An etiquette session can help a team prepare for the moments that feel surprisingly difficult: joining a client dinner, introducing a colleague, entering a conversation, or disagreeing respectfully. Choosing the right expert begins with identifying those moments.
Before collecting speaker names, decide what you want attendees to be able to do afterward. “We need an engaging presentation” describes the atmosphere. “Our new associates need to introduce themselves comfortably at a client reception” describes a practical outcome. That distinction will help you choose a format, evaluate experience, and compare proposals fairly.
Here is a useful process for event planners, people teams, and leaders hiring an etiquette expert for a corporate event.
Start with the audience and one or two priorities
Write a short brief describing who will attend, what they already know, and where they need support. A group of graduates entering their first client-facing roles has different questions from experienced leaders preparing to host an international delegation.
Gather a few examples from managers or attendees without naming or embarrassing individuals. Perhaps people struggle to enter networking conversations, write clear follow-up messages, or navigate a business meal. Ask which situations actually occur in their work rather than assuming everyone needs a lesson on the same rules.
Choose one or two priorities that fit the available time. A 45-minute conference slot cannot reasonably offer extensive practice in introductions, dining, presentation skills, digital communication, and international protocol. A narrower session can give attendees a clear action to take the next day.
Include group size, location or time zone, audience languages, accessibility needs, and the event's broader purpose. Share any relevant internal guidance so the session fits how your organization operates.
Choose a keynote, workshop, or dining session
A keynote can introduce a theme, offer memorable examples, and give a large audience shared language. It may suit a conference agenda or company gathering. Ask how much participation it includes and what attendees will leave with.
A workshop makes room for practice and feedback. Participants might rehearse introductions, discuss an awkward client scenario, or rewrite a message. Check how the proposed activities work for your numbers. A small group exercise can become difficult to manage in a ballroom unless the facilitator has planned for it.
A dining session combines instruction with the setting in which the skill is used. It needs coordination with the venue, menu, service team, seating, and timing. Ask who will brief the caterer and whether the meal allows everyone to participate comfortably.
Virtual delivery can work when the session is built for the format. Ask about captions, participation choices, breaks, and how remote attendees will practice. A hybrid event needs particular thought so the people online have a meaningful way to take part.
Look for experience that matches your situation
Read the expert's biography and ask about relevant teaching experience. Familiarity with your audience, topics, and event format matters more than a long list of unrelated appearances. A media interview demonstrates a different skill from facilitating sensitive discussions with 80 employees.
Ask what training supports the proposed subject and which areas are outside the speaker's scope. A useful answer explains the background plainly. If a provider cites a certification, find out who issued it and what it involved. Treat prestige phrases as prompts for questions rather than substitutes for evidence.
Request imagery from a previous event or a recent sample showing how the person actually teaches. Ask what companies the etiquette consultancy has taught at, or for references from comparable events when available, respecting any client confidentiality restrictions.
Confirm who will deliver the session. A company's founder may appear prominently on its website while another trainer handles your event. Either arrangement can be appropriate when the proposal makes it clear.
Listen for an approach that respects your people
Modern etiquette training should make professional situations easier to navigate. Ask how the expert explains the reason behind a convention and adapts when culture, disability, religion, or individual circumstances change what participation looks like.
For example, a session should offer a comfortable way to greet someone who does not shake hands. A dining activity should not pressure anyone to drink alcohol or disclose medical information. Networking practice should allow participation without turning a person's accent or personality into the subject of correction.
Ask how the facilitator handles a question when there is no single answer. A thoughtful response might distinguish a venue's convention from a universal rule, or invite the host to explain the expectations for a particular event.
Share your organization's concerns early. You are evaluating whether the teaching will be constructive for this group, including the people who may approach the topic with some hesitation.
Ask what customization actually includes
A proposal may promise a tailored session without explaining the work behind it. Ask whether preparation includes a discovery call, review of your brief, audience questions, or examples drawn from your setting.
Offer anonymized scenarios. A sales team might need a graceful way to leave a reception conversation. A law firm might want to practice introducing a junior colleague to a client. An international team may need guidance on asking about unfamiliar conventions without making assumptions.
Agree on the priority examples and the intended learning outcomes before the event. Customization should connect the teaching to your audience's work; it need not mean rewriting an entire program for a short appearance.
Clarify what you will review and when. Some speakers share an outline rather than a full script. Decide how factual company details, sensitive examples, and internal policies will be checked without leaving either side uncertain about the preparation process.
Compare the whole proposal and practical requirements
Ask shortlisted providers to respond to the same brief so you can compare like with like. Review the proposed session, named presenter, preparation, audience interaction, take-home materials, and any follow-up together. The lowest fee may cover a different scope.
Confirm what the quote includes and excludes. Depending on the event, relevant items may include travel, accommodation, venue requirements, meal costs, materials, or additional preparation. Ask about payment dates, cancellation, rescheduling, and what happens if the named speaker cannot attend. Obtain the agreed terms in writing.
Discuss recording and reuse separately. Permission to film a session is not automatically permission to distribute it indefinitely to every employee. Ask about photographs, internal recordings, edited clips, audience consent, and the duration or audience of any license.
Give the speaker a realistic run of show. Check microphones, screen format, room layout, arrival arrangements, and the person responsible for technical support. For interactive sessions, seating and sound can affect whether attendees can hear and practice comfortably.
Use a short discovery call to test the fit
You do not need a complicated interview. Ask a few direct questions and notice whether the answers address your audience:
- “Given our brief, which two things would you focus on, and why?”
- “How would participants practice those skills in the time available?”
- “Who would deliver the session, and what comparable experience do they have?”
- “How do you make participation comfortable for a mixed audience?”
- “What would you need from us before you can confirm the scope and price?”
A useful conversation may include the expert advising against covering too much. That can show care for the learning experience. Be cautious when a provider guarantees dramatic commercial results from a single session or cannot explain how the proposed format supports the outcome.
Do not ask for a full unpaid bespoke program as an audition. A relevant sample, clear outline, and focused discussion should help you assess fit while respecting the provider's work.
Make the learning useful after the event
Choose a modest way to evaluate the session. You might ask participants to demonstrate an introduction, identify a phrase they will use, or name one action they plan to try. A satisfaction score tells you something about the experience; it does not prove lasting behavior change.
Agree with managers on one opportunity to reinforce the skill, such as a practice round before a client reception. If follow-up materials are included, confirm what they contain and who may use them. Allow time for the team to apply the guidance before drawing conclusions about results.
A good event leaves people with something usable. That might be a more comfortable introduction, a clearer client message, or confidence asking a host about an unfamiliar dining convention.
Considering etiquette expert Myka Meier or Beaumont Etiquette?
Myka Meier is the founder of NYC etiquette company Beaumont Etiquette and a co-founder of The Plaza Hotel Finishing Program. She is the author of Modern Etiquette Made Easy and Business Etiquette Made Easy. Her biography describes training in British, Continental European, and American etiquette, including training under a former member of Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Household.
The book links above are Amazon affiliate links.
The current Speaking page presents Myka's keynote work. Beaumont's Corporate Training page describes in-person workshops, live virtual training, and video lessons. Use the route that matches your event, then ask the team to confirm the presenter, scope, availability, and quotation for your particular brief.
For a speaking inquiry, include your proposed date, location, audience, approximate numbers, session length, and the two priorities you want to address. Those details give the conversation a useful starting point and help you choose an event that serves your team.
