Business Etiquette

Success in any industry relies on relationships, whether with co-workers, clients, suppliers, or investors. When you’re well-mannered and considerate, you create engaging, productive, and long term business relationships. As such, it is important to learn, not just the technical side of a business, but how to conduct one’s self in the company of others.
This is where business etiquette comes in. This course will introduce you to business etiquette, as well as provide guidelines across different situations.

Understanding Etiquette

Before we look at etiquette rules across multiple business-related scenarios, it’s best to explain what it means, and how it can improve a company or an organization’s bottom line.

Etiquette Defined

Josy Roberts, author of ‘Business Etiquette Your Questions and Answers’, defines etiquette as ‘conventional rules of polite behavior.’ They are guidelines to the behavior befitting good manners while in the company of others. They show sensitivity to the needs and feelings of the person or people that you are with.

It covers most aspects of social interactions, including self-presentation, communication, courtesy, and hospitality. Business etiquette, in particular, covers expectations in the interactions between co-workers, the company and their clients, and the company and their stakeholders.

Etiquette guidelines are many and can be quite complicated. In this course we will focus on basic etiquette guidelines for situations typically found in most business settings.

Course Objectives:

• Define etiquette and provide an example of how etiquette can be of value to a company or organization.
• Understand the guidelines to making effective introductions.
• Identify the 3 C’s of a good impression.
• Identify at least one way to minimize nervousness while in social situations.
• Understand how to use a business card effectively.
• Identify and practice at least one way to remember names.
• Identify the 3 steps to handshaking.
• Enumerate the four levels of conversation and provide an example for each.
• Understand place settings, napkin etiquette, and basic table manners.
• Understand the protocol of ordering in a restaurant, handling alcohol in a business meal, paying the bill, and tipping.
• Understand basic guidelines to the proper form of address, grammar standards, and use of acronyms in e-mails.
• Understand basic guidelines in the use of the telephone, voicemail, and cell phone.
• State the difference between a formal and an informal letter.
• Create an effective ‘Thank You’ note.
• Understand the meaning of colors in dressing for success.
• Differentiate among the dressy casual, semi-formal, formal and black tie dress codes.
• Understand basic guidelines in international etiquette.