To truly appreciate cheese, the classic progression in any tasting is from simple to complex, young to aged, light to heavy, mild to strong.

Suggested order in terms of cheese families:

Fresh curd and goat cheeses
Soft curds with bloomy or washed rinds
Semi-firm cheeses
Firm cheeses
Veined cheeses
Hard-curd cheeses

For more details on what to serve at a cheese tasting, click on Pairing cheeses, wines, beers, breads

Cheese plate basics:
Choose flat platters without rims that can make cutting difficult.
Grooved platters are more difficult to clean and should also be avoided.
Do not over-decorate or use plastic vine leaves on platters.
Avoid metal or plastic platters for cheese; wood, earthenware, wicker, marble or glass is preferable.
To keep flavours intact, leave a little room between cheeses and provide a separate knife for each.

Cheese temperature
For best flavour and aroma, most cheeses should be left at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to one hour prior to serving. If ambient temperature is very dry, cover the cheeses with a moist cloth. Fresh curd cheeses like cottage and ricotta should be eaten fresh out of the refrigerator.

Cutting cheese
Cutting cheese properly offers two great advantages: it brings out the fine quality of the cheese and guarantees that it will stay fresh longer. Here are a few useful tips:
Keep serving sizes small so that guests can enjoy all the cheeses being served without feeling full.
Select six cheeses and six wines for your wine and cheese party.
The rule-of-thumb in quantities is 170-180grams (5½ -6ounces) of cheese, ½ bottle of wine and 4-6 slices of bread per person.
During a tasting, do not cut cheeses in advance; keep them whole, with labels intact.
Remove all wrapping before cutting.
Some goat cheeses have a straw running through the middle which should be removed for easy slicing.
Cut the cheese while still cool, this makes it easier to cut through both the rind and the curd.
Do not remove the rind from the cheese. Not only is it more appealing to the eye, it protects the cheese from drying out and is usually edible. Some are not of course and can simply be peeled away before tasting.
Avoid serving pre-cut slices which are not very attractive and dry out too quickly. Serve good-size portions: two or three larger pieces are better and five or six smaller once.
Cut the necessary amount and refrigerate carefully-wrapped leftovers (avoid any air bubbles where moisture and mould may develop).
To facilitate cutting veined cheeses, use a knife with a lukewarm blade.

Arranging a cheese plate
A cheese course is a delicious way to end a meal. With careful selection and meticulous arranging, your cheese plate is sure to be a palate-pleasing success. First, it must be a feast for the eyes…there is a perfect place for each element!
The shape of the cheeses determines their arrangement on the plate. For example, pointy shapes should be set on either side of round cheeses.
A centered design offers the best side-to-side overview. Garnishes accentuate the overall effect.
If using a square or rectangular platter, display the cheeses at far corners or in the center, integrating lines, spaces and shapes to your design.
Platters with unusual shapes often require more imagination with spectacular results none-the-less. The shape of the plate is the first factor to consider in your design: one should enhance the other.

The shape of the cheese is just as important as the shape of the platter. Here are a few suggestions on how to display different shapes of cheese according to the shape of the platter:

In an oval plate:
Rectangular cheese: Slice of Mamirolle (semi-hard)
Triangular shape : Brie or Camembert (soft curd)
Semi-circle: Saint-Paulin or Oka (semi-hard)
Cubic shape: Aged Cheddar (hard)

In a square plate:
Semi-circle: Empereur or goat cheese (soft curd)
Triangular shape: Tomme du Manoir, Oka or Clos Saint-Ambroise (semi-hard)
Cubic shape: Monterey Jack (semi-hard)

In a rectangular plate:
Rectangular cheese: Mont Saint-Benoît or Havarti (semi-hard)
Triangular shape: Bleu d’Auvergne or Bleubry (veined) and Douanier (semi-hard)