Girls to learn social graces at modern etiquette school opening in Manly

Girls can learn about elocution, grooming and table manners at a ‘modern etiquette school’ opening in Manly.

NSW_MANLY_ETIQUETTE_11NOV14. For MAN. (L-R) Michaela Launerts and Michelle Walsh have just launched a modern day finishing school - Etiquette & Co. Picture: Troy Snook

I’LL be the first to admit I’m no June Dally-Watkins.

Yes, I know how to dress appropriately, never go empty-handed to dinner parties and I like making small talk.

But I’m much too fidgety to be elegant, have no idea about posh cutlery and it took me months to send out my wedding thankyou notes.

Sitting opposite northern beaches etiquette experts Michaela Launerts and Michelle Walsh, I feel like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

The teachers have just launched Etiquette & Co, a “modern etiquette school” for girls aged 14 to 20.

The courses – held in the salubrious surrounds of the International College of Management at Manly – ­include lessons on elocution and grooming, as well as modern sins like using a phone at the dinner table.

Michelle Walsh and Michaela Launerts

Given that we’re a laid-back lot on the northern beaches, surely rules about decorum are over the top?

Not so, say the pair who believe good manners and presentation will give young women “a competitive edge” in the job market.

“It is not about being ­demure and wanting to catch a husband, it’s about learning to be the best version of yourself for personal and professional success,” Miss Launerts said.

“Old-fashioned manners show that you are thinking about the other person, putting them at ease,” Mrs Walsh said.

They both look so poised. How can I follow suit?

“Keep your shoulders down and back and make sure that when you are sitting, your back is straight,” advises Mrs Walsh.

“If you are slouched, and your body language is ­inward-facing, people perceive that as vulnerability and believe you lack confidence,” Miss Launerts adds.

But it is my table manners that really let me down.

I learn rules I had no idea existed. Apparently you should never pass the salt without the pepper, for example.

When eating a scone, one should butter it in the correct manner, top it with “a small dollop of jam” and take small, ladylike bites.

I usually wolf it down and get jam on my face.

The school has a big focus on social media etiquette and “steering girls in the right direction” in regards to sites like Instagram and Facebook.

“It’s about not putting a digital footprint out that you wouldn’t want your boss to see,” Miss Launerts said.

“Our focus is equipping young people with the confidence to be able to handle themselves on social occasions and to be noticed and recognised for the right reasons – rather than because they have put up a scantily-clad selfie.”

For more information about the courses, go to ­etiquetteandco.com.au.