Etiquette expert to conduct master class

Imagine you’re at a business dinner in a fine-dining restaurant and there are four glasses placed in front of you. You’d most probably feel foolish for not being aware about what each glass is used for — that’s where etiquette expert Kajal Lalwani steps in. A trained image consultant and soft skills guide, she conducts master classes in Chennai to equip and educate people with globally accepted etiquette and protocols.

Her multi-step approach to helping people groom themselves begins with communication, body language and appearance. “I believe that clothing is an individual’s visual resume so I first teach the art and science of clothing like what colours to wear for a particular body type, size and complexion,” begins Kajal. She then moves on to etiquette, defining it as ‘giving respect to people around you’. 

She elaborates, “Your mannerisms, handshakes, choice of words, self-confidence, etc. matter when you are in a corporate or social setup so I impart both gender-specific and gender-neutral training.”

Her upcoming workshop this week will touch upon these topics and focus on practical training. “For example, during the lunchbreak, table etiquette will be focused upon, whether it’s handling different types of food, usage of cutlery or the handling of linen,” she says. 

“Do you know that you don’t actually ask a person to drink the soup but ‘eat’ it? Simple modifications while talking can create a totally different impression, especially if it’s a corporate or business dinner,” states Kajal.  But how are these protocols that have more often than not stemmed from other countries, relevant to India? “Yes, most of the etiquettes have originated from Europe or England and don’t apply to Indian lifestyle but why confine yourself to India? 

It’s better to be aware of mannerisms that are followed worldwide just so you’ll be able to adapt to situations wherever you are,” she answers.

Her detailed curriculum on such universally accepted protocols will help individuals groom themselves and be on a par with global standards. “In an organisation, hard skills get you hired but soft skills get you fired because at the end of the day, we’re dealing with people. 

It requires a person to be a team player, have leadership and motivational skills, and a strong sense of self-confidence. So a simple class on etiquette can help clear years of misconceptions like only a man is to hold a door open when in fact, in a business scenario, anyone reaching the door first should hold it open,” she concludes.