Formal Dining: Etiquette Blunders - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. Etiquette blunders at the dining table. When dining for business you must be very aware that the operative word is business. That means minimal personal talk, no chit chat, and focus on the desired outcome of the business meal. I recommend that you do not talk about business as soon as you sit down. But you are going to have a bit of a social time - minimal. You actually receive the menu, place your orders, the menus would be actually taken, and then you would begin to discuss business. At a business meal, be careful about what you say, because it is only for the ears of people at your table, not for other patrons if you are in a restaurant. And be very clear about what your desired outcome is in order to finesse the business meal. So, do not drink too much, do not eat too fast, do not order something that could be messy, and be very aware of your table manners. I remember one group of executives that took their napkins and put them into their shirts at a dining event for business. If it is a large event for business, I recommend that you do not seat couples together. Women generally are more talkative than men, and I would recommend you seat one part of a couple over here and perhaps the other over there. That woman will then begin to interact with other people around the table and the conversation becomes much livelier.
