The first impression is the best impression. Being merely well
dressed is not enough. Etiquette matters too! And if you are
the kind who travels frequently, just mind those manners. The
right way of greeting, eating, or interacting, habit and style
- everything reflects your personality.
 Kenneth
Pinto is a well known etiquette expert. He had been with
the Taj group of hotels from 1981 to 1999 as Regional
Training Manager - South. After ten years experience in campus
interview and recruiting in the hotel industry, Kenneth decided
to set out on his own. Now he freelances as an etiquette trainer.
His skills and his own family background are to his advantage.
Kenneth says, "Now Indians are getting a lot of exposure
to the west, especially since there are plenty of job opportunities
and the interaction is global. Our Indian customs and traditions
are fair enough to live here. We get along with everybody, we
are forgiving. But people from the West don't expect too much
from the personal level but more from the professional level.
At this point, there are a whole lot of things that come in.
If we go wrong, our behaviour can give the wrong signal to people."
Kenneth conducts corporate training on business etiquette.
'Infosys' has been one of his clients. A lot of corporate
houses are paying attention to corporate etiquette, how to behave
at a business meeting, how to dress for a formal or casual get
together. "It is necessary to know some of the do's and don'ts.
If a person is staying at a hotel or as a guest, he or she should
not come back with a sorry face. We Indians may commit mistakes
because we lack knowledge. When you go abroad, you not only
put the garbage into a bag to throw but you have to segregate
it into bio degradable, glass, and so many others," adds
Kenneth. A succinct example on how to keep our environment clean.
 "Many
a time people have lovely offices, hi-tech systems, but they
lack good services to customers. This is enough to tear down
the office image," he emphasises. His in depth knowledge
on this subject allows him to explain the rules of etiquette
in simple terms. He conducts one-day programmes, 'Travel
Abroad', which covers dining etiquette, office etiquette,
and dressing and grooming. The first lessons cover the kind
of cutlery, crockery and glasses that are used to serve food
and drink. He also teaches less complicated things like what
drinks you can have before and after a meal, how to ask for
coffee, how to indicate you are ready for a dessert after the
main course or how to dress for a corporate meet. Then there
is a walk through of the session.
If you are the kind who jet sets in a corporate crowd and need
to know more on business etiquette or a housewife wanting to
brush up your social skills, you can go in for a grooming session
with Kenneth Pinto. For the just graduated corporate trainee,
this is the place to learn the right kind of style.
Kamini
M V
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