SOFT SKILLS WORLD takes pleasure in introducing itself as an experienced and competent conglomeration with more than 300 Training & Development professionals. This team represents key functional domains across industries. We sincerely look forward to joining hands with your esteemed organization in our endeavour to create a mutually satisfying win-win proposition per se Organization Development interventions. May we request you to visit us at http://www.softskillsworld.com/to have a glimpse of the bouquet of our offers .We have partnered with the best & promise you an excellent organizational capability building. We firmly believe Hard Skills alone are not sufficient enough to enhance business success. Aligned with high performance organizational culture and given the right direction, Soft Skills is the best recipe for business success.

1. BUSINESS ETIQUETTES
BY: SOFT SKILLS WORLD

2. What is Etiquette??
Webster’s II New College Dictionary defines Etiquette as:
The forms and practices prescribed by social convention or by
authority.

3. How Does Etiquette Benefit You?
• Differentiates you from others in a competitive job
market
• Enables you to be confident in a variety of settings
with a variety of people
• Honors commitment to excellence and quality
• Modifies distracting behaviors and develops
admired conduct
“Be one step ahead, practice the social skills necessary to help
you make a great first impression and stand out in a
competitive job market”.

4. Critical Etiquette Topics
to Consider
• Etiquette Basics
• Professional Appearance
• Office Etiquette
• Dining and Table Manners
• Grooming & Hygiene

5. Etiquette Basics
Creating a positive image
• Behavior:
• Exhibit a positive attitude and pleasant demeanor
• Use a firm handshake
• Maintain good eye contact
• Appropriate introductions – introduce someone by
their title and last name (Ms. Mrs. Mr. Dr. Smith),
unless otherwise specified
• Rise when you are introducing someone or you are
being introduced
• Nonverbal communication is important
• Show common respect and consideration for others

6. Professional Appearance
• Grooming is fundamental
• Hair clean and styled appropriately
• Clean nails, skin and teeth
• Many professionals wear make-up
(depends on field)
• Check fragrance and clothing care

7. Professional Appearance
• Wardrobe
– Professional Business Wardrobe
-For women: skirted/pant suit, blouse or dress shirt, clean
well maintained dress shoes (generally closed-toe shoe)
-For men: suit, dress shirt, tie (well maintained dress
shoes)
– Outerwear
-Appropriate for women/men: Trench coat, umbrella

8. Professional Appearance
• Business Casual Wardrobe
– For women: dress pants, shirt, blouse, well
maintained dress or casual shoe (no tennis shoes,
flip flops, etc.)
– For men: slacks/khaki pants, polo shirt, or other
collared dress shirt, well maintained dress or casual
shoes (no tennis shoes, flip flops, etc.)
**NOTHING SLOPPY**

9. Activity Time

10. Office Etiquette
• Telephone –
– Use appropriate tone of voice
– Maintain a positive attitude
– Remove slang terms and use good listening skills
– Take complete phone messages (name, date, time,
reason for calling, where they can be reached)
– Cell phone – TURN IT OFF

11. Office Etiquette
• Email –
– Make subject line specific
– Address emails
– Reply to a question- copy question into your email and
then provide your response
– Follow standard writing guidelines - business letter
format as a professional courtesy
– Keep it short and concise
– Include your name and contact information
– REMEMBER – NOTHING is confidential when sent
electronically

12. Office Etiquette
• Cubical –
– Keep in mind that others work around you
– Professional business calls only
– Use your “inside voice” when on the phone or speaking
with a co-worker
– Remember cubical conversations and calls can be heard
by others (use discretion and good judgment as there is
no “free air space”)

13. Office Etiquette
• Attending a meeting –
– Listen carefully
– Come prepared
– Be concise and articulate when speaking
– Show respect

14. Office Etiquette
• Get to know the work culture –
– Unique sets of norms (breaks, lunch, meetings,
workplace politics, etc.)
– Find out what the organization values, philosophy of
conducting business, work ethic, etc.
– How and when do effective people communicate in the
organization?

15. Office Etiquette
• What is expected of you?
• Don’t talk too often about “College Days” –the faster you
shed your student identity, the more easily you will begin
to work in the new setting.
• Find out about the “informal” chain of command

16. Office Etiquette
• Making a positive impression –
– Recognize that what you do early on will be magnified
– Remember your manners
– Be ready to learn, adapt and change
– Exercise professional maturity by showing good
judgment and build good relationships

17. Office Etiquette
• Show a healthy respect for colleagues experience and
expertise
• Exhibit a positive attitude and know what your role will
be on the team – How can I best assist?
• Leave your personal life at the front door
• Inquire about the proper way to respond to co-workers,
supervisors, clients ( Business letter head, phone call etc.)

19. Email & Netiquettes

20. Top 7 email blunders

21. • With almost 2 billion people using email, it has clearly
emerged as the most popular communication tool. As its
usage soars, so do the chances of unknowingly committing a
blunder. The following are the top seven "oops" moments:
1. Punching "Reply all" without thinking: Your colleague gets
promoted and sends an email to the 34 people in the
department. You punch in "Congrats dude!" and innocently
click "Reply All", flooding 34 overcrowded mail boxes with
this personal message.
Use "reply all" if your message may be of value to those
marked cc, otherwise click "Reply" to sender only.

22. 2. Cc to everyone: We all receive several emails in a work day,
where we are marked cc, making us wonder why we are a part of
this communication in the first place.
Tip: mark cc only to people who need to be in the know and this
may change as the same mail goes back and forth between
various business partners.
3. Confusion on action: It's pointless making your recipients read
through a lengthy message trying to figure out the actionable.
Bosses who send ambiguous emails run the risk of juniors
interpreting the mail in several creative ways.
Tip: List the actionable items in a concise manner and if no action
is required, simply mark FYI in the subject.

23. 4. Sending the email to the wrong person: We've all heard horror
stories, jeopardizing price negotiations by sending the email
meant for one vendor to another, a manager complaining about
his co-worker to his boss and mistakenly marking cc to the co-
worker too...
Tip: Leave "To" field blank, punching in the address after you've
finished typing your message.
5. Responding when sleepy/angry/drunk: A great recipe for
disaster!
Tip: Save your response in the drafts folder, re-read it after a few
hours and there's a high chance that you'll make some changes.

24. 6. Believing emails are confidential: As it's an exchange
between two people's computers, we get lulled into
believing that emails are confidential. However, an email
received by or sent from a corporate server will be logged in
their system and can be checked for non-conformance.
7. All business can be done via email: You can't email a
handshake! While emails are ideal for corresponding,
creating a record or for staying in touch, business
relationships are built the old-fashioned way i.e. by
connecting on the phone or meeting face-to-face.

25. TIPS FOR PERFECTING YOUR
E-MAIL

26. • Do you have bad e-mail skills?
• Are you spoiling your impression with your awful e-mail
manners?
Clean-up your act with these E mail etiquette tips
presented !

27. Perfecting Emails Tips
• Naming E Mail Id
• Know Your Audience
• Briefly Introduce Yourself
• Only Discuss Official Matters
• Be Careful With Confidential Information
• Respond In Time
• Don’t Send One-liners

28. Perfecting Emails Tips (contd.)
• Avoid Using Short Forms
• Keep E-mails Clean
• Be Clear In Your Subject Line
• Manage Attachments
• Beware Of The "Reply All“
• Keep It Short And Get To The Point
• Always Include A Signature
• Your E-mail Is A Reflection Of You

29. The Importance of Dining Appropriately
“Shirley Wiley, owner of Etiquette and Company, California,
reports that roughly 80% of second interviews involve a
business meal”.
*Texas Health Resources, “Placement Manuals” August 2004

30. Professional Dining Basics
• American Style Dining
• Arrive on time
• Wait to sit until host/hostess indicated the seating
arrangement
• Put napkin in lap before drinking or eating
• Order easy to eat food
• Don’t order the most expensive items on the menu

31. Professional Dining Basics
• Wait until everyone has been served before you begin to
eat
• Bring food to your mouth – NOT your head to your plate
• Salt/Pepper pass together
• Generally pass food to the right
• Rest utensils on plate while talking
• Do not talk with your mouth full
• Do not chew with your mouth open

32. Individual Place Setting

34. Professional Dining Basics
• Proper posture is important
• Table manners please!!
– (No gum, no elbows on the table)
• “Please and Thank You”
• Turn your cell phone off
• Be responsible for keeping up and positively
contributing to the conversation
• Small Talk is appropriate – topics such as :
– Books, sports, food, theater, travel, current events etc.
– Follow employer’s lead

35. WHAT IS GROOMING?
Grooming means dressing well, to be presentable to others
You may have to give a little more attention to how you dress at work
because what you wear may be substantially influencing your career
path
Although nothing takes the place of talent, hard work, innate ability
and ambition, looking your professional best in the workplace can give
you a competitive advantage
It simply means dressing in a way that projects an image of the
sophisticated , successful working individual you are or would like to
become

36. GROOMING
MEN

37. WEAR FORMAL SHIRTS IN OFFICE
AS A RULE, THE SIMPLER THE BETTER
Colours you can choose : White, off white, pale, blue shirts are
preferred;
though you may wear dark colored shirts too.
(given below are the colours preferred by professionals).

38. EXAMPLES OF COMBINATION

39. DON’T WEAR !!
Shirts with thick stripes and checks

40. TROUSERS
1. They should preferably be dark though you may wear
beige and with a dark colored shirt.
2. Try to have at least one pair of black trousers.
3. Trousers may or may not have pleats

41. TIES
• To play it safe choose a traditional silk tie.
• No loud colours or patterns.
Given below are some well accepted colours and
patterns
• It may be wise to avoid ties with images and
designer logos

42. APT LOOK OF TIE
Your tie should co-ordinate with your attire
The knot should be a perfect triangle.

43. DON’T

44. SOCKS
• Choose a color that coordinates with your trousers (usually black, dark
gray, dark brown, or dark blue)
Make sure they are long enough not to expose your skin when you sit
down.
As a thumb rule, do not wear white socks.
Wear clean socks to avoid bad odour

45. SHOES
Wear a good pair of leather shoes- black and
brown/tan shoes.
Shoes must be polished everyday.

46. DON’T
Do not wear shoes that look casual.
Also, do not wear shoes with worn out heels

47. BELTS
Wear only formal belts with a sleek buckle.
As thumb rule, match your belt to your shoes.
BELTS

48. AVOID THESE BUCKLES.

49. Best fabrics for:
Suits, jackets and
trousers:
Wool/Wool blends - Can be
worn all year; do not
wrinkle easily.
Cotton blends - A cotton
pin cord or poplin is for
warm weather.

51. Accessories
Jewelry - No more
than one ring per
hand. Good quality
watch in sterling
silver, gold or
stainless steel.
No earring or stud.

53. DRESSING FOR WOMEN
Patterns
• Indian
• Western
Don’t mix and match above

54. Concept
• These days, when women are equally comfortable chairing
boardroom meetings, corporate dressing has taken on a
whole new meaning
• When it comes to working women, dressing up is all about
blending the casual with the chic. Nothing too loud or flashy,
but definitely a mix of buttoned up business basics along
with a weekend casual business attire.
• The idea is to be a little conservative yet stylish without
going the casual way

55. There is no point struggling
with a floating dupatta or
a wayward saree (unless
you are used to it and can
carry it off with élan) while
giving that boardroom
presentation

56. Work clothes for women have
graduated from sarees to salwar
kameezes, from westerns to what
are called Indo-westerns
Fusion fashion has given the
traditional salwar kameez a new
lease of life

57. The comfort factor is crucial
in this regard, which is
why western outfits are
popular across the age
board among women. The
emphasis is on fuss-
free, wash-and-wear
clothing.

58. Shiny nylon and
bright nail paint are
a strict no-no .
Make sure the nail
paint isn’t shiny and
avoid colours such
as black, red and
orange. Hair should
not be falling all
over the face

59. Sensible and comfortable
shoes, in soft leather
and neutral colours,
complete the corporate
look for today’s
women. All that
remains it to put your
best foot forward in the
workplace.

60. Corporate colours are
grey, black, navy blue, brown
and white. The Indian palette is
a national asset and can be
skillfully corporatized into
pleasant but unfrivolous pastels
and solids like beige, beige-
coral, deep rust, terracotta or
tone-on-tone shades of
green, blue and even red.

61. For a formal
occasion, business
suits are ideal or a
knee-length skirt.
The shortest is four
inches above the
knee. No visible
cleavage.

62. Trouser length should
be one and a half
inches from the floor to
the back of the heel.
Buttons, belts and fly of
the trouser should be
neatly aligned.

63. However, not all women
are ready to do away
with sarees and salwar-
kameezes yet, and these
Indian dresses are still
considered ‘formal’ by a
many blue-chip
companies

64. Accessories
• Purse
• Scarf
• Handkerchief
• Wristwatch
• Ear tops

65. HAIRS
• Oil
• Wash
• Hair style
• Hair colour
• Head lice
• Dandruffs

66. MAKE UP
• Don’t try to look like a pastry
• Should be pleasant
• Should be minimal
• Pastel shades of lipstick with a light
eye liner should do fine

67. WARDROBE
• Invest in your wardrobe
• Wear matching accessories
• Wear what suits you
• Comfortable wear

68. Women Need to Avoid
• Designer belts
• Heavy Jewelry
• Jhumkas
• Anklets

69. Be careful About…
• Long nails with exotic , over-the-top shades are for the filmy
babes
• Short, well-manicured nails
• If you must use nail paint, go for a single tone in light
shades of peach, silver or pink. French manicures are ideal
• Footwear - The heel on the shoe should not be more than
1.5 to two inches high

70. AVOID
• Dirty clothing
• Wrinkled clothing
• Baggy fit clothing
• Transparent clothing
• Big and dangling pendants and earrings
• Over piercing of ears and multi rings
• Wearing loud fragrance

72. When you leave
the house, be
sure to look
the part of a
professional
life

73. PERSONAL HYGIENE