Rules of business etiquette: how not to lose face

Human interaction cannot take place without verbal communication. Currently, business communication, which includes all communications between people in the professional sphere, is becoming increasingly important. There are some principles for this type of communication between people, and the ethics of business communication are formed precisely from these rules. In order for work relationships to develop easily, it is important to know the norms of communication in the work team.

Types of business communication

In a professional environment, there are several types of communication:

• business meeting;
• business correspondence;
• meeting;
• discussion;
• business meeting;
• public speaking;
• business conversation.

All these types of communication are completely different in purpose and form, but in each of them it is equally important to observe etiquette. These principles are not very different for each type of communication.

The benefits of knowing the rules of behavior

Modern etiquette is far from the etiquette that was accepted in past centuries. Young people allow themselves to come to a meeting in jeans and a T-shirt, use emoticons in online communication, and pat their interlocutor on the shoulder in a friendly manner. But such behavior is acceptable only in a narrow circle.

If a businessman in this form comes to a meeting with a high-ranking official or a foreign investor who represents the older generation, he risks his reputation.

Knowing the basics of business etiquette, you can make a good impression on colleagues and partners from the first minutes of communication, as well as show other people examples of correct behavior.

Why do we need ethics in professional communication?

Ethics of business communication are the unspoken principles of communication in a team between employees united by common professional goals. It is important to adhere to ethical standards to ensure that information is shared in an orderly manner. In practice, their use is important for several reasons.

First, employees, through compliance with business communication standards, better understand what their goals are or what they must do to achieve those goals.

Secondly, the ethics of business communication helps to create a working atmosphere in a team, where most of the time is spent on production rather than personal communication.

Competent business communication in a team helps employees feel comfortable morally when performing work tasks, and this largely affects labor productivity.

Principles of Business Ethics

Among the basic principles of such a sphere of communication as ethics of business communication, the following can be distinguished:

• there should be no hostile attitude towards colleagues, clients, management or juniors;
• all resources between employees must be distributed fairly;
• progressive maximum rule - the development of the ethical side of an organization’s behavior depends on the behavior of employees;
• employees must be loyal to the traditions of the organization;
• in the professional sphere, both individual and collective actions are equally recognized;
• when solving work issues, you can be guided by personal experience, but justifiably;
• no violent measures should be used against employees;
• one employee cannot restrict the freedom of another;
• conflict-free behavior is important for any work team;
• you need to not only follow the rules of ethics yourself, but also motivate others to do so;
• you should not criticize any competitors;
• ethical standards of business communication in a company cannot be introduced by issuing an order. Business communication should become a tradition;
• It is important for management to trust employees in order to increase their sense of responsibility.

Other ethical requirements depend on what exactly the organization does.

Ethics of horizontal business communication

Often rivalry arises between colleagues, so it is not always possible to immediately build the correct model of behavior with colleagues. The principles of business communication with colleagues are as follows:

1. it is better not to try to show yourself from a more advantageous side than it really is, as sooner or later this will become obvious;
2. the responsibilities and rights of everyone must be clearly defined; it is advisable that they do not overlap between different people;
3. Colleagues should be viewed as individuals, not as people helping to achieve their own goals;
4. It is better not to be interested in the personal experiences of colleagues or their affairs at work.

Rules for organizing the workplace

People in creative professions often justify the mess in their office and desk by the specifics of their work. However, a tidy desk improves productivity and organizes thoughts, and also makes a good impression on others.

The workplace is organized correctly, if there are no papers scattered on the table, there is no dust, a large number of family photographs, souvenirs and other personal items. Papers and folders are neatly folded and strictly placed on the table.

The ethics of vertical business communication "from the bottom up"

Compliance with ethical rules largely determines what kind of relationship the subordinate will have with the manager. The ethical standards of business communication that are important when communicating with an employer are as follows:

• If a manager assigns responsibilities to an employee, it is better for the latter to ask about his rights too. Without a certain degree of freedom, it can be difficult to implement orders;
• it is better not to address all minor problems to managers when there are other persons who can resolve these issues;
• your opinion should be expressed accurately, but not limited to short answers. Every leader will listen to a succinct, reasoned thought;
• You should not fawn overly in front of higher-ranking employees. This is always clearly noticeable and you can get the leader to be known as a flatterer or an irritant;
• by your behavior you need to show yourself not as soft, but as a principled and firm person to whom you can give serious assignments, otherwise management will not have trust.

Table etiquette

1. The conversation should be based on discussing calm topics. You can talk about topics that increase your appetite. But do not discuss the cost of food and drinks.
2. Whispering in the ear is unacceptable, but you can talk both with your partner and with your closest neighbors, but without interfering with your food intake.
3. You should not touch your interlocutor in order to attract attention.
4. If you want to sneeze, you should do it quietly and immediately apologize. If someone else sneezed, you need to leave this incident without attention.
5. Would you like to make a toast? Use the pause between meals for this. Don't try to speak long and impressively. In this case, before the speech begins, you can offer to fill the glasses.
6. If someone else is giving a table speech, you should be silent at this time.

Of course, the rules of business etiquette are quite numerous. But once you have mastered them, you will be able to acquire the image of a tactful and well-mannered person, which is important for any businessman.

Related articles:

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• presentable appearance
• work ethics
• office etiquette
• modern business etiquette

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Business Etiquette

The Ethics of Vertical Business Communication "Top-Down"

The way people with high positions treat their subordinates largely determines relationships in the team. In a professional environment, management provides the standard of communication ethics to employees.

In order for communication to be productive, managers should adhere to the following principles:

• encourage the team, even if success was achieved through the efforts of management;
• criticize not the person himself, but his professional actions;
• reprimand an employee for improper performance of even minor duties (otherwise the person may feel impunity);
• do not give personal advice to employees that is not related to work;
• Show employees that management holds the power;
• praise an employee for a job well done not only financially, but also morally, so that he feels competent and important;
• Employees must be rewarded fairly - the size of the bonus should depend on the employee’s professional merits;
• protect your employees from outsiders.

It also matters in what situation and with whom the leader communicates. The style of communication can change - it depends on many details: for example, whether you have to talk to a conscientious employee or how long the person has worked in the company.

Ethics as a personality quality

A person can be ethical from the very beginning. For many, this quality is innate. Others have to learn to build relationships with others. In this case, ethics is called professional or acquired. When hiring a new employee, companies often ask him to undergo several psychological tests. Based on the results, they determine what kind of ethics he has. It is important, as is experience and professionalism.

A person for whom compliance with the rules of business etiquette is not particularly difficult has many important qualities:

• conscience, responsibility;
• willpower, self-control;
• honesty in thoughts and actions;
• friendliness, ability to make contact, collectivism;
• self-control, resistance to stressful situations, the ability to control feelings and emotional impulses;
• integrity, sequence of actions, combination of words and actions;
• hard work, interest in the company's activities;
• seriousness, stability;
• humanity, tolerance;
• optimism, self-confidence;
• positive thinking.

It turns out that an ethical person is a godsend for the company. Moreover, he can occupy any position, be it a manager or an ordinary employee. In both cases, the business will be successful.

Ethics of written business communication

Nowadays, it is increasingly necessary to conduct business communication through email correspondence.

The rules of ethics for business communication in correspondence are as follows:

• attentiveness to the work goals of another employee;
• respect for each other;
• maintaining the security of information without unnecessary dissemination;
• literacy;
• punctuality.

It is quite simple to reflect these rules in practice, but it requires care and time.

How to write a business letter correctly

First, you should fill out the “Subject” field in the email concisely and precisely. This helps the recipient immediately understand from whom and on what issue the letter came. The person will also be able to determine the priority of the message.

Secondly, to make the letter more personal, you need to insert the full name of your business opponent. This helps to immediately instill trust and goodwill in him.

Thirdly, you should accurately fill out the “To”, “Cc” and “Bcc” fields of the letter. If the name of a specific employee is in the first field, then he must respond to the letter (or, if there are several of them, then everyone who is listed there). It is better for the rest of the people whose addresses are listed in the “Copy” not to participate in the correspondence unless necessary, but simply read it. If you still need to answer, then you should introduce yourself and politely state your point of view, starting with the phrase “I apologize for interfering...”.

The “Blind carbon copy” column is especially dangerous, since the participants in the correspondence do not see the person indicated there, and therefore do not know about his presence. This action is not always legal.

That is why the participants in the conversation should be informed about it in advance or after completing the correspondence. The colleague listed in this field should not directly participate in the correspondence under any circumstances.

Fourth, it is important to respond to a business email as quickly and accurately as possible. This demonstrates not only competence, but also interest in cooperation.

It is believed that it is necessary to respond to a letter according to etiquette within 2-3 hours from the moment of its receipt. If this cannot be done, it is important to immediately inform your business opponent about this. The letter indicates the fact of receipt of the message and the time within which the person plans to respond (for example, a day).

The style of presenting information in a business letter, its volume, and format matter. The principles of ethics for business communication via email are as follows:

• A4 printed sheet – maximum comfortable volume for reading;
• You should not attach the entire correspondence history at the top, as this forces the recipient to scroll the page for a long time. The answer must come from above, and only after that - history;
• correspondence (this also needs to be attached so as not to force the person to look for the previous letter by mail);
• the volume of files attached to the letter should not be too large, otherwise the recipient may have problems downloading;
• to reduce the size of a file (or if there are several of them), it is better to archive it in any popular format; for scans and photographs, you can simply reduce the actual size.

There are no clear rules regarding the style of language in written communication - the main thing is that the speech is understandable to the opponent. Even the use of slang is allowed if it is justified - for example, it speeds up communication or simplifies business communication in a team. It is better to use it when communicating with colleagues within the company. With external clients or other companies, using abbreviations can carry risks.

Ethics of professional telephone communication

During a telephone conversation, you need to adhere to almost the same rules that are provided for live communication.

The opponent must be addressed correctly; before presenting the work question, you should introduce yourself, name your position, say the name of the company and your department. You need to ask a stranger for their full name.

You need to present your ideas briefly, and if the conversation has to be abruptly interrupted, you should apologize and promise to call back later.

The concept of ethics in business communication is necessary for all employees of business companies, as it is a powerful communication tool in a professional environment. It greatly facilitates communication between employees, management and clients, making it more productive, understandable and effective.