The Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China and the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Beijing are pleased to invite you to a lunch course on August 5:
Dine like a diplomat!
Be as successful at the dinner table as you are in the boardroom
Today, business is increasingly conducted over the dinner table. Good dining skills, therefore, are an absolute must, whether you are securing business deals abroad or entertaining international clients here in China. However, negotiating the minefield of place settings, the correct use of cutlery, choice of glasses and difficult-to-eat foods, while trying to hold a conversation and achieve your business goals can be both stressful and challenging.
Do you need to know how to avoid distractions in any dining situation, allowing you to focus on the matter at hand? Do you want to feel more comfortable during business meals in order to create a relaxed atmosphere and cement relationships with clients, partners or colleagues? Do you wish to behave with poise and project a professional image?
Join us for a delicious French five-course dinner tutorial. You will practise Western table manners and learn the secrets behind a successful business meal.
OBJECTIVES:
This tutorial will enable you to:
- Master contemporary international dining etiquette
- Feel at ease and confident at the Western dinner table
- Ensure that you achieve the purpose of the meal
- Create a relaxed atmosphere at the table
- Avoid major blunders which may offend your foreign counterparts (at a Western or Chinese table)
- Project a good impression of yourself and your company
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Professionals navigating the international business environment
- Executives and staff going abroad on business trips
- Professionals who wish to hold successful business meals
- Businessmen and women seeking to enhance their professional presence
CONTENT:
Participants learn and practise at the table. They will be put into a real-life situation at the famous French restaurant, Flo.
The menu (including soup, fish, meat, cheese, dessert, coffee or tea, wine) has been carefully selected to expose participants to most eating situations.
- Organising the business meal
- Guest and host duties
- Understanding table settings (plates, cutlery, glasses, napkins and so on)
- Placement of guests and hosts and seating protocol
- Protocol for ordering, paying and tipping
- Knife and fork etiquette (American and continental dining styles)
- Different ways of serving food
- How to handle difficult-to-eat foods and foods to avoid
- Wine etiquette and toasting
- Posture at the table
- Dinner conversations
- Generally accepted Dos and Don'ts
Armelle Nicolas
Bicultural (Sino-French), Manners Today is a unique international etiquette and image consultancy. Knowledgeable in all facets of international manners, Manners Today trains teams to project a confident and successful professional image, to feel at ease in an international environment, and helps to strengthen its clients' business presence in the international arena.
Armelle Nicolas is the founder of Manners Today. She worked as a Communications Director for 15 years in various French institutions and international groups where she managed company brands and advised executives on their personal and professional image. It was through her experience of organising many events in Europe, Latin America, Malaysia, Vietnam and North Africa that she discovered the importance of mastering international manners. Six years ago, Armelle moved to China where she initially advised French institutions in Beijing and organised events mixing Chinese and Western communities, before creating Manners Today.
In addition to training Chinese individuals and international companies, Armelle writes regularly in magazines such as Bon Voyage (Air France's Chinese language inflight magazine).