Professional and Business Etiquette: Too Important to Ignore

Your basic professional and business etiquette can make a huge difference in determining a rising career path or a declining one. Do remember that if you do not consciously manage your own professional image, then others will do it for you! People do observe your conduct and form opinions about your integrity, competence, character and commitment.

You cannot, therefore, choose to be professional some of the time, para professional at other times and less than professional occasionally. Once you have achieved the exalted professional status and standing, you have to be professional all the time. You should, therefore, actively aim to manage your personal and career image by understanding the basic rules of professional and business etiquette.

Rationale for Professional & Business Etiquette

You are expected to understand the corporate culture of your work place. It is also a requirement that you project yourself as a credible ambassador of your company. If you wish to consider yourself an international class executive or manager, then it is also your duty to adhere to basic professional and business etiquette.

The core philosophy of professional and business etiquette is based on the ethics of respecting other individuals in your workplace. This form of respect, in turn, leads to displaying courteous conduct in business interactions…both verbal and written.

Conversational Etiquette

Listen attentively to others. Look into the eyes of the person. A good listener wins friends. Speak only when the other person has finished talking. Do not interrupt.

Speak in a clear and calm voice. Ensure that the tone is polite.

Keep your conversations brief. Do not introduce irrelevant topics. Nor should you touch on sensitive topics like race, religion, politics or beliefs. This is a business talk or meeting and not a discussion with family or friends.

Keep cool, calm and collected even if the other person speaks offensively or rudely. Do not make the mistake of descending to his/her level but maintain your professionalism.

Dressing Sense

Always wear neat and nicely pressed formal clothes to work. Check the dress code for out of office functions and parties i.e. is it formal, informal or smart casual.

Choose corporate colours and shades for the office.

Women should dress appropriately for the office. Make up should be sparing.

Men need to keep their hair, including facial hair, groomed and neatly trimmed.

Leather shoes should be maintained and polished regularly. It is unsightly and mars your professional image if the shoes are dull, dirty and scuffed! The shoes should also be rested in shoe trees when not in use.

Electronic Communication Etiquette

Keep official emails brief and precise. If the topic demands more details, provide them in an attachment.

Read all emails for general awareness first. Attend to the important ones next. But do not forget to acknowledge communication from the others even if it is to say that you will get back to them by the next day. It can be a brief message and there is no excuse for not even acknowledging an email.

Managing your daily flow of emails is a must. A minimum, twice daily review is advisable. I know of instances where individuals have been sacked because they were unable to effectively manage the daily flow of emails to them as well as from them. Ignoring the emails is not the way to go!

While speaking over the telephone, be aware of your tone and always do so in a polite manner. If you suspect that your tone of voice in certain situations will be perceived negatively, then get your secretary or a colleague with a naturally pleasant voice to speak on your behalf. It is better to be sensible in this situation rather than be sorry over something that you are unable to control!

Dining Etiquette

Some society ladies do go to finishing schools. There they are trained in proper dining etiquette. For others not so lucky, they have to make the effort to learn the finer points of dining etiquette. It is very embarrassing to hold a senior position in an established company and then inadvertently make a fool of yourself in a formal dining situation. If you do not prepare yourself well for this event, you have only yourself to blame. 

For starters, avoid opening your mouth and chewing food. Do take the trouble to initiate conversation while waiting for the food. Be aware of formal dining table arrangements and the placement of cutlery and glasses.

As a matter of courtesy, do allow your guests to select the menu and drinks.

Avoid talking when there is food in your mouth. Learn and practise basic table manners. If you are the guest, ensure that you are punctual and remember to thank the host for the meal.

General Etiquette

Always be punctual at your workplace. Do not carelessly and foolishly acquire a reputation for regularly being late. Some people may then start referring to you as the late Mr. Chan!

Switch off your mobile phones or put them on silent mode when attending a business meeting, conference or training session. I repeat this point because so many people are downright rude and insensitive about this matter, especially when they should know better.

Do use a handkerchief when coughing or sneezing in public.

When you are in a meeting room, show respect to your seniors when they arrive by standing up to greet them.

Keep a comfortable distance while conversing with others.

Do not smoke when you are in company. If you need to, excuse yourself.

Avoid excessive drinking when meeting with clients or with senior management. Know your limit. Hold the door for the person coming behind you. Likewise, wait for people to exit a lift before entering one. These rules seem basic enough but sometimes people do not seem to have common sense!

With care, diligence and practice, and over time, you will notice a steady improvement in your ability to master these basic rules of business and professional etiquette. Observing these rules of business and professional etiquette will give you even greater confidence to climb the corporate ladder. It will also reinforce in your employer that you have the necessary skills and competence to operate at the highest levels.

Appearance and Reality

Many of us engage in a lot of verbal and written communication on a daily basis. Much of it is related to the business or profession that we are in and some of it to social interaction.

We sometimes have the opportunity to work with individuals who are competent, intelligent and oftentimes highly qualified. However, we recoil in horror when these same individuals are downright insensitive, rude and uncouth in business and social settings. Consider these examples which I have taken from personal experience and some related to me by associates and friends.

Spewing toxic comments

Some misguided individuals who exert to impress those around them get carried away with their unrestrained caustic comments and uncouth language. These individuals have a tendency to go to extremes in their condemnation or criticisms of a project or proposal.

At other times, they might publicly promote a cause or project while privately working very hard to have it killed at all costs. To add insult to injury or more accurately to reflect their lack of pedigree, they do not hesitate to let fly with four letter words and gutter language in the confines of an office or meeting room.

Some acquaintances and colleagues are prone to passing uncalled for personal comments. These remarks are meant to ridicule or embarrass fellow colleagues. Some have the cheek to claim to be friends when they make these rude, personal comments  at the expense of others. Remarking loudly on a person’s baldness, height, weight or colour for instance is inexcusable. It reveals a mean and negative streak in the person who delights in making the subject of his comments uncomfortable. What makes it more annoying is the attempt at damage control thereafter by claiming it is more out of concern! Who needs such concern or such friends? At other times, the guilty person claims that the offended party is being unduly sensitive but it is the reverse actually because it shows a complete lack of sensitivity by the irresponsible person.

Sincerity is not a mind game

A feeble attempt at sincerity is carried out by those who have the acting bug in them. For one reason or another, these individuals admire their ability to ‘ put on a show of sincerity ‘ replete with such give away lines as: let me be very frank with you or in all sincerity. Such declarations inevitably lead you to question whether all your previous discussions or dealings with that person were less than frank!

Sometimes, these individuals indulge in a reverse logic response. It goes something like this: I am very keen to embark on this project but…and then he goes on to list a litany of reasons why he cannot. The ‘ very keen ‘ phrase is used to lull you into a false sense of hope and to buy time so as to achieve other hidden agenda. When this approach is tried out on the village idiot it works wonders.

The lesson here is not to underestimate your business associate or fellow collaborator. He is very likely to see you for what you are. This is because sincerity is not a mind game reflecting what you merely say but rather what you do in practice.

Failing to observe business etiquette

When you seek an appointment with a business associate, fellow professional or high ranking official, the onus is on you to turn up on time. It is not only impolite but rude and discourteous to arrive late for the appointment you had sought! If you have earned an unfavourable reputation for being a habitual latecomer, then you are actually communicating an inability on your part to manage time.

There is another very insensitive habit practised by a number of individuals. When they enter a room for a meeting or appointment, they conveniently forget to put their hand phones on silent mode. Very often and foolishly they attempt to answer the phone when it rings while they are at a meeting. This is downright rude and insensitive. You had sought the meeting. Your focus should be on the meeting itself and you should not, under any excuse, give the impression that you have forgotten where you are. Yet many are guilty for not practising this basic business etiquette.

Indulging in casual misrepresentation

Certain individuals have acquired a tendency to indulge in casual misrepresentation. This takes on many forms and can very often result in misleading people. This misrepresentation may be about products, services and even about their own qualifications and credentials.

Let us take a look at three fairly typical examples.

Case No. 1

A few student counsellors and lecturers who have an important role to play in disseminating information on courses as well as counselling students, have abused their position of trust and responsibility. They do so by deliberately misleading students and even parents about a particular course or qualification. They do this in order to promote a particular course at all costs. In other instances, they mislead because the profit margins are thin for a particular course.

Case No. 2

In this case, we are talking about individuals who misrepresent their actual status to employers, clients, business associates and friends. For example, you may come across someone who has passed the final professional accounting exams but who has not been admitted into membership, passing himself off as a member. This is wrong and unethical: in professional accounting bodies, membership is the qualification. Passing the final exams is at best, only half the qualification!

Case No.3

In this example, are the people who wish to embellish their names with all manner of impressive degrees, designatory initials and titles. They even go to the extent of obtaining a degree or post graduate qualification from a degree mill and if need be from a university of dubious repute. A few shamelessly put a Dr. before their name when in actual fact theirs is an honorary doctorate. Some purchase their fancy titles from pretenders to the thrones of long lost kingdoms!

You should take the time to assess your personal style and welcome feedback from business associates, colleagues and friends. If you are prepared to carry out a personal audit of your strengths and weaknesses and thereafter take corrective measures, you will soon be on your way to revitalising your personal, business and professional potential.