Business etiquette

1. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

2. WHAT IS ETIQUETTE?
 The word etiquette means conventional rules of
social behavior, or professional conduct.
 These are unwritten rules, which act as norms to
be observed by all professionals. They help you
realize when your behavior is appropriate or
inappropriate.
 The rules of business etiquette mean more than
the rules of just being nice. They are the
fundamental rules that get business done.

3. IMPORTANCE:
 Good manners breed good understanding
and mutual respect necessary for good
business relations.
 If the purpose of business communication
is the fulfillment of a certain business
objective, knowledge of business etiquette
for expressing and manipulating individual
personality is of paramount importance.

4.  INTRODUCTIONS
 TELEPHONE CALLS
 BUSINESS DINING
 INTERACTION WITH FOREIGN CLIENTS
 INTER PERSONAL BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

5. INTRODUCTIONS
 A confident self- introduction always makes a
positive first impression.
 In the case of a prior fixed business meeting, if
you are an expected visitor, you should first
introduce yourself by telling your name and
purpose: “I am … and I have come here to meet
… in the Finance Dept.” Only after introducing
yourself, you should ask for the name and
position of the other party.

6.  Do not use honorific words, like Sri, Smt, Mr.,
Mrs., Ms, or any other titles before your name.
 If you are meeting the same person the second
or third time after a gap of some weeks/
months, simply reintroduce yourself.
 Speak your name slowly and clearly. Repeat, if
necessary.

7.  When you fail to recall someone’s name:
Before the other person detects your failure,
you should ask for his/her card. You can
say: “Could I have your latest business
card for your telephone number/address?”
or “Could I know your full name? I have
your initials.”

8.  How to introduce others:
 Normally, the senior most person among the
visitors, or the host team, introduces the other
members of his/her group present there.
 The rule is that we do not introduce a senior to
a junior. Instead, the lowest ranked person is
always introduced to the highest ranked person.

9. HANDSHAKE
 Nowadays most business meetings begin
and end with a handshake.
 As a visitor, you can first offer your hand
for a handshake with your host.
 Nowadays, in business societies, there is
no gender distinction.

10. TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE
 Handling business calls, requires
awareness of our unconscious actions
which often amounts to bad manners or
lack of appropriate skills of effective
invisible interpersonal communication.
 The way we receive, respond, speak or
hang up is as important as what is
communicated.

11. Making a call:
 Before making a call, be clear about the why
(purpose) and what (exact content) of your call.
 To be brief and concise, jot down the points you
want to discuss.
 Keep a writing pad and pen ready.
 Consider whether the call is important from your
point of view or the receiver’s.
 Keep the duration of the conversation short.

12.  Begin with self- introduction: your name,
company, purpose.
 In organizations, your call will be generally
routed through a receptionist. So, greet
everyone and introduce yourself all over again.
 If call is cut off, courtesy demands, that the
person who initiated the call should redial
immedieatly.

13. Telephone courtesies
 Always use interrogative form for making
a request.
 As a caller you do not know whether the
person receiving your call is alone.
Therefore, confidential matters should
never be discussed over phone.
 Have a pleasant tone, sweet voice, proper
intonation and clear articulation of words.

14. BUSINESS DINING
 Business meals can be with colleagues or clients.
It is a common practice to negotiate business at
lunch or dinner. Therefore, one should act with a
sense of responsibility.
 As a Host: Invite the guest personally, may be
over telephone. Confirm the date, time and
place in writing. If the venue is new for guest,
help by giving directions.

15.  Apprise the invitee of your guest list.
 It is a good practice to confirm once again
the scheduled meeting a day prior to the
event.
 As a host, reach the venue a little ahead
of the given time and personally check
everything.

16. BUSINESS TO BUSINESS
ETIQUETTE
 Individuals represent companies. Each
individual is the company’s image builder.
 Be loyal to your organization:
1. Do not criticize your organization before your
colleagues from other companies.
2. Always speak well of your company.
3. Keep yourself informed of the new
developments and better prospects of the
company.

17.  Confidential matters:
1. Keep confidential material in as few hands as
possible.
2. Secure records and use code names.
3. Help others develop trust in you. Do not leak
other’s secrets to protect your own secrets
from getting leaked.
4. Treat all colleagues with respect and respect
hierarchies.

18. OFFICE ETIQUETTE
 A sunny disposition: be cheerful, thoughtful and
cooperative.
 Be ethical: learn to respect peoples’ confidences
and secrets especially at work place. Office
gossip is well, but not at others expense.
 Security: keep important files and documents
locked away. Take care of how you dispose
material.

19.  Personal habits: annoying habits such as pencil
tapping, or rocking up down in chair,
continuously wagging foot are definite no-no.
 Smoking in a non smoking zone, interrupting
someone before he or she has completed
his/her sentence, drumming your knuckles when
you are bored or staring at your feet when you
are talking to someone should not be done.

20.  Appearance: look clean and tidy. Try not
to wear clothes that sag and wrinkle.
 Good posture, clean hair and nails, and
respectable hairstyle.
 Women should resist from painting their
nails, or filing them, or even putting on
lipstick in public.