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Business Etiquette

Presented By:

Tommy Philips

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About Me

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Topics

• Your Professional Image

• The First Contact - Shaking Hands

• What Do You Say After Hello?

• The Art of Meeting and Greeting

• Interacting with Others

• Think Before You Hit Send

• At The Sound Of The Tone

• Thank-You Notes

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Your Professional Image

“You always make some kind of statement, powerful or inept, with the way you dress.”

- Robert Pante

Prerequisite to any business attire:• polished shoes

• manicured nails

• clean and conservatively styled hair

• freshly pressed and color coordinated clothing

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Professional Image cont’d...

Don'ts for men:• poorly tailored clothing that is too tight or too loose

• wrinkled clothing and unpolished shoes

• short socks exposing the leg when seated

• too much cologne

Don’ts for women:• clothing that is too tight or too revealing

• short shirts/skirts

• multiple ear piercing

• heavy make-up

• “Big” hair

• heels higher than 3 inches

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Professional Image cont’d...

Summary• dress according to the company culture

• when in doubt, don’t wear it

• consider your overall appearance

• remember first impressions make lasting impressions

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First Contact - Shaking Hands

The handshake is the universal custom for greeting in the business arena;

it’s important that it is done properly to facilitate a favorable impression.

- shaking hands correctly demonstrates self-confidence

- wrong impression - limp handshake, fingers only

- no longer necessary for women to extend her hand before a man

Be cultural aware of the persons you interact with.

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Shaking Hands cont’d...

Summary• shaking hands reveals a lot about a person

• be the first to extend your hand

• begin and end meetings by shaking hands

• stand to shake hands

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What do you say after Hello?

The exchange of pleasantries with every introduction sets the stage for

engaging conversations

What do you talk about after you say hello?

Being able to find a common area of interest outside the business arena

can also help to solidify business relationships.

There are several conversational subjects to avoid, some of these would

be:

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What do you say? cont’d...

Tips for making conversation easier:

• be well read

• stay up-to-date on current events

• read newspapers, both local and national

• listen to media news

• be aware of what is happening in your community/world

“It is the mark of a secure individual who is able to not only recognize

the success of others but also to acknowledge that success with a

compliment.”

- Unknown

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Summary• learn to chitchat about mundane subjects

• find common areas of interest with others

• be well read

• say “please” and “thank you” often

“Politeness is better than logic. You can often persuade when you cannot convince.”

- Henry Wheeler Shaw

What do you say? cont’d...

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The Art of Meeting and Greeting

Basic rule - name the person with the higher position or rank first, except when introducing clients; gender is no longer a factor

For example, if you were introducing the president of your company, Lee

Raymond to your customer, the dialogue would go like this:

“Lee. I would like to introduce to you John Smith. John is one of our best customers. John, this is Lee Raymond, President of our company.”

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Meeting and Greeting cont’d...

Tip: conversation flows easier when some information is given with the

introduction

How to remember names:

• pay attention and listen intently as the name is spoken

• repeat the name of the person when introduced

• use word associations with the name

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Meeting and Greeting cont’d...

Summary• develop conversational skills by talking to strangers

• listen

• concentrate on names when introduced

• titles are important and should be used in introductions

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Interacting with Others

What do you do if.....• you’re talking to someone and someone else walks up with an obvious

need to talk to you, or

• you’re in your office working at your computer and someone walks in....

• you walk into someone’s office while they’re working

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Think Before You Hit Send

“The virtue of man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary

exertions, but by his everyday conduct.”

- Blaise Pascal

E-mail reveals a lot about the person writing it:

- once you hit the button, e-mail is irretrievable

- remember that spelling and content in e-mail is as important as writing the traditional business letter

- read your e-mail before sending it, often the written word is perceived differently from the spoken one

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Think Before...Send cont’d...

USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

IS CONSIDERED THE EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING.

“Word once printed assumes a life of their own.”

- Wilma Askinas

Summary• avoid abbreviations and slang in business e-mail

• when in doubt about the message, use the phone or face to face

• e-mail can be deadly if written in anger

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At the Sound of the Tone

The mainstay in business communication is the telephone.

Five things that affect the way a telephone message is received:

• tone of voice

• manner of speech

• choice of words

• clarity of the message

• personality of the caller

Phone messages should:

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At the Sound...Tone cont’d...

Summary• leave clear messages

• state full name

• be professional

• smile when you record/leave message

• return calls within 24 hours

• repeat phone numbers

• change voice mail messages daily

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Thank-You Notes

“Most of us like to know what is expected of us, and we feel more

comfortable when we know we are doing what is expected of us.”

- Crane’s Blue Book of Stationary

Thank you notes should contain:

(1) greeting

(2) appreciation of the item or favor

(3) mention of how useful it will be

(4) sign off with a suggestion of a future meeting

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Thank-You Notes

Summary· hand-written thank-you notes are effective

· use proper form

· legibility in writing is a must

· quality paper speaks reams

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Take-A ways

Don’t ask about salaries

Think twice before you send an e-mail

Shake hands firmly

Take diversity training

Don’t burn bridges

Remember: you never know who you might work for some day

Learn to listen

And when in doubt...common courtesy goes a long way.