On Sept. 22, students in Karen Gerhart’s speech class were taught proper table etiquette by Christie Pate Herron, the founder of Excellence with Etiquette.

“I feel like this lesson will really help me in future events and situations where I’m meeting new people and when I’m in different social situations,” junior Kayli Adamson said. “I now know how to give a good first impression and have good table etiquette.”

These skills will help to aid students in important interviews, parties and overall personal image. 

“It could be very helpful in a dinner job interview where you need to look professional, polite and confident,” junior Gavin Rockwell said. “We went over how to have a good conversation or start conversations, which is good for any scenario when meeting someone new.”

Students learned about lesser-known forms of table etiquette, including the proper position of eating utensils, food seasoning strategies and even napkin usage.

“The napkins, I never knew it would appear rude or offensive to smear the napkin across your face and that it is much more polite to ‘blotch’ it on your mouth instead,” Rockwell said. “I didn’t know how to properly set a table in terms of where the different utensils go, which I think could be helpful in the future.”

Additionally, students learned table manners, gestures and language to leave a positive first impression on others.

“This lesson would most definitely help me in the future when making a good first impression to new people, so I would recommend this lesson to others,” junior Beth Gentry said. “It provides a way to learn new skills that you may have never considered.”