They're questions you hear a lot: Which fork do I use? Is that my bread plate or yours? Is my glass the one on the left or the right? During the holidays there's a strong possibility you'll either be invited to a dinner, or giving one yourself. And knowing which one is your salad fork, or what that little spoon above your plate is for, can save you from embarrassing yourself.

To find out exactly how a proper table should be set, and what all those forks are for, I spoke to Diane Gottsman, a nationally recognized etiquette expert, author, and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, specializing in etiquette training for both corporate and social situations.

"There's nothing worse than sitting across the dining table from an important client - or worse, a date - and using his soup spoon or drinking from her water glass," Diane says. "A dinner meal can easily turn into a dining disaster. Don't be that guy!"

To help you not be that guy, Diane has created a diagram you can print out and use as a map to let you know what tools you're dealing with on a properly set holiday table. (Get a PDF of the diagram here.)

Some key things to remember:
- Utensils are used from the outside in. That means your salad fork will be the one furthest out from the plate. The fork you'll use for your main course will be the one closest to the plate. (The number of forks is also a good indicator of how many courses the host is planning to serve.)

- Since soup is typically served before a course requiring a knife, and you work from the outside in, the soup spoon will be placed to the right of your knife.

- Your bread plate is the one to your left - above, or next to, your forks. (Unless the table is set with it in the center of the dinner plate. Then that one is yours. Yes, I know, thanks Captain Obvious.)

- Your glasses are to your right, with your water glass being the one directly above your dinner knife.

- That little fork and spoon above your plate? Dessert utensils.

Keep in mind the table you're sitting at may not have all these utensils or glasses, but this will definitely give you a better grasp of what you may be dealing with at the next company dinner or family celebration. Especially at a crowded table when the glasses and plates seem to all flow together.

For a PDF copy of Diane's guide, click here.

For more information and tips from The Protocol School of Texas, go to www.protocolschooloftexas.com