Corporate Etiquette

alk
o fT
n
Pla
1. What is corporate etiquette 8. Common courtesy expressions
2. Benefits of corporate etiquette 9. Phrases for greeting
3. Communication etiquette 10. Steps to make introductions
4. Email etiquette 11. Role of body language in etiquette
5. Phone etiquette 12. Hofstede model to analyse cultures
6. Meeting etiquette 13. Characteristics for good corporate etiquette
7. Business cards etiquette 14. Behaviours driving corporate etiquette
8. Dining etiquette 15. Behaviours to avoid in etiquette
8. Handshake etiquette
9. Dressing etiquette
• Kevin Eastwood has been recently
promoted as a Project Manager in
Watson Inc. Watson Inc. is a leading
provider of packaging material and
logistics services to several clients
across the globe.
• Kevin is really excited by his promotion
and hopes to handle his first project as a
Project Manager.
• Kevin’s first project is for Zeus
Electronics, a leading electronics goods
manufacturer.
• Watson Inc. has to provide packaging
material and logistics services for a new
line of smart phones being launched by
Zeus.
• Kevin arranges for a Project kick-off
meeting with the client to understand
their requirements.
• Zheng Wu, the Product Head at Zeus
will be attending the meeting as he is
handling all the aspects related to the
new line of smart phones being
launched by Zeus.
Good Morning! I am sorry I am late for the
meeting.
My name is Kevin Eastwood. No problem.
I am the Project Manager and I will be I am Zheng Wu, the
handling this Project. Product Head at Zeus.

Pleased to meet you, Mr. Wu.
Shall we start the meeting?
Sure! As communicated to you through my
Project Manager, Hansen, we would like the
first consignment of the packaging material
to be dispatched to us by end of next month.
Then, the schedule of requirements would be
different and we would inform the same to
you at least six months in advance.
Sure Sir! The first consignment will be delivered as per Alright, I will send an email to
your requirement by the end of next month. you today itself after I reach
However, we would like some clarification on the kind of office.
box that you want the product to be packed in. Could you please send me a
We are not sure of the required thickness and material of complete catalogue of the kind
the box. of material that you provide?
Sure, I will do that. Would you
like some tea or coffee? Black Coffee is fine.
Oh! I think you should not drink Black Coffee, I
have heard it has many adverse effects on a That’s fine!
person’s health. All the same, I would like
It has too much caffeine and also builds up a lot of to have a Black Coffee,
heat in the body. please!

Ok! I like tea a lot.
I thought all Chinese people liked tea more
than coffee. After all the Chinese discovered
tea, right?
Yes, that’s right that the Chinese
Emperor Shen Nong discovered
tea but that definitely does not
mean that all Chinese people
may drink or like only tea!

Yes, I suppose so. So, who else at your
home prefers coffee to tea?
I am getting a bit late for another
meeting.
Maybe I’ll take a rain check on
that coffee.
I will ask Hansen, the Project
Manager to email you the
schedule and other details.
Please do stay for a while. No, thank you. Maybe
Your coffee won’t take long; I will just some other time.
order it now.
Please email me your catalogue Sure, I will do that.
as well.
 • Sure, take care.
• Ok, I will take
your leave then.
Goodbye! Bye! Take Care!
You have seen the conversation that took place between Kevin and Zheng at the Project kick-
off meeting.
• How do you think the conversation and meeting went?
• Do you think Kevin proved to be good at his new role as a Project Manager in his first
client meeting?
• What do you think Kevin did wrong at the meeting?
You have seen that Kevin made Zheng very uncomfortable at
the meeting. Hence, you can understand that ‘Corporate
Etiquette’ is crucial for conducting oneself in the right and
professional manner in a business environment. The right
‘Corporate Etiquette’ adopted by an individual can make him
more professional, likable, polite, courteous and
approachable.

LLeett uuss lear

learnn aabboouut
‘Co t
‘Corrppoorraattee Et
iinn ddeettaail. Etiiqquueettttee’’
il.
 alk
o fT
n
Pla
1. What is corporate etiquette 8. Common courtesy expressions
2. Benefits of corporate etiquette 9. Phrases for greeting
3. Communication etiquette 10. Steps to make introductions
4. Email etiquette 11. Role of body language in etiquette
5. Phone etiquette 12. Hofstede model to analyse cultures
6. Meeting etiquette 13. Characteristics for good corporate etiquette
7. Business cards etiquette 14. Behaviours driving corporate etiquette
8. Dining etiquette 15. Behaviours to avoid in etiquette
8. Handshake etiquette
9. Dressing etiquette
What is Corporate Etiquette?

› ‘Corporate Etiquette’ is defined as the code of ethical and honourable

behavior with respect to a professional practice or behavior among the
members of a profession in their dealings with each other.
‘Corporate Etiquette’ Includes
1. Having a proper understanding of the overall business propriety in manners and
conduct
2. Treating your colleagues, peers, seniors and others around you with respect and
being nice and courteous
3. To be at ease and comfortable around people
4. To put the people around you at ease and make them comfortable around you
5. To present yourself with a kind of finesse and culture
6. To present yourself in a professional light which makes people respect you and
helps them realize that shows you can be taken seriously
7. To present yourself in a professional manner which helps people realize that you
are a serious, dedicated and honest individual
 alk
o fT
n
Pla
1. What is corporate etiquette 8. Common courtesy expressions
2. Benefits of corporate etiquette 9. Phrases for greeting
3. Communication etiquette 10. Steps to make introductions
4. Email etiquette 11. Role of body language in etiquette
5. Phone etiquette 12. Hofstede model to analyse cultures
6. Meeting etiquette 13. Characteristics for good corporate etiquette
7. Business cards etiquette 14. Behaviours driving corporate etiquette
8. Dining etiquette 15. Behaviours to avoid in etiquette
8. Handshake etiquette
9. Dressing etiquette
Benefits of Corporate Etiquette

Barnding
Barnding
› Business Etiquette or Corporate Etiquette can
prove to be beneficial to an individual in Customer Care
several ways. Customer Care

› Corporate Etiquette can help you make great

advances, improvements and achieve more Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement
success in the following areas:

Team Synergy
Team Synergy
Benefits of Corporate Etiquette

Barnding
Barnding
Branding:
› ‘Branding’ is crucial for the success of any
Customer Care
professional and hence the success of a Customer Care
business.
› This is because anything and everything that a Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement
professional does would reflect on the
company and its products.
Team Synergy
Team Synergy
› When the employees of a company act professionally and with etiquette, it
shows that the company too is credible and trustworthy.
› Conducting oneself with etiquette in a corporate environment also helps to
create a personal branding which may serve as a competitive edge against
your competitors.
Benefits of Corporate Etiquette

Barnding
Customer Care:
› Every business has customers whether they
Customer Care
are the end consumers, suppliers, distributors,
other businesses etc.
› Hence, the success of each and every business Employee Engagement
lies in keeping these customers happy and
satisfied.
Team Synergy
› A good and sure shot way of keeping your customers happy and satisfied is
through what is known as ‘Customer Care’.
› ‘Customer Care’ helps to show your customers that you care for them, value
their patronage and helps you to treat them with respect and consideration.
› So, displaying your etiquette to your customers helps to convey this care to
them and make them feel respected and valued.
› Happy and satisfied customers in turn would become loyal customers who
would also spread the good word about your company’s products and
services and bring more customers to you through their invaluable word-of-
mouth positive feedback.
Benefits of Corporate Etiquette

Barnding
› Employee Engagement:

Customer Care
› ‘Employee Engagement’ is crucial to the
smooth and successful working of a company.
› Corporate Etiquette helps to use your good Employee Engagement
workplace behaviour and manners to help
improve your confidence.
Team Synergy
› You feel more confident and sure of your behaviour and conduct at the
workplace.
› You know that your behaviour is in accordance with the set norms of the
corporate world.
› Corporate Etiquette helps you to conduct yourself in the right manner at the
workplace, to portray your confidence to others and to work in cohesion with
the people around you.
› It helps to drive better employee engagement as you feel surer of your
capabilities and your relation with others.
Benefits of Corporate Etiquette

Barnding
› Team Synergy:
Customer Care
› ‘Team Synergy’ is a must in a business for the
working together of employees in a team as
well as for the working of various teams Employee Engagement
together with each other.
Team Synergy
› When the employees of a company behave and conduct themselves as per
the norms of corporate etiquette, it helps to create an environment where the
employees are well-mannered, respectful towards each other and behave
professionally.
› Such corporate etiquette and good manners help to create and maintain
smooth working relationships amongst the members of a team.
› Greater team synergy in a team leads to greater productivity.
Let us now look at a real life example to understand the
meaning of corporate etiquette.
You had seen earlier in the introductory scenario how Kevin
made Zheng very uncomfortable at the Project kick-off
meeting.
Good Morning! I am sorry I am late for the meeting.
My name is Kevin Eastwood. No problem.
I am the Project Manager and I will be handling this I am Zheng Wu, the Product
Project. Head at Zeus.

Pleased to meet you, Mr. Wu.
Shall we start the meeting?
Sure! As communicated to you through my
Project Manager, Hansen, we would like the
first consignment of the packaging material to
be dispatched to us by end of next month. Then,
the schedule of requirements would be different
and we would inform the same to you at least
six months in advance.
 Alright, I will send an email
Sure Sir! The first consignment will be delivered as per to you today itself after I
your requirement by the end of next month. reach office.
However, we would like some clarification on the kind of Could you please send me a
box that you want the product to be packed in. complete catalogue of the
We are not sure of the required thickness and material of kind of material that you
the box. provide?
Sure, I will do that. Would you
like some tea or coffee? Black Coffee is fine.
Oh! I think you should not drink Black Coffee, I
have heard it has many adverse effects on a That’s fine!
person’s health. All the same, I would like
It has too much caffeine and also builds up a lot of to have a Black Coffee,
heat in the body. please!

It
It isis good
good corporate
corporate etiquette
etiquette to
to ask
ask for
for tea
tea or
or
coffee
coffee at at the
the beginning
beginning of
of the
the meeting
meeting before
before
the
the meeting
meeting starts.
starts.
Kevin
Kevin should
should have
have asked
asked Zheng
Zheng for
for tea
tea or
or
coffee
coffee at
at the
the beginning
beginning of
of the
the meeting
meeting itself.
itself.

Ok! I like tea a lot.
I thought all Chinese people liked tea more
than coffee. After all the Chinese discovered
tea, right?
Yes, that’s right that the Chinese
Emperor Shen Nong discovered
tea but that definitely does not
mean that all Chinese people
may drink or like only tea!

Yes, I suppose so. So, who else at your
home prefers coffee to tea?
I am getting a bit late for another
meeting.
Maybe I’ll take a rain check on
that coffee.
I will ask Hansen, the Project
Manager to email you the
schedule and other details.
Please do stay for a while. No, thank you. Maybe
Your coffee won’t take long; I will just some other time.
order it now.
Please email me your catalogue Sure, I will do that.
as well.
 • Sure, take care.
• Ok, I will take
your leave then.
Goodbye! Bye! Take Care!
You have seen the conversation that took place between Kevin and Zheng at the Project kick-
off meeting.
• How do you think the conversation and meeting went?
• Do you think Kevin proved to be good at his new role as a Project Manager in his first
client meeting?
• What do you think Kevin did wrong at the meeting?
You have seen that Kevin made Zheng very uncomfortable at
the meeting. Hence, you can understand that ‘Corporate
Etiquette’ is crucial for conducting oneself in the right and
professional manner in a business environment. The right
‘Corporate Etiquette’ adopted by an individual can make him
more professional, likable, polite, courteous and
approachable.

LLeett uuss lear

learnn aabboouut
‘Co t
‘Corrppoorraattee Et
iinn ddeettaail. Etiiqquueettttee’’
il.
 Real Life Example
Oh! I think you should not drink Black Coffee, I have heard it has many
adverse effects on a person’s health. It has too much caffeine and also
builds up a lot of heat in the body.

That’s fine! All the same, I would

like to have a Black Coffee,
please!
› Kevin should learn that each and every individual has his own preferences
and choice.
› It is not good business or corporate etiquette to comment on anyone’s
personal habits, whether the habits are good or bad ones.
› Hence, Kevin should not have made any comments about Zheng’s
preference of drinking black coffee.
› Kevin should have simply gone ahead and ordered for the black coffee
instead.
Real Life Example

Ok! I like tea a lot. I thought all Chinese people liked tea more than
coffee. After all the Chinese discovered tea, right?

Yes, that’s right that the Chinese

Emperor Shen Nong discovered
tea but that definitely does not
mean that all Chinese people may
drink or like only tea!
› It is considered highly unprofessional and against corporate etiquette to
comment on someone’s culture and to form biased opinions about someone
based on their ethnic or cultural background.
› Kevin should understand that each and every person is unique and have their
own personal tastes, likes and dislikes, no matter what culture, ethnicity or
religion they belong to.
› It is highly unacceptable to form opinions about a person without knowing
them based solely on their culture, ethnicity or religion.
› Kevin should not have commented about ‘All Chinese people liking tea’.
 Real Life Example

Yes, I suppose so. So, who else at your home prefers coffee to tea?

I am getting a bit late for another

meeting. Maybe I’ll take a rain
check on that coffee. I will ask
Hansen, the Project Manager to
email you the schedule and other
details.
› It is a good practice in Corporate Etiquette that you should never talk about
or ask questions about personal matters and family in a workplace
environment.
› This is especially important when you are interacting with clients and
someone whom you do not know very well or have just met. It is ok to talk
to a certain limit about family with your colleagues.
› However, even such discussions about personal matters should be done with
great discretion of what should be discussed and what should not.
› Kevin should never have talked about personal matters or family with
Zheng, who is his client.
 Real Life Example
Please do stay for a while. Your coffee won’t take long; I will just order it
now.

No, thank you. Maybe some other

time.
› Although asking someone to spend time with you or to stay for a while
longer may be acceptable in a personal environment and amongst friends, it
is a strict ‘no-no’ in a business environment.
› If someone wants to leave after the work is done, you should never insist on
their staying for a while longer.
› Kevin should have remembered that Zheng was his client and had come to
the meeting for a purpose and not for idle chit-chat.
› Once that purpose had been fulfilled and if Zheng wanted to leave, Kevin
should have gracefully accepted his request and bid him goodbye.
Real Life Example

Please email me your

catalogue as well.

Sure, I will do that.

Ok, I will take your leave then.

‘Take Care!’

› Saying ‘Take Care!’ while saying goodbye is fine in an informal

environment.
› However, it is highly unacceptable in a business environment as per the rules
of Corporate Etiquette.
› You can use the term ‘Take Care’ while bidding goodbye to your colleagues
who may also have become your close friends, however, you should never
use such informal way of greeting or seeing off in a formal and business
environment.
› A meeting with the client is a highly formal affair and should be kept so.
Kevin should have said something like, ‘It was nice meeting you. Goodbye’.
› You should always bear in mind that ‘Corporate Etiquette’ is not just about
the way you dress or the way you eat with forks and knives.
› ‘Corporate Etiquette’ encompasses a vast foray of areas such as the way you
conduct yourself, speak, be polite, dress, eat, present yourself in front of
others, write emails, place requests, have telephonic conversations, conduct
meetings etc. in a formal business environment.