Experts
offer training to help businesses
avoid unnecessary faux pas
When a candidate for a top position at a local university sent
his salad back to the cook during a job interview lunch, he violated
a rule of business etiquette.
When he sent
it back a second time, to get the dressing just right, he had
already lost the job.
This picky-eater
tale is just one of many horror stories that Carmichael etiquette
expert Shirley Willey has heard over the years.
But for Sacramentans
who don't know that "when you're in a business dining situation,
you're not there to eat" -- there's help, as training in
proper business conduct is on the uptick.
Willey, of
Etiquette & Company, and several other local trainers help
those in the business world succeed by offering tips on everything
from how to behave on the golf course to handling e-mail.
Inger Maher,
career counselor with UC Davis' MBA program -- one of the first
in the nation to offer etiquette training -- said there is a backlash
against the casual dot-com days of yesterday.
"People
have to mind their p's and q's, and you can't dress for interviews
in T-shirts and shorts," Maher said. "The companies
that were doing that aren't in business anymore."
Sue Fox, author
of "Business Etiquette for Dummies," said she's seen
a rise in interest since Sept. 11, when many were jolted into
a sense of civility. Fox said the tragedy raised people's awareness
and interest in acting civilized and graciously.
Fox has taught
Sacramento clients like the California State Association of Counties
and the JSM Group, a Japanese sports marketing company with local
offices.
Now she is
training independent etiquette consultants.
Usually, according
to Fox, the companies that request instruction are well-established
banks, brokerages, law firms and high-tech corporations.
"I have
had some companies ask, 'Could you do a private consultation for
our CFO? He's a big buffoon and he's embarrassing us,' "
Fox said. But most companies call in etiquette consultants for
routine staff training.
American River
Bank does not employ etiquette educators, but CEO Bill Young said
proper behavior is integral to its business. The bank hires with
an eye to etiquette, and its employees spend a good deal of time
on the golf course or at meals with clients.
"In community
banking, there's a lot more one-on-one contact, so that's something
you'd better get a handle on or you're not going to be successful,"
Young said. "If you're not kind and businesslike ... it'll
come back and bite you."
Proper business
decorum can be as simple as showing up on time and as counter-intuitive
as spooning soup away from the body instead of toward it.
Some rules
follow a certain logic. When dining, think left to right. Sit
down from the left side of the chair; get up on the right. Present
a dish on the left; remove it from the right. Pass food -- again,
left to right.
Everyone goofs,
though. Willey even wore a brown shoe with a blue shoe to one
of her own "dress for success" seminars.
Perhaps most
important for many, etiquette is dealing with sticky situations
smoothly. When a job candidate flicks salad dressing on the interviewer's
silk tie, it's time to quickly apologize, try some self-effacing
humor -- and offer to pay the dry cleaning bill.
Sometimes
proper etiquette doesn't follow strict rules, but rather makes
everyone feel comfortable. Willey tells the story of Queen Victoria,
who drank the water in her finger bowl to save a guest embarrassment
for doing the same.
Since 1992,
when UC Davis first invited Willey to run students through a three-course
meal booby-trapped with messy foods, interest in college etiquette
education has surged.
California
State University, Sacramento's Department of Management whips
sloppy students into shape each semester with a series of workshops.
One workshop
focuses on golf etiquette, since the sport is often intertwined
with business.
When invited
to a game of golf, bring a gift, said Professor Craig Kelley,
who teaches the seminar. Wear slacks, and don't swear.
"If you
bring up business at all, it's not until the fourth or fifth hole,"
Kelley said. "It's about building relationships, not closing
a deal."
Judy Eisenhard,
president of the Orangevale-based Pinnacle Bay Resource Group,
started her telephone training in response to a request from the
Sacramento City Unified School District, whose employees were
offending parents over the phone.
Eisenhard
helps businesses and state agencies manage angry callers and delight
the pleasant ones. She starts all of her phone calls with a bright
"good morning" or "good afternoon."
Lower the
voice to avoid sounding stressed and smile, Eisenhard said. Smiling
loosens facial muscles and "can be heard."
