advice for graduates

Advice for Graduates: When To Use Snail Mail

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Actually, this advice applies for all of us. Because high school and college graduates are busily addressing announcements and invitations and thank-you correspondence this time of year, we’ll focus on those examples.

 

First, when a gift includes an enclosure card, address your handwritten thank-you note precisely the way the enclosure card indicates. Let the enclosure card be your guide.

 

For married couples, you have several options. Again, you defer to the enclosure card first. If no enclosure card is provided, the traditional option includes the male’s first and last name thusly:

 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Marett

 

The salutation would read: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Marett,

 

It also is acceptable to write the first and last name of each individual on the same line. When using this approach, if they share a surname, etiquette demands you never separate the male from his surname. For example:

 

Judith and Lawrence Marett

 

NOT Lawrence and Judith Marett

 

If you are sending mail to an entire family within one household, you may address it using the shared surname: The Maretts or even The Marett Family. (Please note NO APOSTROPHE when making the last name plural, but we’ve discussed this grammar guideline at length in previous posts.) Of note, if you are inviting someone who is older than 18 in the household, as a courtesy, that individual should receive a separate invitation.

 

With graduation gifts, you typically have six weeks to write and send your thank-you notes. I hope this answers many of your questions, and I invite you to post any of your additional questions below.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Photo by Krzysztof Niewolny on Unsplash

Navigate Graduation Season

Navigate Graduation Season with Grace and Gratitude

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It’s that most wonderful time of year: graduation time.

 

Each day is filled with awards days, ceremonies, senior banquets, graduation parties, showers, and family celebrations. So, at the request of several parents, allow me to share some simple life skills to help graduates navigate this crazy-busy time in their lives with grace and gratitude.

 

What does RSVP mean?

Unfortunately, these days when we ask for an RSVP on an invitation, people tend not to reply. Even though a few will follow through, a significant number never do. This lack of response is a party planner’s headache because the result can ruin an event, especially when needing a headcount for food and seating and favors.

 

RSVP means “répondez s’il vous plait,” which is French for “respond, if you please” or “please respond.” RSVP means you respond to the hosts with a yes or a no. You respond if you are attending or if you are unable to attend.

 

What about “regrets only”?

When an invitation includes the phrase “regrets only,” you only respond if you CAN’T attend the event. If you don’t respond at all, the hosts consider that to mean yes. For an added touch of courtesy, if you must regret, it’s a recommended practice to include a simple explanation with your regret.

 

Advice to graduates: If you receive an invitation requesting an RSVP during graduation season (or anytime in your adult life), you can never respond too quickly. Go ahead and check your schedule and respond as soon as you receive the invitation. Your hosts will appreciate it as they plan for food and party favors.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

 

dining etiquette

Dining Etiquette Wisdom From Student Leaders

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In five minutes, this ballroom at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson is going to be buzzing with 140+ students from high schools throughout Mississippi. 

 

ECM (Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi) sponsors and welcomes these student leaders for three days each spring, and the participants get to tour the state capitol, meet with political leaders, enjoy team-building activities, and even get to hear from Mississippi’s governor.

 

They also enjoy a fabulous lunch at the Old Capitol Inn, and I was invited to share dining etiquette with them so they would know the difference between their salad fork and dessert fork and know which iced tea glass was theirs—and not accidentally drink from their neighbor’s. (Many of us adults need the same refresher.)

 

When we finished, I asked them to share something new they learned during our time together and invited several student leaders to stand and share. I’m always fascinated to know what stands out to the audience, so here are some of the nuggets of dining etiquette wisdom the students reported back to the group:

 

  • You make a ghost with your napkin and place it to the left of your plate when you are finished
  • You wait until your host lifts their fork before you begin eating
  • You hide your sweetener wrapper under your bread-and-butter plate or salad plate so people don’t have to look at your trash on the table
  • You make a shield with your hands when you squeeze a lemon wedge into your drink so you don’t accidentally squirt someone near you
  • You butter your plate, not your bread
  • You place your napkin on the back of your chair to indicate you are coming back and haven’t finished your meal yet

 

These were some of the students’ nuggets of wisdom they learned. What about you? What is a table manner or piece of dining etiquette advice you wish other people knew? What’s a nugget of wisdom you can share?

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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