handkerchiefs. You:

  • Give it back to them when you're done wiping your nose
  • Put it in your pocket and keep it
  • Put it in your pocket, wash it later and then give it back to your friend

2. Which of the following is true in regards to escalator etiquette?

  • Stand to your right
  • Stand to the left if you're not walking up the escalator
  • At the end of the escalator, stand there and wait for your friend

3. You are a female financial advisor, and one of your male clients holds the door as you walk into the bank. You should:

  • Give him a dirty look as you walk through the door
  • Go to a different entrance and open the door for yourself
  • Walk through the door, saying thank you

4. You had an intense workout at the gym and are feeling great about it. As you walk away from the treadmill, you notice you left sweat all over it. You should:

  • Wait for the janitors to clean it up
  • Wipe up your sweat with disposable paper towels
  • Let the next person wipe it off before using the machine

5. How long before a wedding should save the date invitations be sent out?

  • 3 months
  • 1 year
  • 6 months

6. If you are a business owner, why is setting up business gift guidelines a good idea?

  • Gift giving in the corporate world can help or hurt your business
  • The gift you give represents your company
  • Gifts can be seen as bribes
  • All of the above

7. When someone you know passes away, it is it appropriate to send a gift to the family?

  • Only if you attended the funeral
  • Gifts such as food are appreciated
  • Flowers are the only appropriate gift

8. You are sending an important message to a colleague on Facebook. TYPING IN ALL CAPS indicates:

  • A point you really want to get across
  • That you are yelling
  • You are making the message easier to read

Etiquette Quiz

Write True or False for the following statements.

I should use a cupped handshake (in which your left hand covers the normal handshake) to show my sincerity and interest when greeting someone for the first time.

On any type of table setting, my drinks are on my left along with my bread plate.

It is acceptable to dress down for an interview if I know that the company I am interviewing for is having a casual day.

When at a restaurant, it is appropriate to rest my soup spoon and butter knife on the saucer plate instead than on the table.

If at a business event you meet the CEO of an important corporation, you should give her your business card as soon as you greet her.

When you answer the phone for someone who is unavailable, the first words out of your mouth should be “Who is calling please?”

At a social gathering, a toast is proposed in your honor, so you say “thank you” and don’t take a sip of you drink. Is this appropriate?

You are hosting a dinner party at a restaurant for your most valuable client and his wife. You instruct the waiter to serve your client’s spouse first. Is this correct?

When invited to dinner at a private home, you should wait for the host to place his napkin on the dinner table to signal that dinner is over before you do.

You are throwing a surprise party for your parents’ 25th anniversary. They have everything they need. Is it appropriate to ask the guests for money instead of presents?