Business Etiquette

Business Etiquette –

Business etiquette is about building relationships with other people. Etiquette is not about rules & regulations but is about providing basic social comfort and creating an environment where others feel comfortable and secure, this is possible through better communication.

Business etiquette is important because it creates a professional, mutually respectful atmosphere and improves communication, which helps an office serve as a productive place. People feel better about their jobs when they feel respected, and that translates into better customer relationships as well

I have an interview series I call “3 Questions”. I interview a local female business leader and give her a list of questions to choose from.  My interview with Kathy Long last winter generated a response I personally appreciated about business women attire and the need for many younger women in business to think about their business attire.

Many years ago I was in a conversation with a member of Congress and we got to talking about the fact that he wears a suit to work every day and even when doing town halls in his district.  I told him I appreciated his example and his response has stuck with me all these years. “Jana, it’s not necessarily my choice but it’s the uniform of my office. My constituents expect me to wear a suit, and I do.”

That’s a huge part of Business Etiquette, that and manners, courtesy, and thought.  Respect for those you serve and yourself. And that includes your business attire.  Being prepared for that great opportunity in your career includes being dressed for success, having your Elevator Speech ready to deliver, and being kind.

“That includes being punctual as to time, precise as to payment, honest and thoughtful in all your transactions, rather with rich or poor.  When you mention your husband or wife, do so with the greatest respect, even in your most familiar references.”  (The Book of Virtues)

It’s     NATIONAL ETIQUETTE WEEK

National Etiquette Week provides us the opportunity to practice the those good manners that may have slipped away.

Bringing the common courtesy of a please and thank you or the kindness associated with holding open a door helps slow the pace of the world. It’s a reminder of the social interactions that seem to be fading away in a digital world.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Set examples and teach children some old and new rules of etiquette. Use #NationalEtiquetteWeek to share on social media.

HISTORY

Sandra Morisset founded National Etiquette Week in 1997 to celebrate the value of good manners

 “There is no end to good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit for it.” (Public Prose)