Debra Gitto, etiquette consultant, president and founder of Gitto Consulting has co-authored the soon to be released book, Executive Etiquette Power, published by Power Dynamics Publishing. In this book 20 top etiquette experts from North America have joined together to share valuable insights for career success.

A prerequisite to being a winning executive is the ability to foster and cultivate business relationships over a meal. Debra Gitto has authored the chapter entitled, Flawless Feasting: A Guide to Executive Table Manners. Regardless of whether you dine in a refined dining atmosphere or a casual environment, manners at the table indicate your intelligence level, character and attentiveness to the finer details of life. And that translates into nonverbal messages about your professional competence and capabilities.

In the mid-1800s, the English judge Lord William Stowell proclaimed, "A dinner lubricates business." This statement still holds true in the 21st century marketplace.

The importance of civility at the dining table has waned in recent decades. Debra Gitto states, "I have found that my young students eat their meals everywhere but at the table. Unfortunately, as they become young adults with college degrees in hand, they lack the basic life skills necessary to achieve their professional goals."

As quoted in an October 2006 article in Business Week, Michael Morris, a professor of management at Columbia University Business School and leader of the school's Program on Social Intelligence, "Social intelligence is not a replacement for abstract intelligence. That gets you in the door, but social intelligence gets you to the top."

Interviewing for a job over a meal is commonplace in many industries, because it reveals the level of social competence of a potential candidate. Whether you are dining with a client, networking in the business community or attending a conference or meeting, the interaction is the focal point and the food is secondary. Croft M. Pentz, the author of 1001 Things Your Mother Told You, published in 2001 by Tyndale House Publishers, says, "You can see how important manners are by watching people who don't have any."

Gitto Consulting is a provider of etiquette and protocol education, based in Ventnor City, New Jersey. Debra Gitto is an instructor, speaker, and expert on the etiquette issues relevant to today's global marketplace. She is on the Greater Atlantic City Chamber Board of Directors and co-chairs The Ambassador Committee. To obtain a copy of Executive Etiquette Power visit www.etiquetteinfo.com or contact Debra Gitto at 609-822-8164.