Leadership & Etiquette Dynamics is joining The Protocol School of Washington in celebrating National Bsuiness Etiquette Week from June 3-9, 2012. Here are some terrific business etiquette tips from The Protocol School of Wshington.
Business Etiquette Tips
| 1. Dress: Make sure you have an ‘updated’ look and wear a little make up (“some make up” is professional). Keep outfits neutral (black, grey, navy, taupe). Pull hair back if it’s long and hide the grey. Keep jewelry simple: Pearls – small and skinny for traditional; big and chunky for a trendy look. Nails short and clean, light polish. Shoes: closed-toe. Men are judged by their shoes (keep them shined). Women: own a 3-piece suit (jacket, slacks, skirt) and two blouses. Men, own a suit and one or two jackets with two tailored shirts.
2. Making Contact: Make eye contact 40-60% of the time, looking in-between the person’s eyes. The lower you gaze downward, the more it conveys a personal (not professional) relationship. Shake hands in a firm web-to-web manner. Avoid the ‘limp fish’ handshake (conveys weakness), ‘politicians gloved’ handshake (too personal), Queen’s handshake (offering just your fingertips rather than your palm connotes superiority). 3. Cultures Vary – Do Your Homework: Do you bow, kiss or shake hands with a business contact from another culture? (Chinese bow from the shoulders; Japanese from the waist) 4. Remembering Names: Can’t remember names? Join the club. Here’s a trick that will help: repeat the person’s name 3 times - when meeting, once in conversation, when saying goodbye. 5. Avoid Hot Topics: Don’t discuss religion, money, sex or politics, even in casual settings – you never know if you’ll ‘hit a nerve.’ 6. Nailing eEtiquette: Don’t text or take a cell call in a meeting, no matter how important. Keep PDAs on vibrate. E-mails are traditional memos gone digital — do not use anger (e-mail lives forever in cyberspace and anger is bad for business, regardless). Avoid humor — it doesn’t translate well on-line. Use spell check. 7. Dining Skills + Personality Testing: Twitter rocks, but business still gets done at the dining table. Employers often take candidates to lunch to test dining and “personality” skills. Do arrive 5 minutes early. Don’t order the most expensive dish. Don’t order a cocktail. Don’t order ‘messy’ food like spaghetti. Don’t eat like a ‘piglet’ – do butter and eat bread one small piece at a time; work utensils from the outside-in; know your bread plate is on your left and if in doubt, follow the host’s lead. 8. Follow Up is Everything: Within 48 hours, send a hand-written note and hand-address the envelope to stand out in a digital world. 9. No Biz Card Opportunity – No Sweat: Social Business Cards are the new business networking tool. These basic cards, with just a name and phone number or e-mail, are ideal for social events when business cards are inappropriate. |
The Protocol School of Washington is the nation’s only accreditied Protocol and Business Etqiuette School. To learn more, please visit www.psow.com.
