The Art of Business Social Interaction is a trademarked program I developed working with a group of new associates that the organization wanted to ensure were aware of the social protocols in working with clients in all situations.

One of the cardinal rules that should never be broken is to remember the three banned topics: religion, politics and money. I recalled years ago working with one pro-life and the one pro-choice colleague. We would have a wonderful lunch together because they were both very charming people. But once this issue came up – it became an unpleasant afternoon.

Just recently, while walking my dog, a person I would meet occasionally while he walked his dog, brought up how awful the news has been. I mistakenly brought up my distaste for guns and he said let’s not get political. This pleasant walk became very uncomfortable because I had forgotten my own rule to never talk about politics, religion or money!

My dad taught me the trick of soaking milk on a stain to remove it. It worked recently when a friend got lipstick on his collar at a cocktail party when someone missed kissing him on the check and the lipstick ended up on his collar! With milk, the stain disappeared in about three minutes. Club soda will also work. But milk is more effective due to the white bleaching effect.

Tiny handbags are becoming more popular because of the smart phone which now can hold your credit cards. Small or tiny bags fit well into brief cases and can make everything easier to manage. You must have a shoulder strap when using it for business. Evening bags can have a short handle or wrist strap. My small bag holds a mini coach wristlet with credit cards, driver’s license and a few dollars along with my iPhone 6S and car keys. It also holds a fabric tote (folded up) to use if I want to carry purchases without getting another bag.

A large handbag should be considered a tote that can hold other items besides your identification and credit cards. However, large bags can be a nuisance when trying to find an item. Digging around in a bag is not a polished look. Large handbags can be smart if in a neutral color. My Prada bag / tote is black and perfect for holding a laptop or iPad.

A recent Chicago Tribune business section article, talks about the importance of showing appreciation by saying thank you in different ways. Giving thanks in ways other than words such as lending a helping hand, offering a small gift, or breaking bread (having lunch or coffee), are three great ways to do that. Showing appreciation forges relationships, professionally and personally.

We have seen belts being worn more frequently on tall thin ladies. As much as I like wide belts (and have too many), they do not look good on me because I have a short torso and am not slender enough.

The best way to determine if a belt will look good on you is to realize that it must accent your waist and make you look slimmer. Too wide of a belt will  make the body look stubby while a thin belt accents your figure. Adacollections.com has a wide range of belts for most shapes.

These tips that will help you navigate through responding to tough questions, a very important skill needed in front of an audience or while on the phone:

• Take your time
• Speak to what can be done, never on what cannot be done
• Use a positive tone and calm voice – especially on the phone
• In person, display engaged facial expressions

Tweets are supposed to be positive, never inflammatory. The idea is to provide resources and stay connected. An accusatory or negative tweet will damage your brand.

I was involved with a client who wanted to save an employee. Unfortunately, when an issue did not favor this person, he aired dirty laundry in a tweet. This was not about freedom of speech, it hurt the company and resulted in the employee being let go.

Sharing working space occurs when there are limited offices. It is especially prevalent when the staff travels 75% of the time. Sharing offices can be a win / win when following these guidelines:

• Always leave the space clean by putting away office supplies in their specific location.
• Never eat food with strong odors at the desk.
• Honor your allotted time.
• Replace any supplies you have used.
• Be the master of your space time.

I recently noticed a professional woman wearing an oversized mock faux coat walking toward her car. I love faux fur coats when they look either real faux or real in-between. A faux fur looks best when styled to look that way. There are colors and fur types that shout: I am not real! Even so, they make a fashion statement. A faux fur that tries to look real without having a contemporary style appears cheap and matronly.

My late mother had a mink coat that she stopped wearing because it became too big and heavy. We brought her a faux fur in deep forest green in the traditional style. It looked sharp, fun and she loved it!