Etiquette requirements for men's business attire I. Only long-sleeved shirts are used under jackets and suits, even in summer. (Short-sleeve shirts are allowed only for service personnel - without a jacket.) II. T-shirts are required under the shirts.III. Ties from

Publication date: 01/28/2018

Lately, there has been a lot of controversy on the topic - who should let whom and where forward - at the door, into the elevator, when going up and down the stairs. We present an article by our etiquette expert Nadezhda Kharlanova, a teacher at the etiquette school in Tyumen, about the rules that will help you quickly navigate these issues.

"There is no man sitting with a woman standing" - this is one of the beautiful simple rules etiquette for men. And women for hundreds of years have been accustomed to male courtship within the framework of secular etiquette, at least: they help to put on a coat, pull a chair, let them go forward, do not smoke without our permission ...

Where did it come from modern etiquette such respect for a lady? Historically, it was born in the Middle Ages and was part of. The knight is obliged to show courage, honesty, generosity, generosity, hospitality and courtesy. He had to choose a lady for himself in order to worship her, perform feats for her sake and sing of her beauty.

Serving a lady has become the canon of behavior for men for many centuries to come. And this is very good, because every adequate man at least partially corresponds to these norms of nobility, which have not changed over so many centuries. Just like the relationship between women and men in its essence.

A lady is considered higher in status: a man is obliged to be the first to say hello, wait for the lady to extend her hand for a handshake, get up when she enters the room or approaches him, do not start eating at the table until the lady has started eating, etc.

Due to the fact that a woman is physically weaker, a man cares, helps and protects: he gives way in transport, and on the steps of the stairs - the side that with the railing helps to carry burdens, supports and protects.

At the same time, a lady can always delicately thank her partner for his nobility, generosity, at least with a nod of her head. And you can consider when meeting with a man, look great on dates, be sweet and charming, create a pleasant atmosphere, skillfully maintain a conversation.

But before considering modern rules for women, we will focus on very important principles etiquette - situationality and common sense.

This means that the same rules may vary depending on where and on what occasion we communicate. And in order to correctly build a line of behavior, we must immediately determine what kind of etiquette situation we are in: in a secular or business one.

So, a few secular etiquette situations.

How are a man and a woman located on the stairs during the descent and ascent?

When descending the stairs, the man's place is in front, when ascending - a couple of steps behind the lady, in a word, lower. This is necessary in order to always have time to help if she stumbles. In this case, you need to stick to the right side. If a man and a woman walk in opposite directions and collide, the woman has the right to stay on the side with the railing, even if she violates the right-hand traffic rule. According to the rules of etiquette, the side with the railing is for the elderly and children.

On the street….

In almost any situation where people go one after another (both outdoors and indoors), the man lets the woman go first. He can go ahead only in those cases when his help is needed - for example, getting out of the transport and giving a hand, making his way through the crowd, overcoming an obstacle, entering the "danger zone". According to the status of a big and strong defender, a man is the first to go to all “danger zones”.

A man, accompanying a lady, usually walks from the outer, more dangerous side of the sidewalk. In addition, the custom has survived to this day to go to the left of the lady - since a hundred years ago, many men wore a sword on their left side. For the same reason, wanting to walk arm in arm with a lady, a man offers her his right hand.

Having met a woman in a narrow passage or at the door, a man must give way. He takes a step to the side (usually to the right) and lets her pass, turning to face her.

Elevator - who gets in first?

If we consider the elevator as a "danger zone", then the duty of a man is to enter first and make sure that everything is safe and there is no danger. If these are some special large and beautiful elevators, possibly with the use of personnel, then the lady can enter quite calmly, because everything is checked. So, the man enters first but not everyone knows about it. In the case when a man lets a woman through, having different information about the rules, wanting to show respect, the woman thanks and boldly enters the elevator. If several people have gathered waiting for the elevator, those who are closer to the door enter first, trying to get into the elevator in accordance with the number of floors.

About doors...

It is often believed that a man should let a lady through the door. But here, too, there are nuances. How to do it correctly and elegantly, and what is the woman's reaction?

The most important thing to consider here is the situational factor. Behave naturally and use common sense!

A man should enter first if he does not know if there is some kind of “danger zone” inside: it is possible that it is dark there and it will be necessary to turn on the light, or there is another heavy door on the way. If a man knows in advance that it is clean, bright and joyful, then he can open the door and let the lady go ahead.

When entering and leaving the door, a woman and a man interact almost like in a dance:

• If you come to the door first, then open the door and hold it for the lady.
• If you approach the door at the same time as your lady, or when she comes up first, then it makes sense for her to step to the side so that the satellite can open it freely without hitting anything.
• If the woman opened the door herself, hold the door open.
• If there are double doors with a vestibule on the way, then first it is better to open the first door, let the lady enter the vestibule to the second door, then go in after the companion yourself. If the woman has stopped in the vestibule and is waiting for you, go to the second door and do the same.
• If the door opens away from you, and you know about it, then think in advance about the trajectory of your joint movement and try to go through the door first.
• If it so happened that the lady was at the door first and pushed it, then move a little to the side on which the door hinges, carefully stretch your hand over the woman’s head to hold the door and let the lady enter.
• If someone is walking behind you, then when you go through the door after the woman, hold the door so that the person walking behind you has time to put out his hand and hold the door for himself. But this is provided that the person goes right behind you. If he is a few steps away from you, then there is no need to hold the door.
• In a situation with a revolving automatic door, it makes sense to reach out to slow down the rotation and let the woman pass quietly. In the usual automatic door, just skip the lady forward and then go through yourself.

The restaurant…

It is considered good form if the man who invited comes a little earlier. If a man is late, he must call and warn the head waiter. A woman enters a restaurant alone and introduces herself as her guest. If the lady and the gentleman met before entering the restaurant, the man lets the woman go ahead.

Taking off outerwear in the wardrobe, a man first helps his companion to undress. It is customary to dress in the same order, first the man gives the coat to the lady. A mirror in the wardrobe hangs in order to fix your hair, check your appearance in general. To tint lips and correct the outfit should be in the toilet room.

A man enters the restaurant hall first, followed by a woman. A man takes the first attention to himself. When a man and a woman go to their place, the man goes first, and the lady follows him. If you are escorted by the head waiter, he goes first, then the lady, then the man. On the way to the table, the man precedes the woman and helps her to sit down if the waiter does not.

A woman has the right to take the best place. The most honorable and comfortable are the places with their backs to the wall, facing the window or the entrance to the hall.

The man sits to the left of the lady or opposite her, if the table is only for two.

I hope that this article has brought enough specifics to the question - who lets whom and where when entering and leaving the premises. And you will no longer have confusion in any such situation.

And if you have any questions, you can ask them

Article author: etiquette expert Nadezhda Kharlanova. School of etiquette in Tyumen
website: www.etiket72.com, VKontakte: vk.com/etikettyumen, E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +7 963 058 36 58
Reprinting of article materials without a link to the site is prohibited!

If you think that business etiquette is just the rules of behavior in the office, then you are deeply mistaken. The rules of business etiquette are relevant today more than ever, this applies to already experienced "business sharks" and those who are at the beginning of their careers and take their first steps in this "mine" field. Probably, many of you can give an example of large unsuccessful or failed deals, the outcome of which was a foregone conclusion at the preparation stage due to the unprofessional actions of negligent employees. In every company, legends are told about such cases, passing from mouth to mouth in order to warn others from similar mistakes. In order not to become the heroine of such office "horror stories", let's get acquainted with the main points of business communication etiquette. We hope that our advice will help you avoid missteps and be at your best in any situation (and if representatives of the male business community also take them into service, we will only be happy!).

Careful preparation for the event is half the success

Tuning in the right way from the first seconds of communication

To begin with, we note that it is unacceptable to be late for meetings, planning meetings and meetings. It is necessary to prepare for such events in advance, having thoroughly thought out the plan for holding. Coordinate your ideas with colleagues participating in the event, and, if necessary, with the boss. Remember that the success of the entire transaction depends on how successful the business negotiations are. Think over your appearance, find out more information about the company, whose representatives will sit down with you at the negotiating table. Make a rough plan of the meeting, outline the main issues for discussion.

And here are the basic rules that are customary to observe at the very beginning of the reception.

1. Acquaintance of delegations, as a rule, begins with the introduction of the head of the party that receives guests. Then the arrived leader calls himself, after which the parties can introduce the rest of the participants to each other, while the junior employees are introduced to the senior ones.
2. After the greeting, you can shake hands (usually with the right hand). There are a few unspoken rules for shaking hands that you should try to follow:

• stretch your hand first if you think it's acceptable, it's not forbidden by etiquette;
• the elder gives a hand before the younger;
• if you were given a hand, shake it, even if it is not very pleasant for you, otherwise it can be assessed as a sign
• disrespect. Needless to say, such a gesture will definitely not add to the chances of success in business negotiations.

3. If you are exchanging business cards, make sure that there are enough of them in advance, as well as that all data is clearly and understandably indicated. The exchange of business cards requires compliance with certain rules:

• junior meeting participants give business cards to seniors;
• men give business cards to women first;
• it is considered unacceptable to use a business card on which any data has been corrected or crossed out.

The first person to give a hand is the one who is older in age.

Rules of conduct during official negotiations

1. When addressing negotiating partners, be sure to call them by name and patronymic, the same rule applies to your colleagues who are present at the meeting with you. Even if you have a friendly address for “you” in your office, you should communicate formally in business negotiations.

2. When discussing the proposals or developments of other employees, try to call them by their first and patronymic names, since the use of pronouns in the third person “she” and “he” is not accepted in business communication.

3. During the conversation, let your interlocutor express his thought completely, without interrupting or inserting his own clarifications.

4. Be sure to watch your emotions. Business negotiations are not the occasion to show your feelings. Remember how professional poker players, in order not to reveal their intentions, play with a deadpan face, for which there is even a term “poker face”. Real "sharks" of business, concluding big deals and signing contracts with a large number of zeros, have long adopted such a facial expression - there is no need for the counterparty to know about your mood and possible experiences.

5. If possible, do not speak in raised tones, let your conversation go smoothly and calmly. However, excessively quiet, “conspiratorial” tone of conversation should also be avoided so that others do not get the impression that you and your interlocutor are up to something.

In negotiations, you should refer to colleagues and other participants exclusively in you

Generally accepted rules of business correspondence

A few years ago, communication, especially business communication, on the Internet was not as developed as it is today. Well, the progress of the achievements of science and technology is bearing fruit, and this is simply wonderful - the delivery time of mail to the addressee is reduced by tens, or even hundreds of times, it takes a matter of minutes to correspond and send important papers. And even though electronic communication does not have dozens of years in its history compared to traditional by mail, for it already has its own rules of etiquette.

• E-mails have a "Subject" line, in which it is customary to briefly state the content of your message.
• Mandatory is a greeting - at the beginning of the letter, and farewell - after the end of the text.
• If the letter you are sending is official, lines of different colors, various emoticons and signs of expressing your emotions like brackets and dashes will be inappropriate in it.
• Remember that the recipient will read your letter from the screen, so for convenience it is better to break it into paragraphs, so it will be easier for visual perception. The basic rules of regular writing - indenting the first line, maintaining capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, and others - should be preserved in an email.
• It is business email etiquette to save the text of the email you are replying to.
• When signing the letter, do not forget to indicate, in addition to the name and surname, your position and contact phone number.
• It is customary to write a response to an e-mail no longer than two days. If you reply later, be sure to apologize and explain your silence. Remember that if you do not answer within a week, then the addressee may take this as a refusal to continue communication.
• Today, applications such as ICQ and Skype are widely used for business communication. If you also allow their use, you can provide a link to your data at the end of the letter.

Communication via the Internet requires compliance with a number of rules

Correspondence on paper

Traditional letters have not yet been canceled, and they are still used for work correspondence. Here are the basic rules for such an exchange of documents:

• use your organization's letterhead only when absolutely necessary;
• at the beginning of the letter, do not forget about the greeting, after the text - about the farewell (in official document it may not be, a short “Respectfully yours” will suffice). The name, surname, position and telephone number of the person responsible for compiling and sending the letter are required;
• if the letter is written on letterhead, then you can not put the seal of your organization on it. In other cases, the seal is placed if there is a signature of the head (or a person entitled to sign documents);
• at the top of the letter, the name, surname and position of the addressee are mandatory.

More detailed rules business correspondence are observed by clerks and secretaries, to whom you should give your letter. Having studied its content, such a specialist will indicate the subject of the letter, as well as assign it a unique outgoing number.

For a formal letter, use letterhead

Subtleties of communication with business partners by phone

For telephone business negotiations, as well as for ordinary telephone communication, there are generally accepted rules.

1. Remember that on the other end of the wire you are not seen, but only heard. Speak clearly, loudly and clearly. Leave aside emotions and possible fatigue, speak kindly and affably.
2. The caller should not wait too long. Three rings is the maximum that can be heard before you pick up the phone. If you yourself call someone, do not rush to hang up until you hear four or five beeps.
3. Start a conversation with a greeting, then ask if your interlocutor is ready to communicate and if he can devote enough time to you. If you are busy, you can ask to schedule a time to call back.
4. If you call, then you will have to end the conversation. Try not to wait until your interlocutor interrupts communication, speak briefly and to the point.
5. In the event that the secretary picks up the phone, you will have to explain to whom you are calling and for what reason. Be prepared for this by giving the position, first and last name of the specialist you need, as well as briefly describing the subject of your call.
6. Try to exclude from your practice calls to work phones "on personal matters." Use work breaks or mobile numbers for this.
7. If you promised to call back, be sure to do so. Write down in a business notebook about this call, and your partners will certainly consider you a responsible and obligatory person.
8. During telephone conversation it is considered unacceptable to chew, talk with other employees of your office, interrupt your interlocutor.
9. If telephone communications leaves much to be desired, noise and interference interfere with your conversation, invite the interlocutor to continue negotiations later. And don't forget to call back!

The person who called should start the conversation

Rules of conduct during a formal dinner

Indeed, what else is so well suited for Russian businessmen who are used to solving the most significant issues "without ties" as business lunches? A relaxed atmosphere that allows you to tune the interlocutor to the wave you need, tasty, conducive to good mood food - and now the long-awaited agreement is concluded.

However, today it is not enough just to feed a business partner tasty, it is also important not to forget about the rules of business etiquette at the restaurant table.

So, you have decided to invite your future partner to a business lunch. What is important to know when preparing for such a meeting?

• Want to show your interlocutor more respect? Find a restaurant for lunch as close to his office as possible.
• When ordering a table, try to find out more about your partner's tastes and preferences - what kind of cuisine he prefers, what drinks and what dishes. Failed to get the information you need? In this case, it is better to opt for a traditional restaurant with a variety of dishes suitable for every taste.
• Come to the restaurant before the interlocutor - this will once again show respect for him.
• Do not order foods with unfamiliar names, or those that are inconvenient to eat, such as lobster or snails.
• An office can also be used for a business lunch, but in this case it must have an appropriate room, for example, a meeting room. Be sure to order a special service staff, it is unacceptable to use secretaries or other employees for this.

To please a business partner, invite him to a restaurant located near his office

A business lunch does not exempt you from the generally accepted rules of good manners at the table:

• hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right;
• if there is a pause during lunch, you can put the knife and fork on a plate, crossing over each other. If you fold them in parallel, then for the waiter this may mean the end of dinner;
• it is customary to put a cloth napkin on your knees, and get your lips wet with paper after eating;
• if you are going to use a toothpick, then you should not do this at the table.

Of course, lunch is an informal meeting, but one should not forget about its main goal - reaching an agreement, signing a contract, closing a deal. Therefore, when talking on abstract topics and using jokes, try not to deviate from the main thread of the conversation. And, of course, observe tact and correctness in everything, not allowing personalities, and not allowing personalities.

Yes, all the subtleties of business etiquette cannot be described in one article, just as it is impossible to give exhaustive instructions on the behavior of an employee in the office in a few lines. However, in the hands of each person is his own career, and in order to get its worthy development, you must constantly learn, improve and strive to comprehend the intricacies of business etiquette.

In negotiations, you are the face of the company!

In negotiations, you are the face of your company, and how you can conduct them depends not only on the successful completion of the transaction. How profitable you can present your office in the eyes of partners can be an important step in moving up the winding career ladder, you just need to learn to feel like part of a team and be ready to solve a common cause. Good luck!