LEARN PROPER FRENCH ETIQUETTE
VIDEO COURSE
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25+ easy-to-digest language videos
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25+ travel through France videos
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25+ learn the French culture videos
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View anytime on any device
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Learn at your own pace
During each of the video lessons, Coco will cover a specific topic. Each lesson is designed to build on the concepts of the previous lesson, although the videos can be watched in any order if you so choose. It's all up to you. Learn at your own pace! Click below for more information or to purchase the full course.
Bonjour, Hello, and Welcome!
Etiquette, good manners, courtesy, galanterie, rules of conduct - Call them what you want. They all point to the same direction whether you are in America, France, or Japan, whether you are in a rural or urban environment, surrounded by young or older folks with or without education. It is amazing how it works.
Etiquette is not exclusive. It does not cater to “select people” or to the “high class” or to the “top notch” society. Rather, etiquette is for ALL and can help us ALL.
Help us all?! Yes, help us succeed, help us feel comfortable, and be confident.
What do money and manners have in common?
You may be shocked by this question, and you will be even more shocked by the answer. You will be inclined to think right away that manners help you climb the social ladder, therefore make more money and be better off. In fact, there is more to it.
It IS good to have money, don’t you think? You do not have to brag about it, show off, and spend it all, but you know you are secure when you have money. You know your day will be less stressful – you will be able to eat, put some gas in your car to go to work, maybe even go to the movies. Most importantly, should an emergency occur, you know you can pull out the money like the magician pulls the rabbit out of the hat. You do have the resources, and you are going to use them right away.
It IS good to have manners. In the same way as it is with money, you do not have to show a full display and be pretentious about it, but you confidently know that any circumstance or life-changing event or career opportunity can pop up unexpectedly today, and you are prepared. You know you are well equipped to face it and make it happen because you have the resources. You have what it takes. You know what to do, what to say, how to behave. And here again, you can perform the same magician’s trick.
What is Etiquette?
It is a list of do’s and don’ts that allows us to be civil and respectful and live together harmoniously in a polite society.
Learn French Culture & Etiquette
Oh… You don’t want to be bothered by any do’s and don’ts?...
Do you drive?
Isn’t driving ruled by a bunch of do’s and don’ts?
Do you yield to pedestrians? Well, what’s the difference between yielding to pedestrians when you are driving versus opening the door to a lady and going in after her?
Both rules are rather similar…
What? Opening the door to a lady is something of the past?
What’s wrong with the past?
So is yielding to pedestrians while driving, then. It is not because it is from the past that it is passé and bad! That’s old and odd thinking.
What Etiquette is NOT:
Etiquette is not exclusive. Thinking it is exclusive would be a cliché and only a cliché.
Etiquette is not about snobbism.
Etiquette should not project a picture of you that you are not – Or else, that will show immensely, believe me! You should learn the rules and apply them, or apply most of them on a daily basis so that they become natural. They should be part of yourself, part of your normal behavior.
Too many times in my restaurant I have seen guests who were trying too hard to fit in a “fancy" restaurant. Yes, it draws some attention in a way, but not in the most favorable way. Sometimes it can look a bit cartoon-ish.
Too many times I have interviewed some candidates that were highly qualified for the job but did not have the confidence that a basic knowledge of good manners would have given them. It made them uncomfortable with themselves, and it made everybody around them uncomfortable too.
Etiquette is not about pretending. You know the rules, or you don’t. You apply them, or you don’t. And most of all, it needs to be smooth, natural, as natural as saying “hello”, “thank you”, or “you are welcome”.
Who should take the TLC (Travel, Language, Culture) course?
Anyone who is planning a trip to France
All Francophiles
Anyone who is interested in travel and customs
Anyone who wants to know the rules of conduct in our Western cultures – Most “French style” etiquette applies to most Western cultures.
This course gives you a lot of practical information.
Some of you may be only interested in what is right and what is wrong, what to do and what not to do in such or such situation.
But it is much more than just knowing how to place your knife and fork when you are done eating or what to bring or not to bring to a dinner party.
It is about the French culture in general. It is about who initiates a handshake, how we, French people, behave in public, how we dress for a party.
It is about what we eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
I truly believe you will enjoy this class as much as I enjoyed preparing it for you.
Merci, un grand merci!
Coco