So here's what we're gonna do
Thanks to everyone who offered advice for my "Fun Etiquette for Kids" workshop at the Renaissance Weekend! Apologies to those whose comments loitered long in moderation; for some reason, the system acted up late last week and decided EVERYTHING was a junk comment. Sigh.
I think I've got something planned that can be done in 15 minutes, and will meet the operational specs. (My sympathies to those who suggested a thank-you-note writing workshop, but I don't even find writing thank-you notes fun and I'm a damn etiquette columnist.) I thought for a long time about how my own social skills developed and realized that theater has been more valuable for me than anything else, so I decided to go with that. Here's the program:
1. Per Verena's suggestion, I'll start off by asking the kids to define "etiquette," and we'll work with that a little.
2. Then I'm going to get them to do a game of "Machine." One person starts off making a repetitive sound and movement, and gradually everyone else adds themselves on until the entire group is a rhythmic, noisy, machine working together. The leader can then instruct the machine to speed up, slow down, break down.
3. Then we'll break and talk about what made the machine work well and what happened when it broke down ... and how does that relate to what "etiquette" is supposed to be? Taking turns, helping someone out when they get confused, doing your part ...
I'll report back to you on how it goes. I'm still a little nervous. But I already flat-out refused to be a co-leader for the singalong that traditionally ends the weekend ("Dear Planners: You do not want me to do this. Trust me. This is not false modesty."), and I didn't feel I could back out of this, too.
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Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahams writes the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine. Robin, who has a PhD in psychology from Boston University, has worked as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, which are given annually for achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think.
