Business Etiquettes

Meaning and Importance of Business Etiquettes

The word ‘etiquette’ means conventional rules of social behavior, or professional conduct. These rules are unwritten rules, which act as norms to be observed by all professionals who work as a team in a particular company or department. They help you realize when your behavior is appropriate or inappropriate. In business, as in life, etiquette is a self-rewarding trait of appropriate conduct. Successful professionals know how to conduct themselves at company meetings, parties, and dinners. They are aware of their company’s culture and etiquette. Further, the rule of business etiquette means more than the rules of just being nice. They mean the fundamental rules that get business done. If we ignore these norms of group attitude and behavior, we run the risk of being singled out as ‘loners’ or ‘headstrong’ persons. Our behavior may disrupt the smooth working of the team by causing misunderstanding and tension among fellow workers.

Suppose, we choose to turn up late for meetings habitually, or ignore deadlines, or indulge in character assassination at coffee-breaks, or demand (as a right), not request (as a favor), help in a situation, we are ignoring, knowingly or unknowingly, the rules of good professional conduct, behavior, and etiquette.

This approach to business etiquette assumes that each business setting has its business protocols which an employee learns by working in that environment and by observing others.

Fundamental Rules of Business Etiquette

The golden rules of business etiquette can be easily remembered by the word ‘IMPACT’ whose letters signifyIntegrity (I), Manners (M), Personality (P), Appearance (A), Consideration (C) and Tact (T). The rules are brieflystated below:1) Integrity: It means you act in an honest, truthful and trustworthy manner. A reputation for integrity is slowlygained but quickly lost. Unquestioned integrity is the first golden rule of good business behavior.

2) Manners: It means the patterns of behavior. Selfish, boorish or indisciplined behavior cannot lead to fruitfulbusiness relationships. Speaking or acting in a racist manner, and disloyalty to your company orcolleagues are unacceptable business manners.

3) Personality: It communicates your own values, attitudes and opinions. Your behavior will decide whetheryour qualities are appreciated or not. A balanced approach is necessary. You can be passionate, irreverentand self-confident. But you should not be emotional, disloyal and arrogant. You should not fail to observethe civilities of business life.

4) Appearance: Always present yourself to your best advantage. A well-clothed and rightly posturedappearance makes good impression on others. Never let your appearance become a liability.

5) Consideration: See yourself from the viewpoint of others. By imagining the likely reaction of the personyou are to meet, speak or write, you can deal with him more carefully and sensitively. A successfulnegotiator role plays the likely action of his opposition before meeting him.

6) Tact: Think before you speak or act. There is always the temptation to react immediately to someprovocation or situation in business dealings. Avoid thoughtless and impulsive words and actions. When indoubt say nothing.

Scope of Business EtiquetteEvery organization evolves its own set of norms of behavior. Generally speaking, business organizations set rules of etiquette relating to the following:1) Introduction,2) Business Dining,3) Interactions with foreign clients,4) Interpersonal business etiquette,5) Business-to-Business etiquette,6) Telephone etiquette.

IntroductionIntroducing YourselfA confident self-introduction always makes a positive first impression. But many people fail to do so. Either they think it to be a bold act, or they feel too shy to do it. But if you are going to meet a person for the first time, the other person is bound to feel comfortable to know who you are and why you are there. Or, if you are meeting the same person the second or third time after a gap of some weeks/months, there is no harm in simply re-introducing.How to Introduce Yourself CorrectlyAs a norm of business etiquette and the first step towards cordial business transactions, people greet eachother by stating their full names and positions (in office) at the very outset.Notice that first name and surname are stated like “Prafulla Misra, CEO, and Sterling Gold Informatics.” Not just“Misra” or “Prafulla”. Americans prefer to introduce themselves by their surnames only. Like “Lewis” or “Dickenson”. But Britishers introduce by using first name and surname; “W.B. Yeats” or “Tony Blair”.Repeat Your Name when NecessaryDuring a conversation, the other party may forget your name or may have missed hearing it. At such momentsyou should help the host/the other party immediately by politely repeating your name “I am Irfan Mohammad, Iam sorry, I should have told you.” On Failing to Recall Someone’s NameIn business, we may have been visiting a person so often. But it is possible that on meeting her or him at ameeting/seminar/conference or some other place, we recognize her/him, but fail to recall the exact name.Before the other person detects your failure, you should ask for his/her card. You can say, “Could I have yourlatest business card for your telephone number/and address?” or you can just say, “Could I know your fullname? I have your initials.”

Business DiningBusiness meals can be with colleagues or clients. Colleagues meet before or after the office hours. They also have formal occasions to be together at lunch or dinner parties. Sometimes, they meet at social functions and festivals, religious ceremonies, weddings, or birthday parties. At such occasions, we should follow the cultural norms which set the unwritten protocol (rules) of behavior as members of a company, group, or organization.They are not rules of discipline. They define the norms and forms of appropriate behavior as executives or the educated and cultured members of a group. It is common practice to negotiate business at, lunch or dinner. We should keep in mind that such business occasions are, in fact, business activities; act, therefore, with a sense of responsibility. Do not consider it merely as an occasion for free drinking and smoking.These business occasions of meals with colleagues, clients, or consultants have their own protocol (code of behavior) and they must be followed for cracking business deals. You can observe the following established norms regarding business meals.As a HostAs a host, invite the guest personally, may be over telephone. However, confirm the date, time, and place in writing. If the venue is new for the guest, help him/her by giving directions of the venue; acquaint the invitee of your guest list. In the letter you should mention this fact and give their names and positions.

As a host, you should reach the hotel or restaurant a little ahead of the given time and personally check the seating arrangements made by the hotel/restaurant manager.

Receive the guest personally outside the dining hall. Move in together to the table. It is courteous to ask the guest to order his/her choice of dishes/food and soft drinks.

And it is only proper that you, as host, make the payment of the bill. Similarly, you should arrange to pay for the taxi to take back the guest to his/her place of work or stay.

Business talk is conducted in an informal manner. After some initial pleasantries, the host opens the subject ofthe meeting in a general form to provide a context for the specific matter to be discussed. The meeting is held in a free and relaxed manner. If necessary, some points or conclusions are sometimes noted down.

Business meals provide opportunities for easy give-and-take negotiations. They democratize business by bringing two complementary parties, such as employers and prospective employees, companies and clients, interviewer and interviewee, as equals at a social occasion.

Business Lunch Etiquettes for Host1) Turn up on time and well dressed.2) Have a set agenda and do not let your guests know anything about it beforehand unless they have requested it or the situation demands it.3) Take control and go somewhere where you enjoy the food. Don’t ask your guests where they would like to eat but make sure you take them somewhere nice, clean and just as important, convenient for both parties. It is a good idea to take your guest to someplace where you are well known and respected.4) Always eat slower than your guests. They will then not feel rushed to finish their food. Do not talk with your mouthful. If you are hungry, then it might be a good idea to have a sandwich before you meet.5) Starters are a great idea if you have something complicated to discuss. The time between ordering and the food arriving is a great time to get to know each other and sell your product or service.6) If you have the time, do not order the main course until you have finished the starter. This gives you even more time to market your widgets.7) Switch off your mobile. What is more important than trying to win more business? If possible ask your guests to kindly switch off their mobiles.8) Do not drink too much! If you must have alcohol then one drink before the meal is sufficient. Are you there to discuss business or get drunk? In a similar vein limit the amount of alcohol that your guest drinks so that you can have a proper discussion.

As a GuestAs a guest you should stick to your own dietary preferences. If you do not or cannot, as laid down by caste,creed, or religion or personal choice, take something, you should feel free to refuse. The same must be yourattitude to drinks.

Table MannersBusiness dinners are formal occasions. The manner of using forks, knives, and a spoon is an indicator of yourculture. But Indians, prefer to eat food with their hands. The only cutlery used by them could be a spoon. Eatingwith the hand is just fine. But, if you are using knife and fork, then you should know how to use them fordifferent things.

Interaction with Foreign ClientsSince the foreign clients belong to different culture, they should be dealt with very carefully. Respecting cultural needs, religious beliefs, and the attitude of the foreign visitors, will go a long way in developing good business relations. We generally believe that when we visit abroad we should behave according to the business norms and etiquette of the place. Accordingly, we assume that foreign business visitors would observe our business norms such as trade practices, working hours, office culture, and so on. But, there may be some aspects of social and religious beliefs of our foreign visitors which we should try to respect in our business environment. As a host, it is our primary duty to make our guest feel fully comfortable in every way. Respecting cultural needs, religious beliefs, and the attitude of the foreign visitors, will go a long way in developing good business relations.

Language1) Nothing pleases foreigners more than speaking to them in their own language. English is today a global link language. Yet Arabs, Japanese, Germans, French, and Russians prefer to conduct business in their ownlanguage. A foreign visitor may not know English as well as we do. Therefore, use an interpreter, ifnecessary, for important business occasions.2) Prepare documents in languages, English and the foreign visitor’s language.3) Try to learn and use some words of greetings in the visitor’s language.

Interpersonal Business Etiquette (Face-to-Face Contacts)Interpersonal or dyadic communication is an integral part of business relation. It links people together, be it insocial business or professional life. In a conversation, the participant has to play the role of a speaker or alistener interchangeably. Very often we form an impression about an individual from the way he talks and thetopic(s) on which he converses.Most of us find it easy to converse with our friends, relatives and colleagues whom we like and trust. That iswhy conversation rarely finds a place in a programme of formal instruction. Since every professional is requiredto participate in this form of dyadic communication, let us briefly look at some of the important points to beborne in mind.It is useful first to analyze your own conversation habits and then try to change them for greater effectiveness.Ask yourself questions such as the following for self-analysis:1) Do I find it difficult to start a conversation?2) Am I unable to pick a topic?3) Am I unable to keep the conversation flowing smoothly?4) Do I always agree with what others say or disagree with them all the time?5) Do I frequently talk about myself, my family and my interests?6) Do I have a tendency to dominate every conversation in any situation?7) Do I give the other participants a chance to speak?8) Have I any traits likely to annoy people?9) Do I respect other people’s time and interests?10) Am I self-conscious about the language I use − grammar, pronunciation, articulation, etc.?

Telephone EtiquetteHandling business calls requires awareness of our unconscious actions which often amount to bad manners or lack of appropriate skills of effective invisible interpersonal communication. In telephonic conversation, the way we receive, respond, speak or hang up is often as important as what is communicated.

Making a Call − Be Brief and ConcisePrepare before CallingBefore initiating a call, be clear about the why (your purpose) and what (the exact content) of your call. For business calls, you must know to whom you exactly want to speak and choose the most convenient time. You should also know whether you are calling as a follow-up action of some other earlier communication, or it is the first step in your transaction (of information and dealings).1) To be brief and concise, jot down the points you want to discuss. Always keep before you the points in theorder in which you want to discuss.2) Keep a (writing) pad and pen ready to note down any information worth recording.3) Consider whether the call is important from your point of view or from the receiver’s point of view. In thelatter case, you should structure your information from the receiver’s point of interest. Begin first with whatis important for your receiver. Talk about your interests later.4) Keep the duration of the conversation as short as possible. The other person may not be free to sparemuch time for your call.If the Call is Cut OffMany times, the telephone line suddenly gets disconnected. In such situations, courtesy demands that the person who originally initiated the call should redial immediately and say, “Sorry, the call got disconnected.”In case, the receiver has to suspend your call for attending to some other more important call, it is the duty of the receiver to resume the call and use some pleasant explanation to see that you do not feel embarrassed.Common Telephone CourtesiesMake your business calls polite by using words, such as ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’, when you make a request or get something done or completed.Always use interrogative form for making a request. “Could I .....” or “May I.....” Use of direct categorical statement amounts to order, “I want to talk to .....” is not a polite request. Instead “May I talk to ....” is a more polite form of request.

Telephone PrecautionAs a caller you do not know whether the person receiving your call is alone. Therefore, the first rule of telephone conversation is that confidential matters should never be discussed over the phone. They can be overheard/ tapped in transmission.

However, if you have to discuss something personal or something you won’t like others to know, you should check with the person you are calling in a polite manner. For example, you may say, “Can we talk about the tender for the Golden Highway project?” or just ask, “Are you free? Can we talk about the tender?”

This would save you from causing any embarrassment to receiver, or risk of leakage.Communication over the phone requires the use of non-verbal skills, such as pleasant tone, sweet voice, proper intonation, and clear articulation of words. We should be able to convey larger part of the message through our way of speaking rather than the meaning of words alone. Telephone etiquette involves good manners to create good business relations between two persons.