Top 10 Business Etiquette Essentials

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Business Etiquette: Top 10 Rules for Phone Calls

1.     Keep your phone conversation private, step away from others when you must answer a call so as not to disturb or interrupt others.

2.     When leaving a voicemail, speak clearly, slowly, and be brief. Repeat your name and number a second time at the end of your message. This saves the receiver from having to replay your message to verify the number you left.

3.     Keep your phone on silent or vibrate when in the company of others. In most circumstances, the person in front of you should be your preferred focus over an incoming call.

4.     Excuse yourself to take a call only when it is absolutely necessary.

5.     Update your voice mail message to reflect current circumstances. Always include your name in your greeting so callers can confirm they have reached the correct number.

6.     Avoid chewing or drinking while on the phone; the sounds can be amplified to your conversational companion.

7.     Cell phone use should be avoided in restrooms…gross!

8.     Make business calls during business hours. If you are unsure of someone’s hours, use the standard of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM as your guideline.

9.     If a call is dropped, the person who placed the original call should return the dropped call immediately.

10.  During meals, phones should remain off of the table.

©ProfessionalEtiquette Consulting LLC

What is Ruder than Not Responding to a RSVP?

R.S.V.P. stands for "répondez, s'il vous plaît," a French phrase, meaning "please reply." This acronym is commonly found on invitations to any number of formal and informal gatherings. It is a simple request from the host/hostess to aid them in planning the event for the comfort and enjoyment of their guests.

There are a few common variations of this request: ‘RSVP’, ‘Regrets Only’, and ‘Please Reply with Number of Guests’. Usually a date, or deadline, is associated with the need for a response. Additionally, the invitation will tell guests how to respond: email, phone, text, social media, etcetera. Regardless of how a request for a response is worded, it is expected that the recipient will reply on time and in the manner which was requested.

Also keep in mind who the invitation was extended to; in other words, only those specifically addressed on the invitation are invited. The recipient should not assume they can bring a date, friend, or children unless the invite specifically says so!

Do all invitations require a response? Certainly not. However, if you are asked to R.S.V.P., it is common courtesy to let the host/hostess know if you will attend the event or not.

Imagine you are the party or event planner. You need to make arrangements for the proper number of seats, the appropriate amount of food and beverages. These things must be ordered or shopped for in advance. If you are using a caterer, they likely require a final head count a week in advance. If you are preparing the food yourself, it takes time to plan the menu, make a shopping list, purchase all necessary ingredients, prepare the food, and make a seating chart. Therefore, it is important to know how many guests to expect.

Now, imagine it is one week before your event, the R.S.V.P. due date, and you have only heard back from four out of 25 invited guests. What do you do? Prepare food for four guests? Prepare food for 25 guests? Set the table for four? Arrange for seating for 25? Purchase two bottles of wine or a case of wine? Use your china because you own eight place settings? Rent table ware for 25?

As you can see, there are a number of important reasons to respond to an invitation when asked. So, what is ruder than NOT replying? Asking the host/hostess after the RSVP deadline if you can still attend the event is ruder. They have already assumed you are not attending because of your lack of a timely response and have planned accordingly. Now there may be a need to rearrange plans to accommodate extra people.

So, what is ruder than NOT replying or replying late with the expectation you are still welcome? Showing up unexpected is ruder and derails all the planning. The host/hostess must take the attention off of those who were expected (because they replied) to find seating, food, beverages, plates, and glasses for the extra, unexpected guest.

Do not ever assume that one more person doesn’t matter. If five people show up with that attitude, it just may be the host/hostess that have to go without in order to make the unexpected guests feel welcome. Rude behavior will be remembered and the offender’s image and reputation will be affected.

Be polite, graciously accept or decline invitations by the date requested, and in the manner requested.

©Professional Etiquette Consulting LLC

3 Places Your Name Tag Does NOT Belong

The wearing of name tags is a necessary, business etiquette requirement in many situations such as, networking events, seminars, large business meetings, and training workshops. Few people recognize the importance of a properly placed name tag which cause a number of uncomfortable predicaments.

1. Your name tag does not belong on a strap around your neck. Multi-day business conferences are   probably the most likely occasion for this faux pas. I know, the event coordinators believe they are providing relief from the cheap stick-on name tags that fall off and seem to make their way to the floor or someone else’s shoe. Or perhaps attendees are being saved from the pin-on varieties that almost always snag and ruin several outfits.

So what is left? A necklace of questionable quality from which a 5X7, plastic encased card hangs. Perhaps it could serve as a souvenir from the event. I digress. The point is; this type of name tag invariably gets twisted around so that the name is no longer visible to the person standing in front of you – purpose lost! Or, the tag sits directly in the middle of your chest; this is not a preferred location to stare at a woman while trying to read her name. Please mind your manners.

2. A name tag does not belong on your belt or the band of your pants/trousers. It’s just uncomfortable staring at a man’s middle section trying to read his name. This location is also further from your eyes, so if you are already having a hard time seeing the font size, now you need to stare longer. Again, manners should prevail.

3. Finally, a name tag does not belong on your left shoulder. This will cause your eyes to shift back and forth across the body and could be misinterpreted as ‘checking out’ the other person.

Where does your name tag belong? Proper business etiquette says your right side, slightly below your shoulder is the correct location. The reason for this is because everyone, even lefties, shake hands with their right hand. It is a natural flow for eyes to travel from the extended right hand, up to the right shoulder, and continue on to meet the eyes of the other person.

Save yourself from the etiquette misstep of improper name tag placement, locate your name tag on your right side, it’s the right way!

©Professional Etiquette Consulting LLC