WXYZ: Women Empowering Women in the Workforce
WXYZ interviews Project 2 Co-Founders Danielle Kovachevich and Allison Kuhn
WDIV: How to teach your children etiquette, manners while stuck at home
DETROIT – Learning from home has been a new and sometimes challenging experience for many families through this pandemic.
As the school year wraps up, there’s a different kind of lesson you can pass on to your children -- manners.
With so much going on with our children at home these days, one local mother is finding a way to show your little ones at home how to make sure they mind their manners.
“A lot of times people think etiquette is about being stuffy, and a lot of rules," said Danielle Kovachevich. “I actually would like to politely disagree and say that it’s actually about an awareness of how we make people feel. It’s about kindness.”
Kovachevich is a mother of four and an expert on manners.
“I think the best thing we can do during this time as educators and parents is to show kindness and model kind behaviors," Kovachevich said. "I think that’s really impactful for our children.”
Kovachevich runs the Detroit Academy of Etiquette and since her own children have been home from school, she’s been coming up with ways to help them brush up on their manners.
“I’ve come up with a couple things that I believe could help with self esteem and optimism and some of the frustrations we’re all having," she said.
She introduces simple life skill lessons once a week, every Monday -- which the family now calls “Manners Monday" -- then the family has the whole week to work on it.
“I tried to make these few little skills tips lessons," Kovachevich said. "I guess you could call them easy to incorporate into your everyday routine so that it’s nothing too crazy and it should be manageable for your family.”
The first one she usually starts with basic table manners for little ones -- like how to pass food.
“If you are sitting at the table, and there’s a bread basket, if you are the closest one to the bread basket, you want to grab the basket and offer it to the person to the left, take yours, and then passed to the right,” Kovachevich said. “It’s your responsibility because you’re sitting closest to whatever it is that you would like to have, but you want to offer to the left, take yours and pass to the right.”
The next area, she has kids in quarantine focus on is their digital manners -- for all those meetings they’re now having online.
“When they get set up to do their Zoom meeting, be prepared. Treat it like an actual school day for school," Kovachevich said. "You would take a shower, you would get dressed, you do your hair, you brush your teeth. You want to do those same things for an actual virtual meeting.”
Since children are missing out on a lot of face to face interaction these days, and spending more time than ever in front of screens, Kovachevich said this is the perfect opportunity to teach children about some of the more old fashioned ways of communicating -- like a handwritten letter.
“Think of someone in your life, maybe it’s a grandparent or someone who lives alone or someone you miss, and get out some stationery and a pen and write a letter. There’s studies showing that when you actually write a letter, it engages different parts of your brain," Kovachevich said. "It boosts your endorphins which makes us feel good. And how wonderful for someone we care about to get a surprise in the mail, you know? People don’t do that very often. So having your child once a week write a little note to someone and learn how to address the envelope with a stamp, a lot of a lot of older kids don’t even know how to do that.”
Kovachevich has been holding virtual classes and a portion of the proceeds from those classes is going to first responders. More information can be found here.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/06/05/how-to-teach-your-children-etiquette-manners-while-stuck-at-home/
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■Danielle Kovachevich joined Bluestone Executive Communications in Birmingham as a certified etiquette instructor. She offers private instruction and seminars on dining etiquette, international protocol, digital decorum and a program for young professionals. She received a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and studied in France while earning a master’s degree. Previously, she taught secondary education and wrote curriculum for school districts. She is certified in Etiquette Instruction by the Etiquette Institute of St. Louis.
Source: https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2017/01/14/business-leaders-news/96475368/
WDIV: Holy Name school launches Etiquette Academy
In hopes of countering public discord and mean-spiritedness, Holy Name Catholic School in Birmingham is launching a special program devoted exclusively to etiquette.
Dubbed the “Etiquette Academy,” the new program will be showcased on Sunday, January 27, at the school's Open House, which runs from 1 to 3 p.m., at 680 Harmon Road.
“In an age when too often civility and decorum seem to be under siege, we want our students to see the advantages of good manners and graciousness,” said Holy Name Principal DeAnn Brzezinski. “We're equipping our students with the mindset that courtesy, kindness and putting others first can be effective tools as they become leaders of tomorrow.”
The new program is in addition to the school's academic offerings, religious education and athletic programs.
Central to the Etiquette Academy will be certified etiquette instructor Danielle Kovachevich, who leads corporate etiquette trainings at Birmingham-based Bluestone Executive Communications.
“I applaud Holy Name for recognizing the importance of etiquette in helping our children navigate a complicated and often intimidating world,” Kovachevich said. “In reality, the rules of etiquette are really there to help us feel more confident in tricky situations, and we all want that for our children – both today and as we send them out into the world.”
The academy features age-appropriate programs across its K-8 classrooms with the most robust offerings for its middle school students, who will participate in four courses, including “Everyday Etiquette,” “Digital Decorum,” “Dine with Distinction” and “Speaking with Superiors.” The school also will offer “Manners and Mindfulness Surrounding Social Media,” and a series of other offerings designed to highlight and reward good manners and outstanding citizenship.
The school will implement some aspects of the program immediately and build to the full program in the 2019-20 school year.
“This is an exciting addition to our exceptional curriculum,” Brzezinski said. “Whether we're talking about table manners, phone manners, greeting guests, picking up messes or navigating awkward moments, manners matter now more than ever and we're proud to champion this important new offering.”
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https://www.downtownpublications.com/single-post/2019/01/25/Holy-Name-school-launches-Etiquette-Academy?utm_campaign=fd6ff3b2-e613-4c0a-bb12-44c7e82cd1b1&utm_source=so
Observer and Eccentric Birmingham: Meet a real-life Miss Manners
Poise, polish and presence – those are the keys to climbing the corporate ladder.
And the best way to climb those steps is by working with a certified etiquette instructor like Birmingham’s Danielle Kovachevich. Pardon the cliché, but Kovachevich is a real-life Miss Manners.
"Contrary to popular belief, office etiquette is not extinct," Kovachevich said. "It has only evolved."
The former school teacher is certified in etiquette instruction by The Etiquette Institute of St. Louis. She joined Bluestone Executive Communications last December. The Birmingham-based company specializes in helping corporate leaders deliver a message with impact.
“We often work with the CEO, the CFO, the company president or other very high-level executives,” Bluestone president Christina McKenna said. “Companies also bring us in to work with the entire organization, helping to cultivate a culture of excellence. We’ve worked with top executives at General Motors, Magna, La-Z-Boy and Shinola.”
Here’s what Kovachevich has to say about good manners in the workplace:
Q: Where do you start with a client?
Kovachevich: It depends on whether we’re doing a group training to elevate the culture across an entire department or organization or one-on-one coaching to help one executive fine-tune his or her “professional brand.” For groups, we ask the supervisor what they think is working and what is not. With individuals, we ask their professional goals and what they see as the behavioral obstacles to those goals. They’re not always the best at identifying their liabilities, but it’s a starting point.
Q: How much does it cost for these services?
Kovachevich: I’m not prepared to talk about pricing here … that wouldn’t be polite, would it? But I can tell you this: When our clients add up all the money they spend getting key meetings, preparing for key meetings, flying to key meetings and actually meeting, they realize they cannot afford to blow it once they’re in the room. They quickly see our programs pay for themselves.
Q: What about online etiquette?
Kovachevich: This is a huge issue and our biggest area of interest right now. The work world is increasingly digital, but digital communication is very easily misunderstood and that can lead to all sorts of hurt feelings and other trouble. One of our highest demand programs is Email Etiquette. Email is not new, but we’re getting worse, not better, at using it effectively. We’ve becoming increasingly casual on our communication and that doesn’t always read well on a screen. Brevity is fine, so long as the tone is friendly and professional.
Q: Any advice on using cellphones in the office?
Kovachevich: What we’re finding is that people tend to be too casual with their cellphones, when they need to keep it more professional. Being on a cellphone, especially during a meeting, is sending a message to co-workers and supervisors that your work isn’t important to you. Put it away and make the people and job a priority.
Q: What’s the most common faux pas?
Kovachevich: The most common misstep is putting oneself before others. Manners are a sensitivity and awareness of how we make people feel. Etiquette is not about being perfect or uptight. It simply defines the rules and guidelines of how we should handle social and professional situations. So long as we’re being kind, respectful and considerate, we’re usually on solid ground.
But if you’re looking for one specific example, here’s one that’s especially relevant in the Michigan winter. While it’s OK to wipe your nose at the table, step away from the table if you need to blow your nose. Also, if you must sneeze or cough, do so into the crook of your arm, not your hand, which your dining partner will likely have to shake at the end of the meal.
Q: Is it ever OK to be rude to someone?
Kovachevich: Never! I think you take the higher road – ultimately what can someone say when you come back with a kind remark? I think it's definitely OK to be direct in a situation, but there’s always a way to handle it with grace and class that serves you and the people around you.
Article Credit:
https://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/birmingham/2017/01/26/meet-real-life-miss-manners/97012514/