NAME: Dawn Jumper
TITLE: Etiquette Consultant
HOMETOWN: Lookout Mountain
More than just thank you notes and which fork is used first, etiquette is the ability to act appropriately and put people at ease during social situations. This isn’t just a matter of good manners, says etiquette consultant Dawn Jumper, it can be a determining factor in how successful you are in life. And Jumper, owner of The Etiquette Company on Lookout Mountain, is working tirelessly to give people the tools they need to garner that success – one solid handshake, cordial email and lasting first impression at a time.
? I’m a mother of three teenagers, and I was wishing for etiquette classes that they could take and couldn’t find them. I felt like it would be good for what I was trying to teach them at home to be reinforced somewhere else.
? I was researching online and asking around and I found out about a company in Athens, Ga., that’s called the Etiquette and Leadership Institute. They have been teaching classes to young people for over 20 years. Not only are they teaching students – and they are very successful at what they do – they have a certification program. So, I spent 40 hours with the Etiquette and Leadership Institute and they just taught me the ropes.
? I think that in the coming years, employers are going to be looking for sharp young people that understand the importance of good social skills. They can look someone in the eye, speak in complete sentences and know how to introduce others. These are going to be really important skills because they are going to be in short supply.
? I think there was a piece in the newspaper that said something crazy like over half of the respondents said they would rather go to the dentist than sit next to someone talking on a cell phone. And young people don’t understand that there are certain places you never use a cell phone like church, special ceremonies like graduation or weddings, or in tight places like on an elevator. They just don’t know. I point out that texting in front of others is the same as whispering. We all know that whispering is not polite, but young people don’t realize that texting makes others feel the same as if you were whispering in front of them.
? One of my favorite topics to teach is table etiquette. Unfortunately, etiquette consultants get the image of teaching how to hold a tea cup and that kind of thing, but the reason I enjoy teaching table manners is because it’s so relevant. I tell my students, you’re going to eat three meals a day for 365 days a year. That’s 1,095 meals a year. And if you’re going to do something over a thousand times a year, you should know how to do it right. When I teach table manners, I’m not teaching how to hold a tea cup or how to make a proper toast, the material I teach is really relevant. It is 24/7 information that students can leave and use at the next meal. Little things like the importance of a napkin, where it goes when you leave the table, where to put their silverware between bites – so many children don’t know that and they put their dirty fork back on the table. It’s really a fun topic to teach because it involves food … and people like to eat.
? There were these three ladies at the Etiquette and Leadership Institute and I called them the “designing women” of etiquette. I learned so much from them. They were just full of hospitality and wisdom, and they talked and brought up some really good points about social skills and etiquette. It’s not old fashioned; it’s not stuffy. These are skills that are still relevant in our modern world and I feel that they are becoming even more relevant, especially in the job market.