Your Business Manner
Matter
By: Loretta DiVita
Presentation By: Jessica Peterson
Your Business Manners Matter
Manners come in every
form:

From dining room etiquette
to business etiquette.
Common courtesy and
deference are expected
in all business
environments:

From the boardroom to the
mailroom.
Factors of Etiquette
There are many elements that add up to
the total sum of success but, for some,
“nice” doesn’t factor into the equation.
Ironically the people who don’t care about
their behavior are those who are being
judged as “arrogant” or “unaware” by
others.
Influencing Etiquette
Many organizations have
had to reevaluate their
code of ethics and ways
of treating their people.
It’s undeniable that, in a
pool of equally qualified
candidates, the individual
who knows how to
schmooze will rise to the
top.
How to Convince Others
Maybe etiquette
needs to be called
something else –
Interpersonal skills,
conflict management,
or diplomacy training
– to ring relevant to
less-convinced ears.
What Makes a Difference?
Personality and
individual
predisposition will
determine how
confident and selfassured we are when
dealing with others.
Education and
training can make a
difference.
How to Conduct Business
People like to do business with people
they like or, better yet, with people who
like them.
That’s why many organizations are
spending big training dollars on business
etiquette and intercultural communication
to help their employees learn about the
worldly ways of their global associates.
Business Etiquette
The premise driving
such corporal
initiative, is that an
understanding of the
conventions and
mannerisms of a
coworker, supplier or
customer builds
credibility and paves
the road for a trusting
relationship.
Business Etiquette
Savvy recruiters know
that interpersonal
skills are another
measure of overall
business
competence.
Misinterpretations
Funny how good
intentions can be
misinterpreted and
take on opposite
meaning when filtered
through cultural
consciousness.
Rising Importance
When you consider
how much business is
conducted outside the
safety zone of a
worker’s modest
cubicle or swanky
corner office, it’s now
wonder that business
etiquette is taking on
more importance.
When Manners Matter
It’s precisely in places
where behavior can
be more relaxed and
less guarded that our
manners really
matter.
Paying Attention To One’s Manners
Pays Off In The End
What really matters in our realms is the
way influential people – bosses, recruiters,
customers, and other stakeholders – judge
us.
Most of us are mature enough to pay
attention to our behavior if something
valuable is at stake – status, reputation,
success, money.
Business Etiquette
Successful businesspeople agree that
people skills (etiquette) are what carry a
business transaction from a mere premise
to a done deal.
Lunch Interviews
Many recruiters will interview candidates
during lunch, simply with the hidden
agenda of watching them maneuver their
way through a meal.
The theory is that small gestures at the
table indicate what types of behavior are
used in the business arena.
Lunch Interviews
Someone who lingers over a menu is perceived
as a poor decision maker.
The person who fumbles with his or her cutlery
is judged as unconfident and awkward.
The nervous type who fidgets with food is seen
as unsure.
Someone more interested in their food than
business matters is superficial and unfocused.
Seinfeld Episode
A classic Seinfeld Episode pitted the
etiquette-feeble George in a situation
where his behavior at a restaurant table
cost him a job. His unwillingness to share
a dessert with a potential employer and
coworkers was read as a lack of team
spirit.
Conclusion
In all situations,
business manners
really do matter!