Published July 2001

Put your best foot
(and hand) forward
Knowing etiquette is crucial in ‘competitive business arena,’ protocol expert says

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

Think back to the last business meeting you attended.

Did you slouch in your chair? Did you cross your leg at the knee? Did you ask a senior executive for a business card?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you committed a breach of business etiquette. Hopefully, you weren’t caught — but don’t count on it.

“People notice when you make a mistake. When you’re doing things well, it barely enters one’s mind. When you make a mistake, it’s glaring, and it’s too late,” said Veronica Staats, Director of Etiquette Educators Ltd. of Marysville.

And don’t think that the rules of etiquette are dead, Staats told a group of women at the recent Women on the Move conference sponsored by the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Business etiquette is very important in today’s fiercely competitive business arena,” said Staats, a certified etiquette and protocol consultant with more than 30 years of experience as a trainer.

“If a sales person was visiting a company ... or invited someone to dinner or lunch and made some incredible faux pas, it would not reflect well on them or the company,” Staats said in an interview. “Many business deals have been lost because people did not understand proper etiquette.”

First, it’s important to note the distinction between business etiquette and social etiquette, which, Staats said, are “completely different.”

“Social etiquette is based upon gender and chivalry. Business etiquette is based upon protocol and precedence,” Staats said.

“There are no ladies and gentlemen in business etiquette; there are men and women, and they’re treated the same depending upon their position.”

For example, in a business setting, if a man and woman arrive at the same time, it’s perfectly acceptable for the woman to open the door, Staats said. And the woman shouldn’t expect a man to help seat her, “but she should be gracious and allow him to do so if he offers.”

Knowing the ins-and-outs of business etiquette enables a person to maintain a sense of power and authority, no matter the business setting, said Staats, who holds seminars on everything from professional etiquette in today’s market to dining skills and electronic etiquette.

For instance, if you know the proper way to make introductions at a business function, you’ll present yourself as confident and assured, but “if you fall all over yourself making an introduction, you certainly lose power because you lose control,” she said.

The same holds true with handshakes (always be ready to initiate and receive a handshake at a business-related social event, keeping your right hand free), direct eye contact (which should be maintained 40 percent to 60 percent of the time) and posture (stand tall, with arms at your side, feet 6 to 8 inches apart with the right foot just slightly in front of the left).

“You’re safe at that stance. You aren’t going to topple over,” Staats said, adding that you “do not ever want to lean. The minute you lean, you’ve given away all your power. Don’t lean on the wall. Don’t lean on anything.”

And most importantly, women should “rise to the occasion,” Staats said, whether it’s for an introduction or when someone enters a room.

“If you’re in a business meeting or if you’re at a luncheon and there are men and women present and someone walks in, what do the men do? They stand up,” Staats said. “If a woman remains seated, what has she done? Given away her power.”

To maintain that power, preparation is key, whether it’s for a business meeting or a cocktail party, said Staats, who teaches the wisdom of the “Five P’s”: Prior planning prevents poor performance.

Oh, and if you answered yes to those examples at the beginning of this story, remember: maintain good posture, keep your feet flat on the floor or cross your legs at the ankle, and don’t ever ask a senior executive for a business card during a meeting. It’s understood that junior executives should know how to get in touch with senior executives (and if you don’t, ask his or her secretary for one after the meeting).

For more information on Etiquette Educators, call Staats at 360-659-8878.

Back to the top/Business Women 2001 Main Menu