ETIQUETTE NIGHT TEACHES PENN STATE DICKINSON STUDENTS PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR PROFESSIONAL SETTINGS

December 2024 — First-year Penn State Dickinson Law student Maree Hunt ’27 did more than relax and enjoy a good meal during her Thanksgiving break. She also used the time with family and friends to work on the skills she learned at Etiquette Night, an annual event sponsored by the Phi Alpha Delta — Burr Chapter (PAD) at Penn State Dickinson Law.

Etiquette dinner“At Etiquette Night, we learned several conversational approaches that I practiced during Thanksgiving dinner,” said Hunt. “One was to take the time to spotlight the person you are talking to and not launch into a whole monologue about yourself. Another was to give the people you are conversing with a little teaser of what you are about to say and let them respond. If they seem interested, they will follow up during your conversation.”

Hunt said the tips worked well. “I had a lot of insightful conversations with my relatives, and it did not feel like one person was talking and then the conversation stopped. The flow was much easier than in the past. It gave me confidence that in the future, I can use those tips to speak with employers more smoothly,” said Hunt.

That is the idea behind Etiquette Night, where students learn etiquette tips and tricks to apply in professional settings. The evening builds students’ confidence in presenting a polished appearance when they attend professional events such as cocktail hours, dinners, and conferences.

“Etiquette Night exposes students to things that others will expect of them when they enter the legal profession,” said PAD President Ethan Kincaid ’25. “This night gives them the resources they need to succeed. For example, I had never gone to a plated dinner coming into law school. And there is not usually a safe environment to learn the etiquette you should display at that type of event.”

Etiquette Night offers that space to ask questions, practice techniques, and sometimes fail among friends. Whether they were learning how to hold a wine glass, a small plate, and a fork in one hand or discovering the proper way to cut a cherry tomato, students took in new information all night long.

“One of my concerns as a law student has been that I know there are going to be a lot of professional meals I will eat in my life, and I did not know exactly the right way to approach them,” said Skyler Hancock ’26, a PAD member who attended the event for the second straight year.

Business protocol expert and Penn State University graduate Marcia Wharton, whose Marcia Wharton Associates helps businesspeople raise their levels of professionalism, led the evening’s program. She connected with PAD years ago through the chapter’s faculty advisor, Penn State Dickinson Law Associate Dean for Administration Laura Williams ’90.

“Marcia is the daughter of a former American diplomat, and she has been around formal events her whole life. She enjoys working with people and showing them the different aspects of etiquette,” said Kincaid.

A robust turnout for Etiquette Night

Planning for Etiquette Night began over the summer. PAD executive board members Nicole Cesanek, Noah Yeagley, Ethan Bulger, and Daryn Kent worked with Kincaid on the logistics, such as aligning dates with Wharton and securing the location.

The event, which drew 50 student participants, took place at the Holland Union Building at Dickinson College in mid-November. The evening included three focuses: learning how to navigate a reception, engaging in professional conversation, and completing a dining tutorial during a three-course meal.

Many situations involved things students said they had never considered before. Wharton not only taught them proper handshake technique (firm grip, minimal pumps) but also how to deftly move a dinner plate and glass into the other hand to conduct the shake. She advised students that at events with nametags, the tags should be worn on the same side as the hand they want to use to shake.

She even told them the correct way to hold silverware — most did not realize they had been doing it wrong — and where to put it on their plates when they finished eating. (Answer: at the 5 o’clock position with the knife’s sharp edge facing inward toward the fork.)

Wharton encouraged attendees to listen to their instincts. Often, etiquette questions arise in the moment, and using logic is the best way to answer. “She told us, ‘When all else fails, use your common sense,’” said Hunt. “When people threw out hypotheticals, she told them to find the least-invasive way to address the problem. And we thought about it and realized that the correct answer is probably what we would have done on instinct.”

Hancock attended with her three roommates last year. After the event, they incorporated Wharton’s tips into their everyday lives so they could practice. “We actually implemented many things, like making eye contact when someone is talking with you, into our daily lives,” said Hancock. “PAD also hosts a Judges’ Night that includes dinner later in the year, and when I attended that event, I felt more confident knowing how to approach things properly.”

“This is all about learning and bettering yourself,” said Kincaid. “Whenever I work on events at campus, one of my main goals is to give people opportunity and access, and this event fits right into that.”

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette night

 

Etiquette dinner