I am still buzzing from a week with the Emily Post Institute for our in-person Business Etiquette Train the Trainer program. I work for the Institute, and one of my favorite parts of my job is supporting our community of Emily Post trainers. I help them get to know one another, answer questions, share resources and support them as new business etiquette trainers. The week included workshops, lunches, dinners and cocktail parties. I was meeting some people in person for the first time after...

A friend is getting divorced, someone you know loses their job, a neighbor's husband dies, or someone you care about receives a difficult diagnosis. Your first instinct is probably to reach out, but then comes the hesitation. What if I say the wrong thing? What if they don't want to talk about it? What if I bring it up just when they were finally thinking about something else? That fear of saying or doing the wrong thing is one of the biggest reasons we don't reach out when someone is going...

I suppose it's the etiquette trainer in me, but when I'm out and about, I'm people watching. I notice how people interact with one another, what their posture and body language communicate, how much personal space they give, and how or if they acknowledge the people around them. I notice the server who greets every table with a smile, the shopper who returns someone else's cart, and the stranger who holds the door for one more person than he has to. Those moments might not stick out to...