Best practices for young business professionals

1. Business Communication
Etiquette
Dr. Thomas Clark
President, CommuniSkills
clarkt@xavier.edu

2. Words of Wisdom from St Paul
Be gracious to
everyone
you meet,
for you never
know when you
are entertaining
an angel

3. Presentation objectives
• Establishing executive
presence
• Practicing sound
communication
etiquette

4. Definition of etiquette
– Rules governing
socially acceptable
behavior
– Practices and forms
prescribed by
social convention

5. The Golden and Platinum rules
• Golden Treat others
as you would like to
be treated
• Platinum Treat
others as they would
like to be treated

6. Communicate for your audience

7. Communicate for your audience
• Communicate in terms of
your objectives not your
feelings (The advice to “Be
Yourself” is misleading)
• Understand the inter-
personal and professional
criteria for the situation
• Plan your behavior to meet
both criteria

8. Mental rehearsal
Visualize what you are going
to say and do—and mentally
rehearse how your audience
will respond
Imagine what your audience’s
most preferred communicator
would be saying and doing.
How close can you come to
their “ideal other”?

9. Perception equals reality
Two Stages
• Initial Perception
• Sustained
Perception

10. Presence
People begin to
evaluate us before
any words are ever
spoken
Who you are speaks
so loudly I do not
hear what you say--
Emerson

11. Grooming
• Light scent
• Clean and trimmed
fingernails
• Limited jewelry
• Concealed tattoos
• No visible body
jewelry
• Neatly combed hair
• Polished shoes
• Stockings without
runs
• Belts on pants
• Coordinated colors
of socks, belt, &
shoes

12. Handshakes matter
• Dead Fish
• Squeezer
• Pumper
• Two handed
• Equal, with direct eye
contact

13. Positive body language
• Smile, eyebrows up
• Angle your body; avoid full
frontal posture
• Arms extended, hands
open
Avoid
• Lip compression
• Eyebrow compression
• Folded arms

14. Listening skills

15. Dale Carnegie and listening
You can make more
friends in two months
by becoming
interested in other
people--than you can
in two years by trying
to get other people
interested in you
“

16. Listening
How do you know someone is
listening to you?
• Eye communication; undivided
attention; encouragers;
nonverbal positives, writing
something down
How do you feel when you know
someone is listening to you?
 Respected, valued, confident,
liked
How do you describe a person who is
listening to you?
 Courteous, attentive,
empathetic, concerned

17. Listening
• How do you know someone is
ignoring you?
◦ Lack of eye contact; other
signs of indifference
• How does it make you feel
when you are ignored?
• Nervous, insignificant,
unintelligent
• How do you describe a person
who has ignored you?
• Rude, arrogant, distant,
jackass

18. Keys to effective listening
Seek others’ thoughts without
judging them
• Ask questions
• Do not interrupt, judge or
correct someone
• If you disagree, seek
understanding. “That’s
interesting. Help me
understand how you came to
that conclusion”

19. Speak with authority
Even when asking
questions, have
your voice end on
with a downward
inflection.

20. Make a solid first impression
Applicants who focused
• on being pleasant,
agreeable, and offering
compliments to
interviewers and their
companies were hired at
a higher rate than
Applicants who focused
• more on their
credentials for the job

21. Attitude
Be positive about your
• company
• work & boss
• peers & coworkers
• customers &
suppliers
• & yourself
Lincoln: People are about
as happy as they make up
their minds to be

22. Make your 1st words count
Ask yourself
What would the
other person
like to hear me
say first?

23. Ice breakers
• When visiting, pay
attention to how the
office is decorated.
• Look for clues that allow
you to compliment the
other person on
something non-
controversial
• Avoid politics, religion,
how much you earn, or
negative communication
such as comments about
a company or people

24. Ingratiation
Compliment others on
something important to them
Example I am writing to express
my appreciation for selecting me
as an agent and purchasing a
house I had listed.
I enjoyed working with you and
appreciated the many courtesies
you extended to me during this
process.

25. Integrity
Integrity Telling
the truth
Reliability Doing
what you say you
will do

26. Names
• Get business cards from everyone you meet
• Make notes on when you met, what you had in common, and
details such as names of children, colleges, hometown
• Record the information into an electronic data base
• Prefer the formal to the informal, especially with older and
higher ranking people
• Avoid “I’m sorry, I have forgotten your name”
• Say “Help me out. Your name was on the tip of my tongue &
now eludes me”

27. Thank you letters
Goal: Express thanks and
promote your objectives
Opening: Express
appreciation and
compliment the receiver
Body: Summarize what you
see as mutual benefit of
meeting
Closing: Indicate next steps
PS: Make a positive
comment and/or make an
offer to return the favor

28. Invitations
Reply to all invitations within
48 hours
Be gracious if you need to refuse
Thank you for inviting me to breakfast
to hear Frank Jones of your legal
department speak next Friday.
Given his outstanding reputation, I
am confident I have much to learn
from him.
As I have another meeting scheduled
for that time, I will be unable to
attend. I appreciate your kindness
and look forward to speaking with
you in the near future.

29. Put your best Facebook forward
• What happens when
a potential client
“Googles” you?
• What will be
revealed about you
on Facebook, Twitter
& LinkedIn?

30. Social media protection
Google yourself
– Investigate any link with your name attached to it
Clean up your account
Remove or de-tag
• unflattering photos and text
• inappropriate wall posts, including obscene
language
• anything others might find offensive
Use privacy settings so you control who will see your
profile
G
O
O
G
L
E

31. Use Facebook to advance your
interests
-Write positive things
about yourself in the
Interest and Activities
sections
-Demonstrate your
passion for real estate
-Post pictures of yourself
performing a job relevant
action or service

32. Telephone
etiquette
32

33. Cell phones
• Give your full attention to
clients
• Before making or taking a
call, texting or emailing in
public, consider if your
actions will impact others
• Don't use a mobile device
while using a restroom!

34. Cell phones
Put on vibrate or silent
Limit use to when you are
alone
If you use them in the
presence of others,
they may view it as
rude or self-centered

35. Telephone calls
Plan as you would other verbal
messages. Focus the
message on the Who, What,
Why, and When
Prepare for live conversation or
voice mail.
Get right to the message
if you leave a voice mail

36. Telephone etiquette
• Identify yourself and your organization
• Ask the person if he or she has time to talk
• Make calls during normal business hours
• Return calls the same day
• Do not
– Put someone on hold without asking permission.
– Do other work while on the phone

37. Telephone calls
• Outline points you will make prior to placing a call
• Write down the name or names of the parties
with whom you will be speaking
• If your party is not there, leave a brief message
and request a telephone appointment
• If your party answers, identify yourself, stick to
your outline and thank the person at the end of
the call.

38. Reasons to use voice mail or text
messaging
• After hours calls or texts can
be answered
• You can communicate with
people in different time zones
• Receptionists take incomplete
or inaccurate messages

39. What is a “bad” voice mail message?
• Talking too fast: aim for
175-250 words per minute
• Not enough information
• Hard to understand the
message
• Return telephone or person
name not left in message
175-
250
words
per
minute

40. Keep it short and simple
Voice Mail
Start with a
WHO/WHAT/WHY/WHEN
Be sure listeners can contact you
easily
Clarify timing
2
3
4
11

41. Your voice mail recording
Start with an upbeat
greeting including your
name
• Indicate how the caller
can get a response
• Close on a positive note,
e.g., Make it a great day!
Listen to your recording
• Does it sound upbeat?
Professional?
• Can the listener hear a
smile in your voice?

42. A cute message
Background music
Long introductory
comments
Voice mail taboos
LOGO
Do not have

43. Concluding thought
Be gracious to
everyone you
meet, for you
never
know when
you are
entertaining an
angel

44. Thank You
Contact Information
Name: Thomas Clark PhD
Phone: 513.413.2824
Web: www.communiskills.com