Business Etiquette and Protocol
Doing Business in a Global Forum
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Goals
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Review elements of business etiquette
Provide up-to-date information
Provide guidelines for business decorum
Provide information on cultures and
countries
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Business Etiquette and Protocol –
Why?
• Must be aware of more rules of behavior
than you expect to encounter in most social
situations.
• Need to be aware of the behavior that is
expected in the world of work.
• It is how you play the game.
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Common Business Faux-pas
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Expressing negative attitudes
Wearing inappropriate clothing
Failing to make proper introductions
Disregarding workplace courtesies
Taking messages carelessly
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Business Etiquette and Protocol
Suit up for Success
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Dress for Success
• Enhance your personal brand and overall
package
• Gets your foot in the door
• Look the part - prepared and promotable
• Invest in a few good suits
• Grooming
• Think CONSERVATIVE
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Business Etiquette and Protocol
Introductions
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Greetings & Introductions
• Nametags – right side
• When making introductions, the
old adage of introducing the
woman to the man is no longer
valid.
• Introduce the more prominent to
the less prominent
• Stand for introductions
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Greetings & Introductions
• Include something of interest that would
start a conversation if the situation permits.
• When you have been introduced, use the
person’s name three times.
• Ask to have the name repeated if it was not
clear.
• Be honest! Say if you do not remember
their name. Offer your name first.
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The Proper Handshake
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Involves eye contact
Is firm and painless
Lasts three seconds
Takes only 2 or 3 pumps
Starts and stops crisply
Does not continue through the
entire introduction
Handshake Etiquette Tips
Handshake Dos and Don’ts
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Hugs and Kisses
• Hugs or kisses are
inappropriate in any
business environment.
• Touching others in the
workplace, of the
same gender or not, is
impolite.
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What about Doors?
• If you reach the door first: open it,
go through, and hold it.
• Men no longer hold doors for
women just because they are
women.
• Allow senior executive to reach
and go through first.
• If someone’s arms are laden or
full, hold the door.
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Workplace Etiquette
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Meetings
Electronic
Telephone
Voice Mail
Cell phones
Cubicles
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Strategies for Successful Meetings
• Have an Agenda
• Be prepared- Pre-work, action
items
• Arrive on time or early. Do not be
late.
• Bring all necessary materials
• Put bag on floor next to your
chair
• Turn off phones, pagers, and
PDAs
• Do not multi-task
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The Meeting Agenda
• List discussion items
• Designate who is responsible for
items and due dates
• Amount of time devoted for each
item
• Handle most important/relevant
items first
• Distribute before the meeting
• Follow the agenda!
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Meeting Minutes
• Someone to record or take
meeting notes
• Timekeeper
• Minutes distributed 24 hours
after the meeting
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Electronic Etiquette: Email
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Easy and fun to use
Casual approach
Does not go away when you press Delete
Can be retrieved, forwarded, and traced
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Electronic Etiquette: Email
• Treat Email as you would printed letters
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Always use a salutation and signature
Show your full name as the alias
Create a clear concise Subject line
Always check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Failure to do so makes you, and those you represent,
look bad.
– Respond in a timely manner; use an Auto-reply when
unable to address for long periods of time.
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Electronic Etiquette: Email
• Keep messages professional
– Never reprimand or criticize others
– Do not Reply All with negative comments
– Do not reply immediately following an emotionallycharged email. Calm down and give your response
some thought.
– Do not start a new topic of discussion by replying to an
old message
– Do not send jokes or other non-business material
without first asking the recipient
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Electronic Etiquette: Email
• When forwarding an email to another for
response/resolution, copy the original
sender.
• Take the time to review each email before
clicking Send to ensure your message is
clear and you are relaying the tone that you
want.
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Electronic Etiquette: Instant
Message
• Convenient way to communicate short bits of information
to others – great for quick questions
• Used for single or multiple recipients
• Ongoing discussions should be handled via email or
phone
• Take care with messages- recipient may not be intended
person
• Be mindful of Status- Available, Away, On Phone, In
Meeting.
• Many programs “pop up” or give audio prompts when
messages are received.
• Not an excuse to forget your grade school education.
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Business Telephone Etiquette
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Vocal quality- 70%
Words spoken- 30%
What you say and how you say it are important
Be sure listener gets message loud and clear
Avoid using a cell phone in areas with
questionable service- static is annoying
• Do not chew, eat, or drink while on the phone
• Mute when not speaking or asking a question
• Do not interrupt others
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Conference Calls – Speak up
• Announce yourself for the benefit of
participants
• Think before you speak
• Be brief, get to the point
• Avoid confrontational language
• Do not upstage the meeting organizer
• No public criticism
• Do not interrupt
• Do not forget to un-mute when
speaking!
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Closing a Call
• Thank the person(s) for the call
• End on a positive note
• Do not say “See ya”, “Bye-Bye”, or “Later”.
Say Goodbye.
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Voicemail Etiquette
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Who
What
When
Where
Why
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Voicemail Etiquette: Greeting &
Messages
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Write it out and practice
Smile when you speak
Do not use sound effects or gimmicks
Briefer is better
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Cell phones, pagers, & PDAs
• Connected to vital source of informational
nourishment
• Does not include license to be rude
• Know when to turn off!
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Video Chat/Skype
Video calls over the Internet are a great way to stay in touch with friends
and family in far-off lands. But software applications also help
business, bringing all corners of the globe closer.
• Don’t just do it.
It’s polite to let someone know you would like to call them. It just may not be
a good time for the other person to take your call — they may be on the
phone or in another meeting.
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Confidentiality is not a given.
Never assume your recipient is the only one looking at that computer screen.
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Visuals count.
– Good light, including backlighting.
– If you work from home, make sure your bed/bath
is not visible
– Tidy any clutter
– Do not wear pajamas.
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Cubicles- a special challenge
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Do not use speakerphone
Keep private matters private
Talk softly
Respect privacy
Minimum snacking/meals
Scents
Foliage
Electronics
If it bothers you when others
do it, do not do it either!
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Other Etiquette Items
• Tipping
• Business Card
• Business Meals
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Tipping
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Wait staff & bartenders
Delivery drivers
Head waiters
Wash room attendants
Bell staff & Skycaps
Chambermaids
Room service
Calling a Cab
Taxi
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Business Cards
• Have a stock of recently printed business cards
on hand.
• A business card should convey your basic contact
information such as your name and email.
• When offered a business card, say thank you and
present your card in return.
• Can be used as enclosures in gifts, information
packets, or with flowers
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Business Etiquette and Protocol
DINING SITUATIONS
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Dining Videos
• Basic Dining Etiquette - Table Taboos
• Basic Dining Etiquette - The Place
Setting
Other videos available on www.monkeyseevideos.com
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Table Manners
• Begin eating when everyone else has his or her food
• Offer to others to begin eating if your food is the only order
not yet served
• Always offer to pass bread, salt and pepper, butter and
other condiments near you
• Passing food (if it is in front of you)
• Pass to the right
• Pass salt and pepper together
• Eating and talking at the same time? Take small bites so
you can quickly finish and swallow before speaking
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No-Nos
• Do not salt your food before you taste it – shows you make hasty
decisions
• Do not push your plate or chair away unless you are getting up from
the table
• Do not rearrange or stack your dirty dishes
• Never tilt your chair
• Do not ask people where they are going when they get up from the
table
• If you belch, excuse yourself to no one in particular
• Never crumble crackers in your soup or blow on it
• Do not chew ice or other inedible parts of the meal
• Put butter first on your plate, not directly onto your bread
• To get the last bit of soup, tilt the bowl away from you
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Business Meals – 10 Commandments
1. Thou shall not jump
straight into business talk
2. Thou shall not be late
3. Thou shall not table hop
4. Thou shall not talk politics,
diet or family
5. Thou shall not dominate
the conversation
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Business Meals – 10 Commandments
6. Thou shall not dawdle over the
ordering or eating
7. Thou shall not drink too much
(or any) alcohol
8. Thou shall not fight over who
pays the bill
9. Thou shall not neglect thy table
manners
10. Thou shall not forget to show
appreciation
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International Protocol
“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
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One BPW Member’s Impressions
“If you thought diversity and inclusion is an issue in
the US, it doesn’t compare to Asia. There are
countries who just don’t like each other! I was in
Korea this week and you could feel the coolness.
China and India compete fiercely and this was a
surprise. Then, being an American isn’t always
welcome. (By the way, I am the only American so
far in management. Most expats are German.)”
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International Business Etiquette
and Protocol
• Appearance
– Highlight Dos and Don’ts for Dress, Clothing,
Body Language, and Gestures
• Behavior
– Dining, Gift-giving, Meetings, Customs,
Negotiations, and General behavioral
guidelines
• Communications
– Greetings, introductions, and Conversation
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Very Important…
• Learn a phrase, or several, in the other
country’s native language
• When speaking, speak slowly
• Watch the accent
• Common phrases or slang
• Dress conservatively
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Other Countries and Cultures
• China, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia,
Saudi Arabia
• More resources
– http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doingbusiness-middleeast.html
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• Questions, comments, suggestions?
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References
• Etiquette Dinner. 2011.
https://stmartin.edu/careercenter/resources/etique
ttedinnerpresentation.pdf
• http://www.wbjournal.com/news50854.html
Individual Development Program © 2008,
Used with Permission, under License.
Updated February 2012.
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