The Rules of Good Business Manners

The underlying principle of good business manners is the thoughtful consideration of the interests and feelings of others. In other words, you must show by what you do and say that you care as much about the person you are dealing with as for yourself.

Showing that you care for the feelings of others in the way that you behave in business can be encapsulated in the word 'IMPACT', which summarises the golden rules:

Integrity is the demonstration by what you do and say that you are an honest, truthful and trustworthy person. A reputation for integrity is slowly gained but quickly lost. It is tested when the individual or his company is provoked or tempted to act less than honestly.

Mannersare the patterns of behaviour that indicate to the person you are dealing with whether you can be relied on to act correctly and fairly when he does business with you. If he thinks that you are boorish, selfish or undisciplined, your relationship is unlikely to prosper. Equally, if you speak or act in a racist or sexist way, or show disloyalty to your company or colleagues, your manners will be seen as unacceptable. Avoiding the negative is only half the story. Good manners involve taking positive action to make the other person feel good about your relationship with him.

Your own Personality is what you can uniquely offer the business you work in. You should aim to ensure that the way you behave gives the best possible opportunity for your qualities to be appreciated. For example, you can be passionate about business but shouldn't be emotional; you can be irreverent but not disloyal; you can be amusing but not flippant and you can be self-confident but not arrogant.

Your Appearance may not be your most valuable asset, but it should never be a liability! Being well-groomed, wearing appropriate clothes, standing and sitting in a good posture and taking care of yourself physically, are all vital elements in making and sustaining a good impression on your business colleagues. We all react, if only subconsciously, to the way people we deal with look. Don't let your appearance let you down!

Considerationfor others is the fundamental principle underlying all good manners in business. Successful negotiators often role play the likely actions of their opposite numbers before meeting them. The objective is simple − to be ready to respond to new situations when they occur.

Tact is the last, but not the least, of the golden rules protecting us from thoughtless words and actions. Everyone in business knows the temptation to react immediately to some provocation and the regret that follows if we act on impulse. Tact is not just about putting unpleasant matters in an acceptable way. It involves careful thought for the interests of others and only then choosing the most acceptable form of expression. The subtext of this golden rule is that when in doubt you should say nothing.