Transcript Business Etiquette

Business Etiquette
Helping You Make a Success on the
Social Side of the Business World
Dr. Julia Barnes
Forrest Junior College
What is Business Etiquette?
• Etiquette in the Webster's Dictionary states:
“Etiquette is the code of unwritten expectations that
govern social behavior. It concerns the ways in which
people interact with each other, and show their respect
for other people by conforming to norms of society.”
• Two main forms of etiquette:
• Social
• Business
Social vs. Business Etiquette
• Social Etiquette
• Based on chivalry
• Business Etiquette
• Military origins
• Hierarchy
• Power
Social versus Professional
Behavior
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In a professional environment, gender is not
considered a factor
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Introductions are made to the person more senior
regardless of gender
Neither men nor women are expected to be helped with
their chairs, unless they need it
Mainly clients or a higher-ranking professionals should be
helped with their coats, whether men or women
The person that first gets to a door should hold it open for
the rest of their group, regardless of gender
• If it is a revolving door, the first person to go through
should wait for the rest of their party on the opposite
side
Most Common Categories
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Communication Skills
Conversation
Listening Skills
Professional Dress
Business Casual
International Business
Etiquette
Cultural Diversity
Business Introductions
Telephone Etiquette
Office Meeting Etiquette
Conference Etiquette
• Speaking Skills
• Table Manners
• Business
Networking
• Workplace Etiquette
• Sexual Harassment
• Email Etiquette
• Presentation Skills
• Letter Etiquette
• Executive Coaching
Focus
• Dining Etiquette
• Table manners
• Table setting
• Solutions to specific situations
• Relationships
• Social behavior in a professional setting
• Sexual harassment
• Romantic relationships
Dining Etiquette
1st Things 1st
Always make sure you are punctual.
Being early doesn’t hurt.
 Call ahead and inform your guest if you
will be late.
 Make appropriate greetings and
introductions upon your arrival.
 Let highest authoritative figure take his or
her seat first before taking yours.
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Greetings and Introductions
Rise if seated, smile and extend your
hand to initiate a handshake.
 Use the person’s name in your greeting
 Introduce a younger person to an older
person; a non-official person to an
official person; and the junior to the
senior.
 Explain who they are and use their full
name
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Table Setting
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Sherry Glass
White Wine Glass
Red Wine Glass
Water Goblet
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Seafood fork
Soup Spoon
Dinner Knife
Dinner Fork
9. Salad Fork
10. Dessert fork
and spoon
11. Butter Plate
Table Setting
Many upscale dining establishments will
present you with a variety of eating
utensils.
 The guideline is to start outside and
work your way in.
 Common Situation….
2 forks, same size…..begin with
outside 1st
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Basic Table Manners
Do not smoke while dining out
 Sit up straight
 When you are not eating, keep your
hands on your lap or resting on the
table.
 Do not take phone calls
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Table manners cont...
Never chew with your mouth full or
chew loudly/noisily.
 Remove food from your teeth in private.
 Avoid controversial subject matter when
conversing.
 Try not to leave the table except for an
emergency.
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Ordering
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If you are a guest, you may want to ask what your
host /hostess recommends.
Order item in mid price range.
Do not order the most expensive item.
Order items that can be eaten with utensils.
Do not order alcoholic beverages.
The guest usually orders first unless otherwise
stated by the host/hostess or waiter/waitress.
It is common for females to have their orders
taken first
Service
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Wait for everyone at the table to be
served before you begin to eat.
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If guest suggests that you begin before
he or she is served then you may.
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Eat slowly until your host/hostess or
guest is served.
The Meal
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Be careful how you hold your utensils
Passing “community food” should be done so to
the right.
Taste your food before seasoning it.
Bread should not be eaten whole. Break bread
into manageable pieces.
Remember there are specific glasses for specific
drinks.
Keep conversation appropriate and safe ( do not
indulge in controversial topics)
Remember table manners
Finish
Leave the plates in the same position as
you found them. Do not stack them or
push them away.
 Order dessert if host/hostess
recommends it. Remember to use
designated silverware.
 Place napkin to the right of your plate if
you are finished.
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Relationships
• Common Professional Behavior
• Social versus Professional
• When co-workers become comrades
• gossip, gift giving, and confrontations
• Inappropriate behavior towards coworkers
• Personal romantic relationships between
co-workers
Common Professional
Behavior
• Introductions and Greetings
• Always introduce the lower-ranking person to
the higher-ranking person
• Simply a handshake is customary in the U.S.
• The person who extends their hand first takes
control over the situation
• Nametags- placed on the upper right
shoulder
• Be sure to greet people of all ranking at the
office
• Other electronic etiquette: Conference Calls
Common Professional
Behavior
• Body Language
• Posture
• Casual versus formal posture
• Eye contact
• Direct but not intense
• Space
• About two feet is standard
Social versus Professional
Behavior
• In a business environment professional
behavior is most appropriate
• However, sometimes social relationships may
be formed between co-workers
• A recent study found that because some new hires
were unable to form relationships with their coworkers, about 40% of them failed in their first job
Gossip
• Defined as rumor or talk of a personal,
sensational, or intimate nature
• It is not necessarily bad
• Gossip requires a talker and a listener
• Those that hold the information may feel
that it is their duty to pass it along to
others
Gossip
• Possible destructive results of gossip:
• Wasted time resulting in decreased productivity
• For example, if in a company of 200 employees, each
person spent 1 hour/day gossiping, it would result in
$160,000 of lost productivity a month, or $1.92
Million/year (based on $40/hr salary)
• Spreading of fictional rumors
• About people, or company expectations
• Erosion of team efforts and relationships
• Those that gossip are often labeled as untrustworthy
Conflicts in the Workplace
• In a workplace there are many different
people from different backgrounds, with
differing opinions on everything from politics,
humor, and how business should be operated
• Dealing with people who have differing
viewpoints is something that every person
will have to deal with at some point in their
professional career
Some causes of work
frustration
• Though conflict may arise as a result of a
large-scale issue, people usually become
upset about the smaller things
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Eating someone else’s food
Eavesdropping
Not acknowledging colleagues in the hallway
Disagreeing with someone about the way
something should be handled
Increased Casualness
• Having a more casual work atmosphere
often decreases stress levels, but it also
does not set up appropriate boundaries
• Jokes
• Flirting
• Gossiping
How to Approach Someone
about a Conflict
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Define the behavior that is annoying
Reduce resistance from a co-worker
Speak openly, directly, and honestly
while confronting another individual
Communicate your own limits and
boundaries
E-Mail Etiquette
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Business e-mails should be constructed
more carefully than traditional memos.
– Very easily transferable
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Attachments
Forward messages
– Stored indefinitely if not promptly deleted
– No security guarantees
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Hackers
Leaving the computer
E-Mail Etiquette
Helpful tips
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Never send anything you would not want to see in tomorrow’s
newspaper – very easy for someone to forward your
message to others.
Use caution when delivering messages with sarcasm and
humor
Always log off your e-mail account upon leaving a computer
Avoid personal conflicts via email – handle them privately
Use formal language with correct structure when
communicating with customers or management
Use the subject field to your advantage
Double check who you are sending the message to
Avoid sending large attachments via email
Remember: Laws that apply to other methods of
communication also apply to e-mail
International Etiquette
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Greetings and salutations
– Use proper greetings when addressing others from
different countries/cultures
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E-mail
Letters
Phone
Introductions
– Figure out proper greetings before
meeting/addressing others
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Respect the norms and values of other cultures
– Ex. it is impolite to turn down wine with a meal in
some countries – shows a sign of disrespect
For more information,
Contact:
Forrest Junior College
601 East River St.
Anderson, SC 29624
(864) 225-7653
www.forrestcollege.edu