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NEWSROOM                                                            b3: know better. do better. be better.
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40 tips for maximizing holiday fun, minimizing stress, and saving money this season
By Meaghan O’Neill 
November 23, 2017

From cooking shortcuts to packing pointers, clever advice for getting to January 2 with your good spirits intact.

EXPERT ENTERTAINING 
How to . . . 

1. Prep like a pro

Lydia Shire, chef and partner at Scampo in Boston, makes her marinades, sauces, and vinaigrettes a day ahead. “My goals are always to do the cooking ‘chores’ the day before,” Shire says. “I want the day of the festivities to be about setting my beautiful table.” You can cook stuffing, roast vegetables, designate serving dishes, and fold napkins early, too. “Every little bit helps,” says Will Gilson, chef and co-owner of Puritan & Company in Cambridge, who also delegates tasks to guests. “Just make sure you can trust them to follow through.” Read more.

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11/22: Thanksgiving Etiquette 101 on State of Mind
Wednesday, November 22 2017
2:34 pm
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Snezana Pejic, Founder of The Etiquette Academy of New England, joined Dan Yorke to discuss navigating political conversations and technology. 

Dan Yorke State of Mind airs every weeknight at 7:30 p.m. on myRI-TV and midnight on FOX Providence. Read more.


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What’s up this week in career-enhancing, learning, and networking
OCTOBER 10, 2017

Pace yourselves, Boston business types — this week is packed with professional networking events. Learn how to meditate at your desk (and, hopefully, how to not get caught by your boss), or try out a salary negotiation workshop. If you attend one of these events and want to tell us about it, or if you have suggestions for what you’d like to see in this column, let us know at agenda@globe.com.

Friday, Oct. 13
Etiquette boot camp: Learn the art of small talk and enhance your professional networking skills in this workshop. 5 to 8 p.m., The Etiquette Academy of New England, 1309 Beacon St., Brookline. $188. Read more.

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In business or socially, good manners are the ‘rules of engagement’

By Julia Bayly, BDN Staff
Posted Aug. 11, 2017

Clothing styles come and go and musical trends change over time, but the one thing that has never gone out of fashion, according to those who teach them, is good manners.
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“Good manners are alive and well,” Snezana Pejic, founder and program director of The Etiquette Academy of New England, said. “They are as important today as they have ever been.”

Changes in communication technology, shifts in gender roles in the business community and new views on what is considered “acceptable behavior” in polite society have meant manners and etiquette have had to also change with the times. Read more.
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Around Brookline
Posted Jul 28, 2017 

Etiquette Boot Camp for College Students: 5-8 p.m., The Etiquette Academy of New England, 1309 Beacon St., Suite 300, Brookline. This workshop introduces young professionals to the expectations of professional behavior, communication and dress codes in the modern workplace. Read more.

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Meet Snezana Pejic of The Etiquette Academy of New England in Brookline
July 10, 2017


Today we’d like to introduce you to Snezana Pejic.

Snezana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
While in college and working in the corporate workplace, I noticed that I had knowledge about communication and formal business protocol that was unique in both academic and corporate environments due to my work at Royal Squadron in Jordan, as well as growing up in an affluent family in Europe where civility, maturity, good manners and culture are enforced by the whole community starting at a young age.

In 1995 I enrolled at Boston University to study business management, finance and online marketing. Living among students, I had a chance to see differences in culture and individuals struggle with navigating through social settings due to lack of knowledge around communication, interpersonal skills, and professional demeanor. I had the same experience when I joined the corporate American workplace, and I envisioned a program that could help others improve the way they communicate, interact and work together.

When my daughter started school, I got involved with her school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Every year, this amazing and awe-inspiring force of women worked diligently to organize programs that would improve the academic experience for the students and bring the local community together to create strong, tight-knit community for the children to grow up in.

The Etiquette Academy of New England was a way that I felt could make a positive impact on making our community a better place for everyone.

Today, our programs touch 500+ people per year through a variety of offerings for youth and professionals. Our programs focus topics such as business etiquette and modern standards, TEAM communication and conflict resolution, email, social media and cell phone etiquette, networking and the art of small talk, table manners, family etiquette (how to show respect to siblings and parents), how to be a gracious guest and host, social graces for public places, and much more.

​We are now working on adding contemporary programs such as gender etiquette, and we are partnering with a Mandarin etiquette teacher to offer our programs to the growing Mandarin speaking population. Looking back, we have accomplished a lot in the last five years. Read more.


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Some tips on tipping: Who, what and where
March 12, 2017
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After conducting a recent Facebook poll on tipping etiquette, my jaw dropped when I saw some occupations that depend on tips.

While it's a no-brainer that waitstaff should be given a standard 20 percent gratuity, I had no idea that full-service gas attendants should be recognized after pumping gas and washing your windows.

Another shocker for me was bus drivers. The time they take to carefully load and unload your luggage should be acknowledged — not with just a "thank you," but with a bit of cash.

And while it’s hard to keep track of the many service jobs on the Cape, people do seem to be confused about who receives a full salary and who is eligible for tips. The gardener? The landscaper? Your regular hairdresser? Where do you draw the line? Should postal workers receive tips, despite the fact that they receive a pretty healthy salary? Read more.

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Left wing? Right wing? Talking turkey, politics at the dinner table
Nov 23, 2016
 

By Jacqueline Tempera
Journal Staff Writer

This Thanksgiving, Dan Somerville said he’s keeping his mouth shut.

“For the good of the day,” Somerville, a 24-year-old who works in IT, said, “I’ll just be quiet.”
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Somerville said he is the lone liberal in a family of Massachusetts Republicans. And this year, as he travels from his home in Fox Point to Plymouth, where he will celebrate the holiday with family, there will be knots in his stomach.

“I just don’t want to hear a bunch of ‘Oh how do you feel about Trump winning?' jokes,” said Somerville, who said he voted for Hillary Clinton. But, like many, he’s got a “couple of uncles” who can’t seem to avoid the subject.

After this unprecedented, divisive, and downright crazy election season, it seems to many that “Thanksgiving came too early,” said Laura Turner, an associate psychology professor at Roger Williams University. Read more.

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Thursday’s business agenda
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

BOOT CAMP

Etiquette boot camp
Business professionals looking to brush up on etiquette skills are encouraged to attend this boot camp. Attendees will walk away knowing how to lead conversations with other professionals with ease and impress them with fine dining table manners.

​Friday, 5 to 8 p.m., The Etiquette Academy of New England, 1309 Beacon St., third floor, Brookline. $184. Read more.


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A Very Polite News Quiz
​BOSTON PUBLIC RADIO STAFF
January 18, 2016


​Ever find yourself wondering about the proper fork to use at dinnertime or how to eat soup in public without scandalizing passersby?

This week's guests on Boston Public Radio's Friday News Quiz might be able to help. Rosanne Thomas is president of Protocol Advisors, and Snezana Pejic is founder and program director of The Etiquette Academy of New England.

To hear how they fared, tune into the Boston Public Radio Friday News Quiz by clicking here!

Photo Credit: Gio


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12 Experts Share Their Secrets For Effective Meetings
By Brian Patterson
May 6, 2015

10. Utilize the “3 Part Rule”
– Snezana Pejic, The Etiquette Academy

Organizing the timeline well means using the “three part rule”: allocating one third of the meeting to presentation, second to the opinions and thoughts of the participants, and third to summarizing and concluding the meeting. This is, of course, if the meeting is pertaining to one topic and lasts for about an hour or so. For monthly meetings when several departments meet to share the progress of each department, the “three part rule” should be allocated to each topic.

For example, if we have five departments each department should have 15 minutes of allocated time: 5 to present issues or progress, 5 to get the feedback and 5 to summarize and move on. Additional comments and thoughts can always be shared between individuals after the meeting. The 15-minute time frame might not look like enough time, but it will allow monthly meetings to continue. Many companies postpone or cancel monthly meetings because they tend to go on for so long. As a result participants feel like they are wasting valuable working time to sit at meetings that feel never ending. Read more. 

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Office Etiquette 2.0
More collaborative workplaces and changing technology demand new ways to communicate
By Kara Baskin  •  November 25, 2014

Gone are the days of formal memos and staid board meetings—texting, emailing and team-building retreats are here to stay. But with them comes a whole new set of linguistic rules. How to maintain proper etiquette even in an era of casual communication?  Snezana Pejic, director at the Etiquette Academy of New England, has some (polite) suggestions for common scenarios.

At a Roundtable: We’ve all dealt with the pontificating boor who doesn’t know when to stop droning. Pejic suggests appointing a timekeeper for every gathering. This person can either set a time frame for the meeting itself, or they can allow people to speak at pre-set intervals. Once your time is up, it’s someone else’s turn. A boor is more likely to cede the floor if there are rules, rather than by responding to a simple “excuse me.”

In the Morning: If you’re the boss, says Pejic, you set the tone. That means saying hello and good morning to your staff, even when you don’t feel like it. “You’re held to a higher standard, and your behavior trickles down,” she says.

Giving Criticism: Pejic recommends the “sandwich method.” No, that doesn’t mean doling out complaints over lunch. She suggests softening negative feedback by opening and closing discussions with a compliment. Just one catch: “The praise has to be authentic,” she says. “Use specific examples. Instead of saying, ‘You’re such a diplomatic person,’ tell your employee how much you really appreciated his handling of a difficult customer.” Read more

Photo Credit: Glow/Getty


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Holiday Spending Etiquette
Posted on  Nov 15 2014 by  Sara Pokorny

No holiday gift list may be as daunting as a list of what to purchase for those in your life who hold a more professional place in your heart. Gifts for bosses, fellow employees and even the mailman can leave one scratching her head, but Snezana Pejic, Program Director of The Etiquette Academy of New England, spoke to us of more definite guidelines to follow to make holiday shopping for this particular set of folks a breeze.

She broke the giftees into two categories: professionals like bosses, co-workers, and employees and long-term relationships on a business level, like hairdressers, mailmen and even crossing guards. As a starting point for either group, Pejic said a holiday card with a thoughtful message of appreciation is a good way to start. From there, you build up.

“For those in our lives, the hairdressers and mailmen, when we see them close to the holiday season an additional tip of $20 to $40 would be sufficient, on top of what you normally give,” Pejic said. Going this route for the boss/co-worker set, one can present a similar monetary gift with the addition of a picture frame. “Everyone uses them,” Pejic said, “and you can buy them according to the person’s tastes.”A modern frame is great for a fan of minimalism, a baroque style is for those who adhere to a country aesthetic and something adorned with crystals brings with it a sense of positive vibrations.

If a monetary gift doesn’t feel quite right, a daily or monthly journal fits the bill, something that can easily be found for a low price at places like Staples and Barnes and Noble. Take such a present to a higher level with a striking pen. Other possible gifts for workplace comrades are leather-bound calendars for the following year, cook books, jewelry boxes, a box of candy, or the favored coffee mug. Bosses may also bestow a gift card to an employee who enjoys grabbing breakfast at the same spot every morning, providing ample money to cover a week’s worth of food. “Anywhere between $10 to $50 is appropriate for a business gift,” Pejic said. Read more.


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Brookline Based Etiquette School Awarded WBE Certification
September 5, 2014

The Etiquette Academy of New England, an academic institution dedicated to enhancing leadership, communication and social skills, was recently certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise by the Massachusetts State Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) of the Commonwealth’s Operational Services Division (OSD).

“We are very proud to become recognized as a woman-owned business in Massachusetts, and are looking forward to the new opportunities and visibility this certification will bring to our programs and team” said Snezana Pejic, Program Director & Founder of The Etiquette Academy of New England. “This certification not only benefits our institution, but also our partners and clients in meeting their supplier diversity needs.”

The OSD’s certification process is an in-depth review of the business, as well as on site inspection, to determine that the applicant meets the requirements of state statutes and regulations. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

The Etiquette Academy of New England was founded in 2012 by Snezana Pejic after spending years managing teams and working in corporate America, where she observed individuals struggle with navigating through social settings. Ms. Pejic was inspired to build The Etiquette Academy of New England and share her knowledge and enthusiasm for professional etiquette, protocol and leadership helping individuals and teams improve the way they communicate, interact and work together.

Ms. Pejic’s leadership, communication, customer service and teamwork experience comes from years working as a Financial Consultant with Santander Bank (formerly Sovereign) where she oversaw and managed multiple teams, as well as her training in royal protocol and etiquette while working for His Late Majesty King Hussein of Jordan at the Royal Jordanian Air Force, a private royal airline. Ms. Pejic holds a BA in Business and MS in Finance and E-Commerce from BU.

By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs. Read more.


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Four N.H. businesses get job training grants
Money will help train 92 workers in new skills

Posted by NHBR STAFF
Published: 06.02.14

Four more New Hampshire companies have been awarded job training grants that will help them provide 92 employees with new skills.

The grants total $22,975, and the companies contributed matching funds, bringing the total amount for training workers to $45,950.The companies receiving Job Training Fund grants were announced by Gov. Maggie Hassan. They are:

 • Design Group Facility Solutions Inc. of Concord, which received a grant of $1,950 for six employees to receive 3-D Revit training by Microdesk of Manchester.

 • Circuit Technology of Merrimack, which received a grant of $11,550 to allow for the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership to train 20 employees in Lean, Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen.

 • Pfeiffer Vacuum Inc. of Nashua, which received a grant of $6,250 for 49 employees to receive communication training from The Etiquette Academy of New England. Read more


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Nashua Company Gets Job Training Grant
The companies contributed matching funds to bring the total amount for training workers to $45,950.


Posted by Dan Tuohy
May 30, 2014 

A Nashua company is one of four businesses to win a job training grant from the New Hampshire Job Training Fund, Gov. Maggie Hassan announced Friday.

Pfeiffer Vacuum Inc. received a grant of $6,250 for 49 employees to receive communication training from The Etiquette Academy of New England.

The four NH Job Training Fund grants total $22,975. The companies contributed matching funds to bring the total amount for training workers to $45,950. The four companies receiving the grants in this round are:

•    Design Group Facility Solutions Inc. of Concord received a grant of $1,950 for six employees to receive 3-D Revit training by Microdesk of Manchester.

•    A grant of $11,550 was awarded to Circuit Technology of Merrimack for the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership to train 20 employees in Lean, Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen.

•    Pfeiffer Vacuum Inc. of Nashua received a Job Training Fund grant of $6,250 for 49 employees to receive communication training from The Etiquette Academy of New England. Read more


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International Etiquette Dinner teaches universal table manners

by Dani Marrero 
February 26, 2014 

How should we act during a lunch interview with a potential employer? Which utensils are used for certain foods, and when is the right time to say something? Suffolk’s International Student Services Office held their first International Etiquette Dinner on Feb. 25 at 73 Tremont, where staff and students enjoyed a four-course meal and etiquette advice from a local owner of an etiquette academy.

Snezana Pejic, the guest speaker at the dinner, worked as the “protocol staffer for the king of Jordan in the early 1990s, guiding dignitaries through the ceremonies and etiquette of affairs of state,” according to Boston.com. Pejic worked for His Late Majesty King Hussein of Jordan for four years, and her time traveling the world in that position is what inspired her passion for manners and the ways people interact with each other. Pejic, a Boston University graduate, is now the founder of the The Etiquette Academy of New England, where she coaches people of all ages.

The purpose of the event was focused on helping international and non-international students get an insight of how to interact with U.S. employers outside of the office. In the past weeks, ISSO has been hosting a number of events centered on providing international students with knowledge of how to reach out to employers, gain courage in interviews, and navigate as a professional in this country. The etiquette dinner was just one of them. Part of the services that ISSO offers is helping students acculturate and transition smoothly into Boston, and these events have added a boost to aid students adjust to the expectations of American employers. Read More

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KING'S MANNERS INSPIRE NEW ETIQUETTE SCHOOL IN BROOKLINE 

By Brock Parker
November 14, 2012

She traveled to countries around the world while working for the late King Hussein of Jordan, but it was her one-on-one ­encounters with his majesty that helped inspire ­Snezana Pejic to open an etiquette school in Brookline this fall.

Pejic worked as a protocol staffer for the king of Jordan in the early 1990s, guiding dignitaries through the ceremonies and etiquette of affairs of state.  At the time she was in her early 20s, and working as part of a team. But Pejic, who is now 43, still remembers that each time Hussein boarded the royal airplane he took the time to greet everyone individually, and remembered each staff member by name.  “He had treated us all with an amazing depth of empathy, respect, and humility, and that is something that looking back in retrospect now, as a more mature person, I found surprising,” Pejic said.  Her lasting impression of Hussein, who died in 1999 after ruling Jordan for 46 years, is part of what led Pejic to launch the Etiquette Academy of New England, which opened in Brookline Village last month. Read more

© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.


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AS FEATURED IN BEST OF BOSTON 2012 - BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE
THE ETIQUETTE ACADEMY OF NEW ENGLAND

December 16, 2012

Good manners don’t need to be stuffy.

That’s the theory behind The Etiquette Academy of New England, a Brookline school founded by Snezana Pejic, who was trained in royal protocol as a staff member for the late King Hussein of Jordan. 

“When you make it interesting, kids really want to learn new things,” she says. 

Classes for children 7 and older — which cover topics like table manners, conversation, and letter writing — begin at $165. For adults, group programs on job hunting or making small talk... Read more


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FORMER JORDANIAN ROYAL FAMILY STAFFER OPENS ETIQUETTE SCHOOL IN BROOKLINE

By Ignacio Laguarda
Oct 18, 2012

It’s all about the little things.

That’s what Snezana Pejic preaches from inside her brand new business on Harvard Street, The Etiquette Academy of New England. When you walk into the academy, located on the second floor at 39 Harvard St., and comprised of a reception desk and three classrooms, it isn’t uncommon for Pejic to greet you, ask if you’d like something to drink, or if you’ve remembered to pay the meter.

The little things.

Those things, that attention to detail, is the type of interaction Pejic hopes to convey to the kids who step into her classrooms. As the creator and director of the academy, Pejic said she wanted to step away from the image of the stuffy, uptight taskmaster associated with etiquette training.  “[Etiquette] is about communication,” she said. “It is about connecting with people.”  Pejic used an example to illustrate what she meant.  “If you are a guest at my house and you spill something on my Persian carpet, my duty as a host is not to clean the carpet, because it’s already done,” she said. “It spilt. I’ll deal with it. As a host, my duty is to make sure that you don’t feel guilt, that you’re O.K.” Read more 


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