Behind the scenes no more

Get a copy, read it and level up!

Written by Sammy Matlhagela, a certified trainer in the disciplines of etiquette and protocol, the newly published book, “Behind The Scenes No More, Thanks to Etiquette,’ challenges readers to find their identity, embrace it and make a necessary shift to become the best version of themselves.

A quick perusal through the book (I must admit I haven’t read all of it Yet!) reveals a wide range of topics explored, many of them stemming from Matlhagela‘s own experience as a middle child who grew up shy and reserved.

“ I am a middle child with two siblings with larger than life personalities. For a long time I felt like I was behind the scenes until I decided to go to etiquette school and find my own identity. I needed to find out who I am outside of being Tshepo Maphanyane’s younger sister, Links Maphanyane’s older sister, Maya’s mother or even Dan’s wife,” says the author.

Written in an informal and captivating story telling manner, the book, which is in two parts, “ The Social experience” and “Navigating the Career Maze’ is a delightful read.

It immediately draws you in, especially if you know the writer and are bound to recognize some of the incidents and characters used to describe and show examples of either good or bad etiquette.

“ I wanted it to be an easy read so I used simple language,” she says.

Indeed through short, sharp and succinct sentences used to capture and articulate issues of societal behavior and its effects on how we relate with each other, Matlhgagela has achieved her mission to be simple in her approach, without sounding simplistic, especially given the nature of the subject matter.

She has unmasked how we parrot the importance of ‘Botho’ and fail to practice what we preach and provided guidelines and solutions to many etiquette related problems.

Topics such as should one bring a “plus one” or not when invited and “ Who pays the bill?” make for an informative and entertaining read.
And then of course there are the interesting subjects of table manners, time keeping and networking, do and don’ts’s and many more, so go on buy the book at P300 a set and learn. You won’t regret it!