Professional Development Seminar: Dining Etiquette

By: Kelsie Ferstl (MHA '20)

"It is Not What You Eat But HOW You Eat It"

In Iowa’s MHA program we focus on preparing students to become the future leaders of the healthcare industry. Before entering the program I would have never included dining etiquette among the curriculum I expected to engage with during my time here, but now it makes perfect sense. Learning to become a leader is all about telling a story – your story. This does not happen just in the board room or at the quarterly budget meeting. It happens every single day when you decide how you are going to show up. Today, with the help of Professor Ian Montgomery, we answered this question: How will you tell your story over a meal? How will you convince the people sitting around the table that you are comfortable, in control, and that they can count on you? 

Planning for a professional meal takes preparation. You begin to write your story long before sitting down at the table. Putting in the work ahead of time allows you to show up confident, and eliminates any stress that may deter you from presenting yourself exactly as planned. We learned the basic flow of a meal is left to right and outside in, and the proper way communicate with the wait staff using both verbal and non-verbal cues. We discussed those awkward moments that everyone has encountered (i.e. going in for the handshake and they went for the hug) and ways to avoid them. We learned how to be gracious guests and attentive hosts. We kept our elbows off the table and placed our utensils at 4’oclock, face down, when we finished our meal. But most importantly, we learned about gestalt.  While forgetting to enter your seat on the left side or to pass the bread basket right are not detrimental mistakes, when it becomes a pattern of behavior it can override the story of who you are as a person. On the contrary, you can demonstrate you are confident, gracious, professional, and prepared with each small instance of proper dining etiquette. Through sharing a meal, you can show them that they can count on you.