Business Communication

Prof. Bringi Dev and Prof. Rakesh Godhwani

Week 3
In interpersonal communication many of you would have heard this word call etiquettes. Business etiquettes,
social etiquettes and they use all the time. I think we should spend some time in understanding why they are
important and what can they do if they are not followed properly. I'll give a very simple example that happened
in my life.

One of my students and acquaintances who are in my network they sent me a mail professor can you please
help us connect with one of your friends, we want to invite him to give a talk in a company. I said alright, so I
connected the two of them my student and my friend and after about two three weeks I forgot about it. Then I
meet my friend at the airport and my friend said, hey Rakesh thank you for connecting me to your student they
invited me for a talk. I was very confused, I didn't even remember but then I kind of remembered that yes, I did
remember a student asking me for a favour then I connected them but then that student never came back and
close the issue.

That means I never knew whether the person was invited or not. And I felt a little bit odd that why would that
should not do such a thing. And then when I came back to the campus, I asked the student that hey did you call
my friend? And the student said yes sir I did. And then I said that you should at least inform me, because I was
the one who connected you. And the student was very apologetic, and she said that, sir I didn't even know that
I should inform you. And I said that no, I think in business communication and interpersonal communication this
is a etiquettes, that if there is something you've asked me and I have given it to you and it has helped you the
least you can do is send a thank you note and that's called an etiquette.

Now there's nothing wrong here. I don't think I as a professor can do any damage to that student because I did
not get an email from her. I'm not that egoistic but the point is this is the finer points of communication. I would
have loved that student even more as a professional if that student would have just sent a thank you note, and
this is the finer aspect of communication especially interpersonal communication which is called etiquettes.

Etiquette is a French word it simply means a protocol that one has to do in a given setting. It comes from social
settings, especially when people would meet at a party how does one behave with each other and the same
thing has now come to corporate world that how do we behave with each other in a business setting. So, I am
going to give you some suggestions that you could keep in mind on how you can have a Universal professional
business etiquette.

The first element of etiquette that all of you can do the business setting is to be punctual. There is nothing better
than being on time and being punctual with your work. The scenarios could be plenty. The best thing you can
do is respond to your emails on time. If there is more time needed tell the other person that I have read your
email I will respond to you but tomorrow and make sure you respond by tomorrow because that is etiquette.
Come to meetings on time, come to office on time, because this is where your communication and all these
things added to your leadership.

The second element of etiquette is be professional with your work. Now this is a very broad topic, but we should
narrow it down to interpersonal settings. Being professional means do your job well and be very professional
about it. If your job is to listen to a customer's grievance do it the best of your ability. Help that customer to the
best of your skill set and if your job is to work with some team work with them professionally. If you have
promised that you will give them some input for their work give it to them on time and make sure all the loops
of communication are closed and that is professionalism.

Professionalism is nothing but a promise that you have given to someone and you deliver on their promise. How
would you feel if you have paid money for a refrigerator that you have bought? The company has promised that
they will deliver it to you by let's see Friday and they don't deliver their promise; won't you call them
unprofessional and that's what you should start doing with your own work. Are you being a professional at your
work and are you doing what your promised.

The third and final and in my books the most important element of etiquettes is be courteous, be polite, be kind
to each other. The simplest courtesy and etiquette you can give me, or I can give you is my smile. I can also give

© All Rights Reserved, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

 Business Communication
Prof. Bringi Dev and Prof. Rakesh Godhwani

Week 3
you kindness, I can give you respect. In an office when you are in an meeting room you can do small things which
are very courteous to someone else. For example, opening the door for someone or helping someone get in
their car, picking up their bag if you have to. These things look very trivial and what thought to us in our
childhood days, but I think they missing from the corporate world and my request to you is that start using it in
your interpersonal communication, you will find an amazing result in your own professional life.

© All Rights Reserved, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore