Gates probably didn’t realize it, but a one-hand shake in Korean culture is done only when the other party is a good friend, of the same or younger age. In formal situations, greeting someone in a formal situation with a one-hand shake, with your other hand tucked into your pants pocket, is considered rude and disrespectful. The handshake, along with his open jacket, was way too casual and sparked a firestorm of controversy.
If you’re doing business around the world, you’re likely to make a cultural faux pas. Example: Did you know that in Brazil, your briefcase or bag should never be placed on the ground? When at a business meeting in Brazil, hang your bag on the chair or a hook.
Global business continues to expand—and it’s up to you to do your homework and put your best international foot forward when visiting another country for business. Having an awareness, and sensitivity, to their unique culture is extremely important and can affect the outcome of business communication. One small misstep, such as addressing an individual incorrectly, or not observing the rules of gift giving or timing, can be costly.
Here are some other global business etiquette and customs to consider:
In Great Britain, if someone taps his or her nose, it’s a signal that something is to be kept confidential. So keep a look out for that!
When meeting for business in China, Czech Republic, Bolivia or Japan, be sure to bring along a gift.
Speaking of gift giving, in the Chinese culture, certain gifts are associated with death and should never be given. These include: clocks, handkerchiefs, straw sandals and a stork or a crane.
If you’re dining out in Japan and China, you are not expected to leave a tip. Leaving a tip can be construed as offensive in these countries as it implies that the employee is undervalued by their employer. (Here’s a handy guide for tipping etiquette around the world.)
A few other things to note when traveling abroad: In India, cows are considered sacred, so refrain from ordering beef when attending a business dinner. In Saudi Arabia, it’s considered a popular gesture of friendship between men to hold hands while walking. Also of note, when dining in Islamic countries, it is inappropriate to eat with your left hand. Women visiting or doing business in Iran should always cover their arms, legs and hair.
When it comes to cultural etiquette, the first step in bridging the gap is awareness. Next week we’ll share 10 more global business etiquette tips that will help you navigate business with confidence no matter where you are in the world!
Today’s blog is a guest post provided by Phoebe Yu.
So you’ve mastered the ancient art of chopsticks-fu, and can order your way out of a dimsum cart. But Chinese dining is more than delicious food and fragrant dishes. Eating together is a highly social activity, which is why dishes are always shared and individual portions don’t exist. The round table and round plates and bowls as well, symbolize harmony and union.
Therefore, it’s good to keep a few things in mind when eating out at a Chinese restaurant, to preserve the social harmony of the dining table.
Here are some dos and don’ts of Chinese dining:
Do be polite and always think of others before yourself. This is probably the most important rule of thumb that you can stick to, and it is probably the root of all the other rules of Chinese dining etiquette.
The head of the table sits farthest away from the door or the crowds (in a crowded restaurant).
Do serve others first before yourself. Once the dishes start arriving, don’t put the food in your plate first, but start by serving the others in your table. In typical Chinese dining fashion, the eldest is normally served first. Same goes when pouring the tea.
Don’t hoard. You typically take small portions from the communal dishes so that everyone else has a chance to try the food.
Don’t turn the Lazy Susan while someone else is taking food from the communal dishes, but wait for them to finish. And the Lazy Susan always goes clockwise.
Don’t use your chopsticks to poke and inspect the food in the communal dishes. Instead, just take the piece or the portion you want and transfer it straight to your bowl.
Don’t leave your chopsticks standing vertically on your rice bowl, but use the chopstick rest on your table.
Don’t take the last piece. Instead, offer it to others.
Do cover your mouth with your hand or napkin when using a toothpick, so that other people don’t see the food stuck in your teeth. However, in North America it is considered impolite to use toothpicks at the table to remove lodged food particles. Instead, excuse yourself and use the restroom.
Finally, always fight for the bill and offer to pay. However, the Chinese have a perfected system in place when it comes to bill payment. So although one person pays this time, the other will get the bill for the next time. And they usually remember who paid the last time, so the bill payment is fairly rotated among friends.
It’s important to note though, that you won’t be expected to learn all the rules or subtle nuances of Chinese dining etiquette. As long as you stick to these general tips, your next Chinese dining experience should come as a breeze!
About the author: Phoebe Yu is a Vancouver-based writer. To learn more, visit her at: yuphoebe.blogspot.ca
I recently read an article by Nick Bilton, columnist and lead writer at The New York Times, titled Disruptions: Digital Era Redefining Etiquette. In the article, Bilton writes “Who leaves a voice mail message when you don’t answer, rather than texting you? Don’t these people realize they’re wasting your time?”
I was a little surprised by the sentiment that leaving a voice mail for someone was “a waste of time.” Sending off a quick text makes sense to me if it’s just a short response or quick communication – but to stop leaving voicemails altogether because it’s considered a waste of time? I simply don’t believe that’s true, even (and maybe especially) in a world where, as Bilton states, “…we are drowning in digital communication.” Do we really want to revert to non-verbal communication as a standard way of communicating?
I do agree that the social norms for communication have shifted due to texting and social media, but when you get to the end of your life are you going to say “I’m so glad I sent out 65000 tweets,” or are you going to recall the conversations you had with your mother every Sunday evening?
Is the 60 seconds you save by sending a text message, or a tweet, really more important than really giving time to an individual?
Know Your Audience
As Bilton noted in his article, the way we handle these differing standards is by thinking of your audience. It’s about being flexible in how you communicate with people. Think about who the relationship is with and be flexible. Your mother, for example, probably enjoys hearing your voice, so a voicemail left on her phone is going to make her smile, not annoy her. A busy colleague, on the other hand, is not going to be surprised that you texted him when you were ready to head to a lunch appointment. It’s what he’s expecting.
We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but with that “rule,” there is an assumption that others would like to be treated the way that you want to be treated. An alternative to the Golden Rule is the Platinum Rule: “Treat others the way in they want to be treated.”
When thinking about whether to text someone, tweet someone – or if you’re trying to decide if you should leave a voice message, think about what that particular individual prefers. If their preferred method of communicating is email, then send an email. Texting? Text away! We need to meet people in their model of world, not our own.
“You’ll never know until you try to reach them, how accessible men are. But you must approach each man by the right door”
Google recently announced that they are closing Google Reader on July 1, 2013. For those of you who are subscribed to our blog feed to stay on top of our business etiquette articles, here are a few options for you.
If you read your RSS feeds on different devices, or locations (at home, at work, on your iPad or laptop), stick to a web-based reader, similar to your current Google Reader. The hottest RSS feed reader replacement among users, especially since the Google announcement, appears to be Feedly. The default interface for Feedly is a little different than your Google Reader–more “newspaper-like,” but you do have the option to change the view of all category and feed pages in the settings. Lots of customization available, as well, with this reader.
Not a big fan of RSS readers? Most of our blog subscribers for Etiquette Page have signed up for updates via email. Just enter your email address in the box on the right side of our blog page and a notification will be sent to your inbox when a new blog article is posted on the website.
I think I covered it, for now. I hope you have enjoyed the posts we’ve been sharing these last few years.
We are eager to provide additional value to our readers in the months and years to come that will give you the tools to be more professional and win more business.
Please feel free to send me a note or post comment here on the blog if there is a business etiquette topic you’d like us to cover — or if you would like to share a story or ask an etiquette question. I love hearing from our readers!
According to a recent article posted on Mashable, there are now 1 billion Endorsements on LinkedIn. Sounds impressive, but I’m wondering (and it appears others are, as well), what’s the true value of an Endorsement on LinkedIn nowadays? Can you really trust the validity of these “one-click” endorsements if you’re looking at a LinkedIn user’s professional profile?
The Endorsements feature, which was introduced last September, offers a quick way to recognize your first-degree connections’ skills and expertise. To endorse someone in your network, you simply scroll down to the Skills and Expertise section on the person’s profile and click the name of the skill or click on the + sign next to the skill. That’s all.
After you endorse a person, your photo shows up next to that skill on the person’s profile (which is why I feel so many people have jumped on the bandwagon!) The person you endorsed will also receive an email alerting them that you’ve endorsed them for a particular skill.
As much as I truly appreciate all recommendations from clients and colleagues, I have to wonder if this new feature adds anything to your professional value or diminishes it. How does this fit in with your networking goals?
For example, I have several “thumbs up” endorsements for the skill “Non-profits,” which is not really a skill – so the whole idea just confuses me. And I’ve heard of so many people who say their email box is filling up with endorsements from people they’ve never worked with.
The fact that they have made it so easy to “endorse” a professional connection on LinkedIn is a double-edged sword. Sure, easy seems better – since we’re all so busy – but what about authenticity? As an example, there will be job seekers who will simply have their buddies give them the LinkedIn thumbs up- and there’s no way for an employer or recruiter to know whether the person making the endorsements is qualified to do so. Which, in my opinion, is why the credibility of those endorsements are diminished by this new feature.
Recommendations on LinkedIn, whether given or received, are a way of sharing specific ways you enjoyed working with an individual, the traits they possess that helped you overcome a business problem, or best describes the kind of skills you bring to the table. It’s based on your personal experience with the individual you’re recommending. And it’s typically specific—and authentic—and adds value to your business profile.
LinkedIn is a wonderful place to build your professional network and showcase your skills and expertise, so I’m not quite sure why they would place an “easy” button on the site.
I would love to hear what you think of the new unsolicited “Skill Endorsements.” Do you think they add any value to your professional profile—or do you feel it muddies the waters of the networking site?
International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s. It was in 1908, more than 100 years ago, that 15,000 women took a stand—marching through the streets of New York City, demanding better working conditions and the right to vote.
Every year since that day, on March 8, we celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. A theme is chosen by the United Nations for International Women’s Day, and this year the theme is Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum.
“Over time and distance, the equal rights of women have progressed. We celebrate the achievements of women while remaining vigilant and tenacious for further sustainable change. There is global momentum for championing women’s equality.”
What You Can Do
No matter how successful and skilled we are, there’s still this part of us that seeks confirmation and affirmation that others believe in us–especially from other strong, successful women in our lives.
To celebrate the women in your life, share with them the unique talents and skills they possess that you admire. Take time out of your busy day and acknowledge what you so enjoy about them.
Be specific with your compliments. The best compliments we receive are specific to ourselves. Think about it, which compliment would you rather receive? “Great presentation!” or “Great presentation! You know how to communicate and get your message across so effectively!”
Empower another woman this month (and every month!) While each of us bears the weight of history, we also hold the potential to transform it.
Check out this great video from Kronos and Xplane! The video provides interesting facts and statistics about the changes and developments that have impacted women in the workforce.
One of our most popular posts is the article we wrote on telephone etiquette. In it, I shared a few telephone answering tips to ensure that you’re presenting yourself, and your business, in the most professional manner—at all times.
Good telephone manners go a long way, and one of the things people really struggle with is this scenario:
You’re on a business call and you’re deep into a really great conversation and suddenly you realize you’re talking – but no one is there! In mid-conversation, the call was dropped. Then, here’s the sequence of events that follow:
You hang up and immediately call the person back.
Your call gets automatically directed to the person’s voicemail.
As you’re leaving a message asking for a call back, you hear a beep on your phone – oops, an incoming call.
You hang up, hoping you can catch the call.
Too late, the incoming call goes straight to your voicemail. “Hello George, this is Sam, looks like we lost connection. Give me a call back.”
You dial again–just as Sam has heard your voicemail and is dialing you back.
And you’re back into George’s voicemail box.
Now you both hang up and wait for the call.
At the other end, Sam is also waiting.
Talk about a mess! After a few rounds of this back and forth, the entire conversation has been lost.
Who should call back and who should hold off?
The etiquette for situation where a call is disconnected is simple: Whoever initiated the call is responsible for calling back.
With so many of us using cell phones to communicate in business, remembering this simple tip will save a lot of confusion and wasted time the next time you’re disconnected.
When you lose the trust of your customers, colleagues, employees, or other stakeholders in business, you’ve given up much more than you realize. And you would be surprised at how difficult it takes to rebuild that trust once it’s lost.
I read a statistic that said that once you lose trust, it takes 37 experiences to get back to the point you started with in the relationship. And once you do recover trust with that individual, if you have another misstep—and lose credibility—the process starts all over again.
To rebuild trust, there are a few things you can do:
If you’ve done or said something that resulted in a loss of trust, understanding the reason you violated the individual’s trust in you is the first step to rebuilding the relationship.
Acknowledge your mistake—take responsibility for the action that caused the loss of trust.
Be patient. Your actions, moving forward, will speak louder than words. Know that it’s going to take time for the relationship to get back on solid ground.
Before you make commitments, ensure that you are being realistic with expectations. As much as you want to “WOW” a client, it’s best to under-promise and over-deliver!
My last piece of advice is to cut yourself some slack. Life happens. If you find that you’re constantly in a state of “catch up,” and you’re not meeting commitments, it’s time to build in some “Get Real Time.”
In “Get Real Time,” you add a buffer to your day – extra time to get things done. Schedule time in your day for interruptions and for personal breaks. Be realistic with your time.
To keep the trust of others, start by being respectful to yourself. Know your own limitations. The word “no” is not a dirty word. In the words of Tony Blair “The art of leadership is saying no, it is very easy to say yes.”
Trust affects your influence and success—at every level of business. Without it, you lose your effectiveness—and your competitive edge over others.
David Horsager has spent years studying the connection between success and trust, and outlines 8 key areas that he calls The Pillars of Trust. To gain a competitive edge, take these “Pillars” into account to build a strong foundation of trust.
Your turn! Do you have any advice for us on how to rebuild a broken trust?
If you’re the kind of person who makes New Year’s resolutions, I have a challenge for you this year.
As you go about your day, incorporate these three “manners makeover” habits to set a new standard for interacting with others —whether in business or personal.
Be fully present – In the words of the late inspirational speaker and wordsmith Jim Rohn, “Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of attention.” Seems like a simple request, but it’s tougher than you think. With so many distractions – cell phones, email, etc. – it’s easy to think you can multi-task while on a conference call and still be fully connected to the conversation. Not so.
The next time you’re talking to someone, really stop and listen. Refrain from thinking about what you’re going to say in response. And if you’re out to dinner—and I can’t believe I still see this happening all the time – keep your cell phones turned off! By checking email or texting while in someone’s company, you’re saying, “Hey, it’s great to see you, but right now there is someone more important I need to talk to.”
Compliment others (fill their bucket) – How did you feel after your last interaction with____________? Did that person make you feel more positive or did they leave you feeling a little deflated?
The Gallop organization has created a wonderful metaphor to take us to a new level of personal interaction. Imagine each of us has an invisible “bucket,” and we also have a ladle. When you engage with a person, you have two choices: You can use the ladle to fill his or her bucket, or take from it. The secret is when you fill someone else’s bucket we also fill our own bucket. When we take from someone’s bucket we are also dipping into our own bucket. WE are at our best when our buckets are full.
When interacting with people this year, remember the bucket. Complimenting others is a good way to fill his or her bucket. Remember kindness is contagious.
Leave things better than you found them. The last manners challenge is simple: Leave things better than you found them. We owe it to those that came before us to leave things better than we found it so those that come after us can enjoy the same opportunities or benefits we had.
By incorporating these three tips into your everyday encounters, you’ll create new habits that will leave a lasting impression.
Remember this: If our lives are on autopilot, we are not in control of the destination. Make a conscious decision to be a positive example—leading the way.
I’d love to hear from you as you challenge yourself to keep these three manners resolutions this year. Send me a note or comment on the blog.
And if you’re on Twitter, share your thoughts using hashtag #MannersMakeover.
Happy New Year to all of you! Wishing you much success and happiness in 2013!
It’s office holiday party time again! Here are a few tips to make sure you have fun, without forgetting that it’s a business event.
If you’re attending a social gathering this holiday season, hosted by a business colleague, remember these tips:
Don’t skip the party. If you’re invited to an office party, show up.
Know the dress code. You don’t want to show up in a Christmas sweater and Santa hat if the party is more formal. And this is not the time to start showing off your cleavage! Best advice: Ask your host or hostess about the dress code before you go, and choose an appropriate outfit.
Eat before you go. Have a light snack before you go so that you’re not spending all your time at the snack table. And if you plan on drinking, you’ll have something in your stomach.
Bring a hostess gift. A bottle of wine, or a nice box of chocolates, makes great hostess gifts during the holidays.
Limit your cocktails. Even small quantities of alcohol can loosen your inhibitions and lead to embarrassing moments at an office party. Limit yourself to one or two cocktails for the evening and then switch to a non-alcoholic beverage.
Mingle and enjoy yourself. Everyone who hosts a party wants to be sure that their guests have fun. If an impromptu round of Christmas caroling is initiated, join in the fun!
Put your phone away. An office party is the perfect opportunity to get some face time with your boss or other higher-ups. Leave your phone turned off or on vibrate so you can make the people at the party your priority.
Avoid excessive “work” talk. As tempting as it might be to spend the time chatting about the latest project, use this time to talk about non-work-related topics. And this is definitely not the time or place to gripe about anything or anyone from work.
Keep conversations positive and upbeat. Have a few topics up your sleeve – and avoid politics and religion, as a rule.
Say good-bye. When you leave, be sure to seek out the host / hostess to thank them for the invitation and say good-bye.
Say “thank you.” Skip the email and send a personal, handwritten note within 24 hours of the party.
Above all else, when attending a holiday office party, remember that it’s still work. No matter how festive the party is, protecting your professional reputation comes first. You don’t want to be remembered with the lampshade on your head at the end of the evening.
Bill Gates found himself the topic of conversation last week—and it had nothing to do with technology. Tongues were wagging and heads were shaking in South Korea when Bill Gates greeted President Park Geun-hye with a one-hand shake, while his other hand was in his pocket.
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Today’s blog is a guest post provided by 
