Corporate Etiquette

1. CORPORATE
ETIQUETTE
Version 1.0

2. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
1. To introduce the basics of the universal business and
social etiquette to be practiced at home and abroad.
2. To develop professional work habits and corporate
pride through appropriate office conduct &
discipline.
3. To enable the executives to present themselves in an
acceptable manner.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

3. COURSE CONTENTS
• Handling Introductions
• Business card etiquette
• Dress code
• The how to of making meetings matter
• Gaze behavior
• Etiquette in modern work place
• Table manners/Dining etiquette
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

4. ORIGIN
• The word etiquette comes from the French
etiquette and literally means ‘ticket’, the
rules and regulations of the court were
written on tickets, which were posted in the
castle courtyard for all the lords and ladies
to observe and obey.
• Courtesy derives from court behavior.
• Civility is rooted in the Latin word for city.
Civility was an indication that one had
acquired polish, as opposed to the crudeness
of country behavior. Than Latin word for
polish is the root of politeness.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

5. Handling Introductions
 The person of authority, the more important person is mentioned
first.
So, to introduce Prem Seth(Your boss) and Sunil Mathur(who is your friend), you
say “Mr. Seth, May I present Mr. Mathur”, or “ Mr. Seth, this is Sunil Mathur.”
It will be easy if you just remember to say the senior ranking person’s name first.
 Business rules follow social rules. In social situations you would
defer to an older person and introduce a younger one this way: “
My Seventy, May I present Mr. Mathur”.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

6. Smoothing the way to a
conversation:
 Include a conversational clue in your introduction.
Eg. : “Mr. Raj, I would like you to meet Mr. Mohan. Like you,
Mohan is very much interested in Hindustani classical.”
 Your conversational clue can provide a basis for their opening
conversation.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

7. When you are introduced….
 1. Stand up
 2. Shake hands
 3. Smile
 4. Say “How do you do?”
First time you meet a person, say “How do you do?” next time always say, “How
are you?”
“Hi” should always be responded by “Hi”.
“How are you?” should always be responded by “How are you?”
It is “Good morning” up to 1’O clock, after that is “Good
afternoon/evening”.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

8. Remembering Names
 Difficult names
It is not only appropriate, it is flattering to ask: “ I am not sure if
I know how to pronounce your name properly. What is the
correct way to say it?”
 Forgetting names
What can you do to avoid embarrassment? That best thing is to
be calm and straightforward. “I remember meeting you, but I
simply can not recall your name.”
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

9. Tips for Remembering Names
 Establish direct eye contact and smile during the introduction.
 Give your full attention to the introduction.
 Listen carefully and repeat the name immediately.
 Think of someone with the same name.
 Form an association immediately with the name and outstanding
feature or anything else that will assist you to recall or part of the name.
The first association complimentary or insulting - is best.
 Don’t worry, association is not flattering.
 Use the name frequently during the conversation.
 If you have forgotten the name or didn’t hear it the first time, ask the
person to tell you again or even spell his name.
 Don’t make excuses for yourself such as, “ I am terrible with names.”
 Interference and mental inhibitions are the main reasons for not
remembering names.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

10. Business Card Etiquette
Some points to remember about using business cards:
 Affix your card to the presentation folder or corporate literature some
people may not be familiar with you or the company you represent.
 Do exchange your business cards at a business or social gathering, but
be selective.
 Do keep your cards protected and fresh. They are the symbol of you and
your corporation. Instead of presenting a shabby card, it’s preferable to
write your pertinent information on a plain paper.
 Do personalize your card, by underlining your name and writing a few
word on the reverse side, if the occasion warrants. The card may then
be inserted with some flowers or some small gifts to someone who has
been helpful to you.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

11. Business Card Etiquette (Cont’d..)
 Don't present your business card during a meal, whether formal or not.
 Use a plastic holder to store business cards, never keep them in your
wallet. Always keep them protected.
 Always use a neat card, not a crumpled one.
 Handing over the card:
o - First meet the person
o - Introduce yourself
o - Sit down and then take out your business card and hand over
o to the other person holding it very respectfully.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

12. Dress Code
“The way we dress affects the way people perceive us:
the ways people perceive us affects the way people treat us.”
Your appearance immediately initiates ten decisions in the first
impression you make on others.
 1. Economic level.
 2. Educational level.
 3. Trustworthiness.
 4. Social position.
 5. Sophistication.
 6. Economic Heritage.
 7. Social Heritage.
 8. Educational Heritage.
 9. Success in chosen field.
 10. Moral character
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

13. Wardrobe basics :
 Your clothes should suit your build.
 Dress should be appropriate to the time, place and occasion.
 Fabrics, fit, quality, style and the like should be carefully considered.
 There are standards for suit/jacket & pants, shirts, ties, shoes, socks,
and accessories as watch, cuff links, hankies, jewelry, belt, briefcase
and so on.
 Use mild perfumes. A perfume can serve as your signature or echo
your mood.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

14. Men’s fashion
Suit:
 Suits should always be with fusing.
 Cloth – Use only woolen/terry-wool. Never use terrene.
 Color – Use various shades of blues and greys. No black color.
 Collar of the suit should be very close to the neck.
 Shirt collar should be visible at least by ¼ of an inch.
 Lapel should be 3½ inch broad and single breasted.
 Height of the jacket should come to the tip of your thumb.
 Arm of the coat should stop at the wrist, so that shirt cuff is visible.
 Trouser – Eight belt loops in a trouser. Two creases, cross pockets no
flaps on the rear pocket and shoe shape bottom.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

15. Men’s fashion
Tie :
 Regimental ties with diagonal stripes
 Club ties, same insignia repeated several times in the print
 Silk ties
 Ties should be of medium width 3½ inches.
 Ties should touch the buckle of the belt.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

16. Men’s fashion
Shoe: Black oxford toe.
Belt : Black
Handkerchief: White
Watch: Analog and not digital
Hair cut: Neat
Perfumes: Avoid strong perfumes
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

17. The How-to of making meeting matter
 Keep to an agenda:
Always circulate an agenda well in advance, so that there
is enough time to modify it if the feedback warrants it.
 Time is essence
 Environment is everything
 Take a real-time review
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

18. Rules for office meetings
1. Do your homework well in advance. Study the issues involved &
understand the background. “KNOWLEDGE BREEDS
CONFIDENCE”.
2. Punctuality is a self-evident factor.
3. Once you are on your feet, don’t hog your floor. Avoid indulging
in too much self-projection, even if you are the specialist.
4. Interruption is generally resented. Wait until the speaker
explains his point of view clearly.
5. Maintain an objective view when others disagree with you.
Don’t personalize your attack. Respect other’s right to disagree.
Listen to them & say, ‘ I appreciate your point of view.’
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

19. Rules for office meetings
6. Give credit where it is due. Express if you are convinced.
7. Avoid the most horrendous of sins, “SARCASM”. Temper your
jokes. Encourage speakers. Show respect. They’ll reciprocate.
8. Don't surprise your boss with a proposal he knows nothing
about. Get boss’s agreement to mention it.
9. Avoid being the first to leave the conference room.
YOU ARE ON VIEW. PREPARE WELL. WIN GOODWILL OF OTHERS.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

20. Gazing Etiquette
1) Business Gaze:
When you look at the person above the eye level and below the center of
the forehead, the situation becomes serious.
2) Social Gaze:
When you look at the person below the eye level and above the lip, the
situation becomes lighter, friendly and social.
3) Intimate Gaze:
When you look at the person on the chin level or at the cheek, then it is
intimate.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

21. Etiquette in the modern work place
 Good Manners - courtesy & consideration- are prime necessity
if any office is to function with a minimum anxiety & stress.
 Office machine etiquette:
o Try to understand how to operate the equipment if is to be self
operated as in the case of a photocopying machine.
o Keep the equipment clean.
o If there is a line of people waiting to use the system, and you
have dozens of pages to copy, allow the colleagues who have only
a few pages to copy to go ahead of you.
o If yours is a urgent job, explain the situation to waiting
executives and get their approval in a polite manner to go ahead
with your job.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

22. Etiquette in the modern work place
 Facilities for employees :
o Leftovers, papers, napkins, wrappers etc. are to be removed and
thrown into the waste paper baskets/dust bins.
 Toilet/unisex facilities :
o Gentlemen should put the seat down and close the lid after they
have used a toilet, just as they do at home.
o Do remember to flush the toilets and the urinals after every use.
o It gives good feeling to work in a clean office.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

23. Etiquette in the modern work place
 Respect for colleagues’ space :
o Conference room is the proper place to entertain visitors or colleagues
who feel the need to relax & talk.
o Smoking pollutes the air in the office & is distressing to others. People
who need to smoke should do so in places set apart for that purpose.
o Conversations in open-pan offices, like conversations in elevators,
should be carried on softly. No one else should have to listen to other
peoples business or private affairs.
 Personal décor :
o Don’t personalize too much your business space.
o It is appropriate to use photographs, diplomas, awards &
honors. But keep them simple.
o Don’t visit anyone uninvited.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

24. Etiquette in the modern work place
 Elevator Etiquette :
o Traditionally, men stepped aside the women off first.
o Everyone in the front of a crowded elevator should step out of
the car and to the side when the doors open so that people in
the back of the car can exit.
o Always step briskly, because the people behind you may be in
a hurry , even though you are not.
o When speaking in an elevator, or any public place, the voice
level should be just above a whisper, only loud enough for the
person you are speaking to hear you.
 Escalator Etiquette:
o It may seem elementary to mention that two or more
executives should stand behind one another, and to the right
side of the moving stairway, so that others who may be in a
more of a hurry can pass them on the left.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

25. Etiquette in the modern work place
 Holding doors :
o In today’s office buildings, the person who arrives at the doors
first- man or woman- holds the door for the person(s) behind.
o Young people, however, should differ to older or senior
executives.
o In fact, the younger is expected to get to the door quickly in
order to hold it for the others.
 Automobile Etiquette:
o When executives of unequal rank travel together, the junior
executive is expected to handle all the details of the trip,
authoritatively but not obsequiously- tipping the porters,
checking into or out of hotels, arranging for the cars or hailing
taxis, paying the drivers and so forth.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

26. Table Manners/ Dining Etiquette
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

27. Table Manners/ Dining Etiquette
• Poor table manners could cause a loss of business clients,
bankers and others who are vital to our everyday business
affairs. Unfortunately, too many people think they need only
pull out the proper manners for the company. Unfortunately,
behavioral skills are habitual, and need to be practiced on a
regular basis to become automatic. When you pull out your
proper manners only on special occasions, you end up focusing
on the manners rather on your dining companions. Incorporate
polished dining skills into your everyday life and you need never
worry about how to conduct yourself for those important
business occasions.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

28. Dining Etiquette
Proper use of cutlery :
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

29. Dining Etiquette
Some DOs and DON’Ts
 Excuse yourself when you join in or leave someone through the
meals.
 Use fork, knife and spoon correctly.
 Request the person next to you to pass dishes to you. Do not
stretch across the table.
 Give preference to ladies and guests to be served first.
 Don’t usurp or burp.
 Don’t take tea/coffee by pouring into the saucer. Hold saucer in
the left hand and drink holding the cup in the right hand at the
handle.
 Don’t pass the spoons to others holding the scooping edge.
 Don’t pass the knife to others holding the handle.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

30. Dining Etiquette
Some DOs and DON’Ts (cont’d..)
 Use quarter plate for Roti/Chapati/Bread and not the service
plate.
 Push the chair back to close to the table after getting up.
 Avoid conversation with the people seated far away. It may
offend the person next to you.
 Avoid using toothpick in the presence of guests/hosts. Clean the
teeth in washroom.
 If you must use the toothpick, then cover you mouth with
hand/hanky.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

31. Dining Etiquette
Some DOs and DON’Ts (cont’d..)
 After finishing the soup, the soupspoon is left in the platter and
not in the soup bowl.
 White wine is always served with seafood and is served chilled.
 Red wine is served with meat/poultry and is served at room
temperature.
 Champagne goes well with dessert/sweet.
 Dinner is returnable, lunch is non-returnable.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

32. Dining Etiquettes
 Do place your napkins in your lap as soon as you are seated at
the table.
 Do lean slightly forward each time to take a mouthful of food. If
anything drops it will fall into your plate.
 Do wipe your lips with the napkin before taking a drink.
 Don’t wipe your mouth with one hand while holding a knife or
fork with the other.
 Do keep your free hand in your lap or rest your wrist on the edge
of the table.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

33. Dining Etiquette (Cont’d..)
 Don’t talk about the personal food likes and dislikes at the
dinner table.
 Do leave your plate where it is when you have finished eating,
with the knife and fork in the finishing position.
 Don’t push your plate away, lean back from the table, and
announce, “ I’m stuffed”.
 Don’t rest your cutlery half on and half off the plate like the
oars.
 Don’t gesture with your knife, fork or spoon in your hand. If you
are not using the utensils, put it down.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

34. Dining Etiquette (Cont’d..)
 Do remember that food is always on your left, beverages on your
right.
 Don’t eat your neighbor’s salad. A right-handed person will
reach across the dinner plate to eat the salad.
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE

35. Dining Etiquette
Some of the worst offenses are :
 Chewing with the mouth open
 Eating fast
 Shoveling food into the mouth in large forkfuls
 Swallowing with gulps
 Noisily sucking through the teeth
 Licking the fingers
CORPORATE ETIQUETTE