Normally, I would cringe at the thought of yet another seminar to attend... and yes, when we were informed that we were to attend an "Etiquette Seminar" I felt like, it was just going to be a waste of time because I felt like I knew how to act in the office already. Besides, most of our clients are "masa" anyway so I really didn't feel the urge to attend seminars that includes "fine dining etiquette" in the program. One more thing, the secondary appeal of a seminar, aside from it's topic and how it would affect you is the venue... And when we were told it was going to be in a conference hall in Ortigas, I thought, "how boring", couldn't they have chosen a hotel or somewhere scenic? But I'm really glad I attended, it was refreshingly informative and enjoyable at the same time. Our speaker, Ms. Valerie Cruz-Tapalla held her audience's (that's me, including 57 others) attention quite well. Her wit coupled with her being blunt was surprisingly the antidote for an otherwise boring subject. I mean, it really isn't rocket science, most of the subject we tackled there, we already studied during social graces class in college, but in terms of being reminded that times really have changed and you might not be changing in time to cope with the recent globalization of everything, it was quite an eye-opener. And it didn't even matter that we were not in a hotel or an idyllic resort or whatever... It was the topic that was engaging and the speaker who mattered the most. For me, if the seminar's objective was to show employees - be they in the government or in private companies that there is more to etiquette than just social gatherings or dealing with the elite. It is so much more! But what struck me the hardest was the realization that most working Filipinos, regardless of whether they belong to the group of employees or that of employers, practice working ethics based on customs and traditions that we, Filipinos have grown up with. It is but fitting that we update these practices to make us more globally competitive. Even the simple act of shaking hands could make or break one's impression of a business colleage or client. Besides, now I can brag about being an Emily Post Global Business Etiquette certificate-holder!
I enjoyed the seminar so much that I checked out the Wilma Cruz-Tapalla website for other similarly useful seminars or classes. Hopefully, I would be able to attend another soon... now I'm sounding like this is a paid advertisement of their academe, hehehe! But really, if you like to improve your working etiqutte, or even if you just want to attend a seminar or personality development, you should check out their site.
2 comments:
Yeah...no doubt Val is really good in lecturing about Global Etiquette. But her words contradict her actions. She hasno qualms telling anyone who would ask her clarificatory questions to get out of the lecture room accusing them of ruining her training.
Is it a good etiquette to rudely tell a confused participant to get out of the room in front of other participants?
Etiqutte according to Emily Post is touching the kives of others. It did not say humiliating them in pubkic if they have too many questions.
Val is smart and good but I doubt her self conceit and manners.
I cannot defend Val because I really don't know her that well, I must say though that she can be quite harsh at certain points during the lecture. But like I said, I enjoyed the seminar as a whole and has learned a lot, I guess we just have to apply what we learned for ourselves and not make a model of the lecturer even though she sounded convincingly like she was practicing what she was preaching. It's really sad though, what you said about the confused participant.
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