‘Manners Maketh a Man’ says an old saying, which is so true at any given point of time. We frown upon people who are ill mannered; be it children who throw unnecessary tantrums or an adult who is rude in their behavior with others. Good manners or etiquette is essential in every walk of life especially in the corporate world. A successful business is based on good relationships with the people you work with; be it your co-workers, your clients or other important business partners. Good business etiquette blended with intelligence and productivity can help an individual rise up the corporate ladder.

The first thing that is essential in good business etiquette is the manner in which you communicate with people. Everybody likes a person who is respectful while speaking to them. Being around an ill-mannered person who disrespects people and talks rudely not only affects the culture of the company but also the productivity. Being polite goes a long way in building strong relationships with others and business is all about building long standing relationships especially with clients as today’s world is truly an interconnected reality. Just by making use of common courtesies such as ‘thank you’ and ‘please’etc. while interacting with others will make the person feel respected and valued. You have to be polite with people not only when they meet you face to face but also when you are writing and sending emails to them. In fact whilst communicating through email we need to doubly sure of our etiquette as being a passive communication medium, intent is not communicated and a simple issue such as lack of courtesy and etiquette can becomea game spoiler.

Indulging in office gossip although tempting is best not to be done ever. Talking about someone behind their back shows lack of character and people perceive such person as not worthy of their trust. It is best to avoid gossip in any form by just walking away from such type of conversation stating that you have work to do or just plain ignore the conversation which is happening. Gossiping may appear to be harmless but it is far from the truth and you will never know when the conversation which seemed normal and harmless turns to bite you from behind.

Business etiquette doesn’t mean to be good mannered verbally only, it is a culmination of both verbal and non-verbal etiquettes. Respecting another person’s time is one of the strongest non-verbal ways to demonstrate good etiquette. Keeping your side of the bargain is also essential in demonstrating good professional behavior. Non-verbal etiquette also comprises of the appearance of the person and a well-groomed personality is half the battle won. Similarly an unkempt appearance reflects negative notion about the organization you work for.

Although there is no written rule as to how to conduct oneself in a business environment but just following some of the basic things which were taught to us whilst growing up helps. The Golden Rule in remembering these manners are to treat the people in the same way you want them to treat you and everyone likes to be well treated with respect.