To build a positive image and improve performance, business leaders must maintain professionalism simply because the values, policies, and procedures of today's workplace have evolved. People who act unethically in business settings usually leave a bad image and have far lower success rates. Therefore, you must understand the fundamentals of professional etiquette to navigate the workplace better and efficiently manage peers, subordinates, teams, and diverse generations. How good are your people skills? How do you present yourself in business situations? What impression do people form about you? What are others' perceptions about you? How are you perceived within the first seconds of meeting you? Do your actions and appearance encourage others to believe in you and take you seriously? In this slide, you will find some basic rules of thumb to keep your professionalism in check and accord you the respect you deserve. You will also learn; The fundamental business behaviour and people skills needed in organisational settings The three (3) pillars of executive presence The Seven deadly sins of business etiquette Practical business etiquette tips and tricks to maintain professionalism.

1. Cracking The Professional Etiquette Code
Professional Etiquette Tips and People Skills for business success today

2. What is the most
appropriate way to act
in a business setting
or situation?

3. Business Behaviour
Everything matters, from good etiquette, and
relating with people to business behaviours.
There are three basic business behaviours
required in all business situations:
 Kindness
 Efficiency
 Logic
Click here to read: EnhancingYour Leadership Effectiveness withThe Skill Will Matrix

4. People Skills
Business professionals need beyond
hard/technical skills to perform
excellently in their roles considering
the multiple generations that exist in
the workplace.
People skills are essential in the
workplace; they are a collection of
personality traits and social skills that
help you interact and communicate
with other people (employees,
clients, managers and other
stakeholders) effectively.

5. 15% is the percentage
accounted for the reason
individuals move up the
leadership ladder as a result of
their technical skills and
knowledge.
85% of job success depends on
people skills.
18%
9%
15%
2
1
85%

6. Being a great communicator allows you to accurately convey information, engage
an audience, pick up the relevant facts when listening to people, and give
presentations to large groups
COMMUNICATION
01
02
03
04
05
Conflict resolution involves acting as a neutral party when two or more people have
a dispute and being able to successfully mediate disputes and resolve issues.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Empathy is the ability to understand a situation from another person’s perspective,
take rational decisions under pressure, recognise, manage and control emotions.
EMPATHY
Negotiation skill is an essential people skill that helps you achieve better outcomes
in your personal and professional dialogue through persuasion, planning,
strategizing, and cooperating.
NEGOTIATION SKILL
In business settings where you have vastly different ethnic, religious, and cultural
backgrounds, tolerance helps you accept differences in opinion even when you
do not condone them.
TOLERANCE
What are
the
Fundamental
People
Skills?
Click here to read: Qualities of a Leader

7. 3 Pillars of Executive Presence
In relation to professional etiquettes, Hewlett
identifies three (3) pillars of executive presence
that set people apart in their profession:
1
2
3
How you act.
What you say
How you look
GRAVITAS
COMMUNICATION
APPEARANCE

8. The Seven Deadly
Sins
of Business Etiquette
Body
Language
Blunder
Networking
Sin
Follow-up
Email and
Mobile Device
Mishaps
Cubicle
Etiquette
Dirty
Dining
Dressing
Etiquette
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9. Body Language
Blunder
Tips
• Psychologists say that 60 to 80% of
messages are communicated through
body language.
• You can exchange 10,000 non-verbal cues
in less than one minute.
The cues include:
1. Handshake
2. Taking physical space
3. Using eye contact
4. Walking style/posture
 Traditional handshake is preferred to fist
bump and other forms of handshake.
 Your personality and level of confidence
is judged by how you shake hands; shake
2-3 times and let go of hands.
 Allow people with greater rank take more
physical space.
 Use eye-contact to build relationship with
team.
 Walk with purpose and don’t hide your
hands in the pocket

10. Networking Sin
Tips
• A networking fact is that 80% of
professional opportunities are found
through networking.
• It is an action or process of interacting
with others to exchange information
and develop professional or social
contacts.
• Its ultimate goal is about rendering
assistance and stating what value you
offer, not exclusively to sell.
 Assess the published attendees list to have a
knowledge of the company or people that
would be at the event.
 Be strategic about joining a network group;
join one that is valuable to your profession.
 Leave your friends, this way you can divide
and conquer.
 Always prepare an intriguing 10 seconds
smart business talk/introduction.
 Come along with your complimentary cards.
 Enter the room with poise and confidence.
 Approach people standing by themselves.
 Make your right hand available for
handshake, not food.

11. The lack of follow up is the biggest business etiquette mistakes that individuals make.
Business leaders need to understand that in the absence of information, people tend to
make their own or move to the next available information.
Follow Up
Follow-up Rules
1. Use the
contact/business
associates preferred
medium (i.e. phone
call, text, email, in-
person).
2. Follow-up
more than
once
3. Make a
clear ask
4. Keep it short and
simple and use
simple language
5. Be mindful of
your tone

12. Email Etiquette
 The first rule is to reply all emails no matter what.
 If you don’t have the requested information, send a bridge
email.
 Stick to one subject per email.
 Don’t use text lingo, emoticons, acronyms, and
contractions.
 Use a professional salutation.
 Clear, direct and relevant subject line.
 Stay above the scroll and avoid lengthy emails.
 Have a signature block that includes your contact details
or/and a clickable logo.
 Be mindful of tone.
 Proofread every message.
Email and mobile device mishaps are common business
etiquette sins that people commit. For your Emails to get the
required attention you deserve in business situation, you need
to incorporate some best practices.
Email

13. Mobile Device
Mishaps
Mobile Device Etiquette:
 Turn-over the screen of your mobile device during
meetings
 Mute your mobile device
 Avoid distractions that come from mobile device
content
 Keep non-business app off your home screen
 Send work-related email using the appropriate
medium
 Re-evaluate your ringtone
More people today now open emails on
mobile devices such as phones and tablets.
About 75% of opening emails were by
mobile devices.

14. Tips
Cubicle Etiquette includes the top pet peeves in business settings. Many business leaders and
employees commit a number of cubicle and open space offences ranging from noise, food smell, messy
cubicle, oversharing personal experiences and sneaking up on people.
It is best practice to observe these open space offences and minimize them.
Cubicle
Etiquette
Click here to read: How to Build Leadership Capabilities for Successful Business Transformation

15. Dressing Etiquette
When it comes to appropriate business behaviour, one has to
follow appropriate dressing etiquette along with maintaining
professionalism at the workplace as well. Here are few tips:
1. Follow the dress code policy of your organisation or emulate
executives
2.Dress for what you are doing
3. Never wear gaudy accessories to work
4. Consider what best fits you
5. Pay attention to your shoes , glasses and watch
6. Understand the different interpretation of “Casual” dressing in
your industry (executive casual, baseline casual, smart casual, etc.)

16. Dirty dining is the seventh deadly sin of Business Etiquette. People can tell a lot about
how organised you are and how much you pay attention to details, just simply by the
way you handle yourself during meals, and from your table manners.
Dirty Dining
Many people are like owls during business meals, so it is never the
time to let your guard down.
 Communicate with the waiters that you have
finished your meals by placing your utensil face-
down on the right side of your plate
 Don’t order the wrong meal or go to the wrong
restaurant
 Go for fish and bite-sized meal
 Slow down and stay in sync with your guests or
business associates
 Avoid being picky during business meal
 If you happen to be the host, help the guests think
ahead of time
 Do not ignore RSVP request without prior notice.
Tips

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