New Rules @ Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

216 Pages·2006·1.4 MB·English

by  Barbara Pachter

Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Introduction

PART ONE - The Inside Scoop: Making Connections and
Establishing Rapport
“Hello, Hello, Hello . . .”: The First Step
“You Can Call Me Sam, You Can Call Me Joe . . .”: Introducing Yourself in a
Crowd
“Have You Met What’s-Her-Name?”: Effortless Introductions
Name-Calling Calamities and How to Avoid Them
“Not Too Hard, Not Too Soft—Just Right”: Shaking Hands Correctly
Greetings and Gender: Handshakes Are for Women, Too
The Business of Business Cards
What to Say, When: Selecting Topics for Conversation
Little Things Mean a Lot: Making Small Talk
The New Rules of “Helping Etiquette”
Culture Counts: Establishing Relationships Abroad
Learn the Lingo: Conversations Around the World

PART TWO - Dining, Drinking, and Other “Strictly Business” Social
Occasions
“Let’s Do Lunch”: When You Are the Host
“It’s Not What You Eat . . .”: When You Are the Guest
The “Secret” Language of Restaurant Dining
Slurping Your Soup and Other Dining Don’ts
Closing the Culture Gap: Dining Internationally
“I’ll Get This”: Who Pays?
“Oh, My Gosh!”: Irresponsible Drinking
When in Rome, or Russia, or Romania, Drink Wisely
Make the Most of the Moment: Mingling with Style and Grace
“Is This Really Necessary?”: A Party at Your Boss’s Home
Entertaining at Your Home
Gifts, Glorious Gifts: Where to Draw the Line

PART THREE - A Professional Presence: It’s More Than What You
Do, It’s How You ...
LOOK THE PART: COMMUNICATE YOUR IMAGE—WORDLESSLY -
Your Clothes Talk: What ...
Clothing Means Business: Business and Business Casual
All Business Casual Is Not Alike
Sexy Never Says Corporate
Give Yourself the Great Grooming Edge
Don’t Get Caught with Your Shoes Off !
Your Body Speaks a Thousand Words
Listen Up!
SPEAK THE PART: COMMUNICATE YOUR IMAGE—WITH WORDS - If
You Speak, But Aren’t ...
“I Don’t Know How to Say This”: Finding the Right Words
“It’s Not Funny!”: Inappropriate Humor

PART FOUR - Techno-and Retro-Etiquette: Getting Your Message
Across in a 24/7 World
Before You Press “Send”: Email Embarrassments and Other Faux Pas
Some Things Change, Some Don’t: The Anatomy of an Email
“But It’s Casual” Doesn’t Cut It: Quality Counts
“Just the Fonts, Ma’am”: Check and Double-Check
Brrrring!!!!: To Answer or Not to Answer
“But It’s Playing My Song”: Manners Matter More Than Ever (or At Least As
Much) ...
Say It Succinctly: Effective Voicemail Messages
Your Voicemail Message Says a Lot: Make Sure It Says You’re a Pro
Group Speak: Teleconferencing

PART FIVE - Your Career Is What You Make It: Business Skills to
Take You Up the ...
POLISHING YOUR SKILLS - Use Your Head to Get Ahead
Come Blow Your Horn
Make the Most of Meetings
“Excuse Me!”: Interrupting
“It Won’t Play in Peoria!”: Interfering with Someone’s Job
“Kvetch, Kvetch, Kvetch”: Negativity at Work
Common Courtesy Should be Common Sense
Walking a Tightrope: The Office Romance
“Make Yourself Comfortable”: Making Visitors Feel Wanted
PERFECT PRESENTATIONS - The #1 Fear: Stage Fright
Where to Put Your Hands and Other Secrets of Powerful Presentations
Seeing Is Believing: Visual Aids
MOVING ON - Networking Is Not Just for Computers: Develop and Nurture
Yours
Your Future Is Now: The Job Search
Practice, Practice, Practice: The Job Interview

PART SIX - What to Say When It’s Hard to Say: How to Handle
Difficult Communications
AWKWARD SITUATIONS - “Oops, I Shouldn’t Have Said That!”: Handling
Yourself ...
Don’t Go There!: How Not to Have a Discussion
“Why Didn’t You Tell Me?”: Saving Someone from Embarrassment
What You Don’t Say Also Counts: Providing Feedback
When the Going Gets Rough: Responding Positively to Negative Comments
CONFLICT, CALAMITIES, AND OTHER CATASTROPHES
“Keep It Outside”: An Office Is Not a Boxing Ring
It’s How You Say (or Don’t Say) It That Counts

CONCLUSION
Acknowledgements
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Copyright © 2006 by Barbara Pachter.

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eISBN : 978-0-73520407-2
1. Business etiquette. 2. Business communication. I. Coleman, Ellen Schneid. II. Title.
III. Title: New Rules at work.
HF5389.P3 2006
395.5’2—dc22 2006019258

http://us.penguingroup.com
INTRODUCTION
No Way! Who Would Do That?
Meet Jonathan. He graduated at the top of his class from an Ivy League school
and then got his MBA from a leading business school. Jonathan quickly landed a
high-level dream job as a technology consultant. Things were really going his
way until his first client dinner. When he sat down at the table he put his
chewing gum underneath his plate. Jonathan’s new boss was appalled by his
behavior; the client probably was, too, though he never said anything. The next
day, in his boss’s office, Jonathan was told, “If anything like that happens again,
you’re out of here.”
You may say: “He didn’t mean to do it. He probably didn’t know. Cut him a
break. It was an innocent mistake.”
Or maybe you’re saying, “No one would do that! I would never do that.” And
perhaps you wouldn’t, but are you certain you wouldn’t commit some other
blunder—one with the potential to sideline your career?
People often believe you can slip up here and there and it won’t matter in the
long run. Take it from me: Your behavior, including the bloopers, blunders, and
innocent mistakes matter. They can matter big-time!
I know this is true, not because I read it somewhere, but because I hear it all
the time from those who attend my classes and seminars and those I coach, from
my corporate clients, and from the countless letters and emails I receive from
those who’ve read my books and articles in newspapers and magazines as well
as those who’ve heard me speak.
I’m a business communications trainer and coach. I have been teaching
business etiquette for more than fifteen years. I give approximately one hundred
seminars and coaching sessions a year to a wide range of business professionals
at all rungs on the corporate ladder. They come from a wide variety of
companies—large and small—and from all across the country as well as from
overseas. I’ve also taught in numerous countries including Kuwait, France, and