The first impression is the best impression. Being merely well dressed is not enough. Etiquette matters too! And if you are the kind who travels frequently, just mind those manners. The right way of greeting, eating, or interacting, habit and style - everything reflects your personality.

Kenneth Pinto is a well known etiquette expert. He was with the Taj Group of hotels from 1981 to 1999 as Regional Training Manager - South. After ten years experience in campus interview and recruiting in the hotel industry, Kenneth decided to set out on his own. Now he freelances as an etiquette trainer. His skills and his own family background are to his advantage. Kenneth says, "Now Indians are getting a lot of exposure to the west, especially since there are plenty of job opportunities and the interaction is global. Our Indian customs and traditions are fair enough to live here. We get along with everybody, we are forgiving. But people from the West don't expect too much from the personal level but more from the professional level. At this point, there are a whole lot of things that come in. If we go wrong, our behaviour can give the wrong signal to people."

Kenneth conducts corporate training on business etiquette. Infosys has been one of his clients. A lot of corporate houses are paying attention to corporate etiquette, how to behave at a business meeting, how to dress for a formal or casual get together. "It is necessary to know some of the dos and donts. If a person is staying at a hotel or as a guest, he or she should not come back with a sorry face. We Indians may commit mistakes because we lack knowledge. When you go abroad, you not only put the garbage into a bag to throw but you have to segregate it into bio-degradable, glass, and so many others," adds Kenneth. A succinct example on how to keep our environment clean.

"Many a time people have lovely offices, hi-tech systems, but they lack good services to customers. This is enough to tear down the office image," he emphasises. His in depth knowledge on this subject allows him to explain the rules of etiquette in simple terms. He conducts one-day programmes, 'Travel Abroad', which covers dining etiquette, office etiquette, and dressing and grooming. The first lessons cover the kind of cutlery, crockery and glasses that are used to serve food and drink. He also teaches less complicated things like what drinks you can have before and after a meal, how to ask for coffee, how to indicate you are ready for dessert after the main course or how to dress for a corporate meet. Then there is a walk through of the session.

If you are the kind who jet sets in a corporate crowd and need to know more on business etiquette or a housewife wanting to brush up your social skills, you can go in for a grooming session with Kenneth Pinto. For the just graduated corporate trainee, this is the place to learn the right kind of style.