If a choking person can cough forcefully, let the person keep coughing.
Coughing might naturally remove the stuck object.
If a person can't cough, talk, cry or laugh forcefully, give first aid to the person.
The American Red Cross recommends the following steps:
Give five back blows. Stand to the side and just behind a choking adult. For a child, kneel down behind. Place your arm across the person's chest to support the person's body. Bend the person over at the waist to face the ground. Strike five separate times between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
Give five abdominal thrusts. If back blows don't remove the stuck object, give five abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.
Alternate between five blows and five thrusts until the blockage is dislodged.
Some sources only teach the abdominal thrust. It's OK not to use back blows if you haven't learned the back-blow technique. Both approaches are acceptable for adults and children older than age 1.