What's Your Etiquette Quotient?

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Business etiquettes play a major part in painting the right image of any company. Personality, behaviour and proper grooming are the code words that have been helping in gaining a cutting edge in the modern corporate sector. Only a well-groomed professional will be able to successfully reflect the image of the company he or she represents. Keeping these parameters in mind, a majority of the business houses have been endorsing the services of professional groomers to change the image of their associates.

Globalisation of businesses in India has vastly improved manners at work, but there is still much to be desired. In far too many companies basic courtesies are still overlooked. Every workplace has its own complex dynamics but the basic social rules which make people comfortable with each other remain valid in every working situation. An organisation where people are treated well and treat each other well tends to be more successful than others,” says Suneeta Kanga, Trainer-Corporate Grooming, Mumbai.

Effective Introductions, Greetings
Mastering the art of introduction is a feather in the cap for any business executive. It is really an important social skill. And it’s not as simple as it seems to be. The right introduction helps to improve familiarity with your corporate colleague. It helps you build up a better wavelength with him or her. It leads to better interaction as well as understanding. Lack of proper introduction will lead to embarrassing situations. How you introduce a person to the other matters a lot. Even if you feel that you don’t have the right words to introduce, never fail to introduce the other person. Just follow the following golden rules during corporate introductions:
• Always introduce the junior to the senior (age doesn’t come into the picture)
• Customers / clients are rated the highest, even higher than your boss.
• Keep eye contact with the individual you introduce.
• Always show respect.
• Apart from the names, designations do matter during introductions. Mention them.
• In a business scenario women should be treated at par with men.
• Don’t feel lost in a business meeting, introduce yourself.

When you introduce remember that follow-up lines make much difference. As far as possible don’t fail to mention the names of companies, titles, designations, departments, teams, areas of expertise, regions and groups.

As far as personality development is concerned, at an individual level one should be conscious, take feedback from friendly colleagues and chart out a self image development programme. The first step should be to consciously avoid those traits which are negatives and then work on building aspects such as ideal personal behaviour, grooming and etiquette in order to project a professional working image,” suggests Khalid Jamal, CEO, Orion PR.
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Presenting Business Cards
Success or failure of any business meeting or even individual future equations largely hinge on how you present your business card. You should be conscious of the fact that your business card represents your professional identity. Apart from the name, designation, the organisation you represent, your office / residential telephone numbers, mobile number, fax number, email ID, website address etc, your designation and educational qualifications are also sometimes printed on the card. When you present your card your body language should draw the right respect you deserve. You will degrade yourself by handling the situation in a clumsy manner.
Therefore, keep these points in mind:
• Always hold the card face-up.
• Hold one corner firmly, using your thumb, index finger.
• Always present your business card with your right hand.
• Keep your cards in an elegant business card holder.
• Ensure that the information on your card is current.
• Don’t deface someone else’s card in his or her presence.
• You should not offer your card to one who is of a senior rank unless and until you build up a rapport with him.

Whenever you receive a card accept it with a smile and don’t fail to say, “Thank You.” Go through it for a couple of seconds and acknowledge it with a compliment if possible and then put it in your card holder. This will certainly convey the impression that the card is valuable to you.

Workplace Conduct
How you conduct yourself at your workplace is bound to have repercussions on your future prospects in the company. What is more important is that your behaviour should not make others uncomfortable. If you are able to draw the respect of your colleagues, this will certainly open up new avenues for you. Follow these rules:

• Be cheerful. A smile on your face when you greet others will certainly be contagious.
• Manners matter most. Say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’.
• Respect the other person’s views.
• Indulge in small talk to develop friendliness.
• Be polite to all, including casual contacts.
• Give and take instructions with elegance.
• Always be considerate.

You will be able to build up a rapport with your team provided your behaviour reflects the group’s norms,” Suneeta Kanga says. As far as possible, try to avoid blunders. Try to find the root cause of your mistakes, solve them and ensure that they are never repeated. Then only you can prove yourself to be a true leader. “In order to maintain a healthy competition within the organisation you should overpower your emotions. Avoid back-stabbing and petty talk. Leave no room for envy and jealousy,” Kanga adds.[PAGE BREAK]

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Office Courtesies
Office courtesies are still an unwritten set of rules in most workplaces, except multinationals and a few Indian corporates that have laid down guidelines. “In India hardly two per cent of the corporate entities are exposed to office etiquettes. In fact, I realised it the hard way after an embarrassing situation. Since then I have taken steps to ensure that my associates undergo training to know about basic courtesies as well as office etiquettes like dressing smart, mobile etiquettes as well as using the right deodorant,” says Venkateshwaran Nambiar, a senior manager with an MNC. Personality development and orientation workshops have become an integral part of corporate grooming. Service-oriented companies prefer their employees to be formally turned out while meeting clients.

Explore Possibilities
“If you can dream it, you can achieve it. I believe in encouraging young women and men to explore the possibilities within themselves and have the confidence and persistence to reach their goals,” says Ritika Ramtri Kumar, a personality enhancement trainer with the Tiara Pageant and Model Training Studio in Pune. “Soft skills’ training is essential because we do not have it in our academic curriculum. The corporate houses have to take up the task of grooming employees who are the link between the company and the external world so that they are able to present themselves better,” she states.

Personal Hygiene
It is absolutely necessary to maintain a high level of personal hygiene whether it is in the office, at a business meeting or even in social life. Always be presentable. Hygiene is more than just being clean -- it is defined as the many practices that help people keep healthy. Therefore, note the following points:

• Bathe daily, preferably twice a day.
• Brush your teeth twice a day, clean your tongue and use a mouthwash or floss to avoid offensive bad breath.
 Avoid chewing paan, tobacco or smoking -- they stain your teeth, give you bad breath and cause cancer.
• Clean hair is healthy hair.
• Keep your feet clean and wear clean socks.
• Your hands speak for you. Ensure that they are neat.
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Self-exploration
Elaborating about the need to know yourself well, Sabira Merchant, a grooming expert, says, “It is all about how you deal with the mistakes or rather how you bounce back. It’s about having a very good sense of humour, which unfortunately most people lack.
”The first move you make in a meeting is the salutation - a handshake, or a ‘good morning’. Use names to engage effectively. Avoid fidgeting, shuffling from one foot to the other, cracking your knuckles, fiddling with accessories -- all these take away from the impact of what you are saying. Curb irritating habits like tapping feet, rocking squeaky chairs, humming, whistling and jostling.

Dealing With Delays
“Not many people know how to handle a client if they are late for an appointment,” says Vasu Ramanujam, Director-Product Marketing, Entercoms, Pune. Therefore:

• First and foremost, take the trouble to make apologies in person. Tell your client how long you are likely to be delayed. If you are away from office, have your secretary or a colleague do this for you.
• Offer refreshments and reading material. This is definitely an occasion to pamper him or her.
• Don’t keep the person waiting for longer than 15 or 20 minutes. If you can’t get away from the urgent task delaying you, explain the situation, apologise and schedule another meeting.
• Make it a point to call the client to express regret for wasting his or her time. Making amends and restoring goodwill should be your top priority.“It pays to be polite and being aware of your bad habits. ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ go a long way in building a good relationship. Little things like asking for permission before borrowing stationery and helping a newly recruited colleague etc help in cultivating relationships,” Ramanujam states.

Today’s executives conduct a sizeable part of their business over a meal. Table manners are visible signals of the state of our manners and are essential for business success. Self-assessment is always the best. Always live consciously and be a part of team activities. Ask family members or close friends to write down your best and worst traits. Assess how well you manage your time. Introspect on how you react to feedback. Find out how good or bad you are at criticising. Once you know about yourself you will find it easy to overcome the drawbacks.

A polished diamond has its own attraction. Corporate grooming is, no doubt, a real asset to the beneficiaries. Those who know the art get noticed by their sartorial look as well as behaviour. They succeed in creating a lasting impression. They set the path for others to follow their footsteps for a brighter corporate pilgrimage.