The Protocol School of Washington(R) Sponsors 2nd Annual 'National Business
Etiquette Week' 6/1 - 6/7/08 With Tips for Recession-Proofing Your Job
Survey Shows Business Etiquette Skills Dramatically Reduce Day-to-Day Faux Pas
NEW YORK, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Protocol School of Washington(R)
(PSOW), celebrating 20 years as the global leader in business etiquette
training, is sponsoring the 2nd annual National Business Etiquette Week, June
1 - 7, 2008, with tips for recession-proofing your job whether you're an
intern or senior level VP with a corner office. In response to what PSOW
Director Pamela Eyring says is a 'backlash to the informal work environment of
the past decade' more and more employers are seeking etiquette training for
employees. From learning the basics such as the proper web-to-web handshake
to how to host a business meal, employers are becoming increasingly concerned
with how their employees represent their business. "We know this because
enrollment is up 25%-50%. On the employee side, our recent survey found that
over 87% of graduates report making fewer mistakes after training, so we know
the process works," says Eyring.
Attribute the trend to a competitive work environment because of the
economy. Or, a backlash to the informal work environment over the past
decade. Either way, the need for business etiquette training among all
industries is on the rise. "Clearly, employers are reinforcing the importance
that 85% of mastering a job is learning the 'soft skills' like dining
etiquette, remembering names, appropriate work attire, appropriate behavior
and e-etiquette," notes Eyring.
Good Etiquette is Good for Business -- Avoid the Pitfalls
According to PSOW, The Most Common Employer Complaints Are:
-- Lack of dining skills. The biggest faux pas is snagging your
neighbor's dinner roll. TIP: The correct place setting is B-M-W: left
to right Bread - Meal - Water.
-- Inappropriate attire. The biggest complaint is 'showing too much
skin.'
-- Lack of e-etiquette. Using PDAs in meetings is overwhelmingly the #1
complaint.
-- Forgetting someone's name. TIP: Remember a name by repeating it three
times (when introduced, once in conversation and when saying goodbye).
-- Insensitivity to religions of other cultures and a lack of
understanding other cultures. TIP: Research other cultures by
visiting: (www.state.gov/countries)
National Business Etiquette Week Tips
-- E-mail is never private (you don't know who has been Blind Carbon
Copied) and lives forever in cyberspace. Never sound angry,
condescending or illiterate
-- During business encounters (including social ones) don't discuss 'hot'
topics like religion, diets, health, or money
-- A dirty or tattered business card is a 'deal breaker'
-- Make eye contact 40%- 60% of the time, looking directly in-between the
eye brows
-- Dress the part by dressing two levels above your position
-- Keep cellphones on vibrate or turn off
Global Biz Etiquette
Major deals are lost every day because of a lack of cultural
understanding. PSOW recalls one client, a huge U.S. aerospace company, was in
Saudi Arabia inking a billion dollar business deal. They didn't do their
homework and sent the wrong level executive to sign the contract. They had to
get a VP on a plane, fly to Saudi Arabia, sign the contract and turn around
and fly back to the States. Conversely, as more internationals become
Americanized, knowing how business is conducted and how one comports oneself
is key. "For the first time in the school's 20-year history, we're booking
classes with not one or two but 11 or 12 internationals who need help learning
the specifics of business etiquette."
PSOW, whose students come from around the globe and work for the Fortune
100, universities, the military and are entrepreneurs who start their own
etiquette consulting business, is sponsoring National Business Etiquette Week
2008 to spotlight and reverse the decline in business etiquette and help
professionals at all levels behave with more civility and professionalism.
This year the school is celebrating 20 years of training and certification
with a three-day Leading the Change in 2008 Conference (info@psow.com). The
conference features such high-profile speakers as Alice Hecht, Chief of
Protocol for the United Nations.
Since 1988, PSOW has been the global leader in business etiquette with
over 2,100 graduates from 42 countries including employees from Motorola,
Boeing, NASA, The FBI, The House of Representatives, Duke University, Dell,
NORAD, Bank of America, Bank of Ghana, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Visit www.psow.com to take the Business Etiquette IQ test, and request the
How to Dine Like a Diplomat flyer, complete with a dining place-setting map.
The Protocol School of Washington
Post Office Box 676
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Toll-Free 877-766-3757 www.psow.com E-mail: info@psow.com
SOURCE The Protocol School of Washington
Cole Communications for PSOW, +1-212-995-1415
