Video: Changing Family: The Art of the Handshake

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)  Unlike swatch watches, bell bottoms or super skinny piano keyboard ties, good manners are always in style.

Proper etiquette, when learned at an early age, can literally open doors for success in life.

We sat in on the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Core Training Progam with the Mississippi School for Protocol and Etiquette for a lesson in introductions.

Good manners begin, microseconds before you actually meet some one.

Justin Estes is an instructor in the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Core Training Program.

He explains, ” We’ll, we run through the 5 basic steps of a proper introduction. First, would be stand, eye contact, smile, then introduce yourself and shake hands.”

Laurie Isgett chips in, ” We get kind of close to each other, and you introduce your name, and you shake hands, and the other person says his first and last name.”

Jameson Hilm adds, ” I will say, good afternoon, or whatever time of day it is. I will give you my name and tell you how great it is to meet you. You’ll back away.”

There are plenty of wrong ways to shake hands, but only one right one.

Jameson says, “Web to web.”

For the most part, good manners and common sense go hand in hand, but certain situations call for specific courses of action.

Children in this 5 week class are building to a big finale.

Justin Estes explains, “December 8th, we’ll have a banquet in Jackson, they get to ride in limousines, sit down to a 5 course meal. Everyone, even the kids, everyone dresses up. Family members dress up (for the) very formal event.”

And in the weeks and years that follow children who complete the course can stride with confidence into even the most formal environment.

Jameson concludes, ” I’m looking forward to just learning how to be proper with people that are older, so that when like you meet somebody that’s important, they’ll say, ‘ that young man really knows how to be a gentleman.’ ”

It’s lesson that can benefit all of society.

A similar program is also up and running in Starkville.