Mind your Manners
Good Business
etiquette can do wonders for your professional image and build positive relationships. Learn how to put your best foot forward and present yourself in a way that makes your clients, coworkers and management take you seriously.
Business etiquette is more than just knowing which fork to use. It includes
social skills that make interpersonal relationships more effective and successful. Knowing what to do in social and business situations bolsters yourself-confidence and demonstrates your respect for others. It subconsciously reinforces the value of the other person. Courtesy and social grace can take you far in business and life.
Dining Etiquette
Proper dining etiquette sets the table for building the relationship and closing the deal. Nothing indicates good breeding as much as proper table manners. Taking time to cultivate business relationships through the breaking of bread will build lasting relationships. When you spend extra time with people, trust is created, and business is completed.
- Be decisive over menu choices. If you have a hard time deciding what to order, people wonder if you can make business decisions in a timely manner.
- If you are the host, always be the last person to order.
- Excuse yourself from the table to take medication or to handle medical issues.
- Be courteous and polite to the waitperson, but do not be overly friendly.
- Avoid soup unless you can eat it quietly and any food that you cannot eat neatly.
- Avoid alcoholic drinks.
- Guide the conversation, but do not present a lengthy list of topics.
- Your goal is to establish a comfortable, trusting relationship. Racing from one topic to the next will make you look pushy and insecure.
Gracious ExitWhen it comes time to pay, time to pay, and you are the guest, you have three options. First, wait to see if your host picks up the check to pay it. Second, you can pick up the bill and suggest splitting it. Third,you can pickup the check and offer to pay the whole amount.
Recovering from mistakes from Grace
Embarrassment may cause you to avoid important contacts, clients or associates because they were present when you made a mistake or faux pas.However, when you react to an embarrassing situation with grace and humility, you can avoid further damage to your image and, maybe, actually enhance it.
Handling embarrassment with humor, especially self-deprecating humor, is a great way of putting people at ease and helping them recover from the embarrassing moment. Fussing or over-apologizing will make everyone feel uneasy.
When another person is embarrassed, try to ignore the incident and brush it off as unimportant. It sometimes helps to tell a story about a time when you also were embarrassed.
When you learn of a serious problem or mistake, do not try to hide it. Always take a deep breath and think about what you are about to say or do.Propose a solution and take action.
Most situations are repairable. Whether you have called unfavorable attention to yourself or embarrassed someone, the way you handle the situation says a great deal about your character and abilities. No one goes through life without making blunders.
Have to run to a scheduled luncheon meeting. What about you?