The Washington Diplomat
Mind Your Manners
Rising Demand for Etiquette Training Spurred
by Growing Global Market
By Heather Nalbone
April, 2005 Issue
Don’t pick your teeth at the dinner table. Don’t
slouch. Make sure your handbag is tucked away next to you in an
unobtrusive place. If you drop your fork, don’t pick it up. Leave it
on the floor and ask the server to bring you another one. When
finished eating, fold your napkin loosely and place it on the left
side of your plate. The phrases would appear to be
part of a manners course for school-age children. In fact, they’re
part of an “Eti-Quiz” that’s intended for corporate executives to
test their knowledge on the dos and don’ts of business etiquette.
In the diplomatic community, where every word and action can count,
protocol is key. Neglecting cultural codes of conduct could be the
difference between a successful business encounter and a damaging
blunder. Asking what a person does as a conversation starter, for
instance, or launching head-on into a business meeting without some
small talk first could be a landmine in some countries.
Learning proper business etiquette in one’s native country can be
tough enough, so when cultures mix and mingle, the task becomes even
more complicated. President Bush learned this in February when he
failed to remove his gloves before shaking the hands of Slovakian
dignitaries—a major no-no in the country that was aired live and
became an international news story for days. In many
countries, teaching good manners has been a part of Foreign Service
training for years. That training is now stretching into the general
business and corporate sector. This is especially true in the United
States, where awareness of the need for manners and intercultural
understanding began to skyrocket following a growth of anti-American
sentiment since the Iraq war. For instance, business at the Protocol
School of Palm Beach, where the Eti-Quiz comes from, has tripled
since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As a
result, a growing number of corporations and governments are
stepping up expenditures for courses and training programs that
promise to educate on cultural sensitivities. Etiquette courses
offered by the Lett Group, a leader in the business, cost upward of
$425 per person for full-day courses. The rising
demand for such training has been spurred largely by an evolving
global marketplace, not to mention advancements in technology that
have created an onslaught of new mannerisms that would have been
foreign to all nations during the Emily Post era. One of the newest,
most universal instigators of bad manners was first addressed in
2002 when Sprint PCS collaborated with Palm Beach Protocol School’s
founder Jacqueline Whitmore to introduce the first annual Cell Phone
Courtesy Month. “You always hear horror stories about
the problems cell phones cause,” Whitmore said in a statement. “But
phones don’t cause problems. People do. There’s an appropriate time
and place to use wireless phones.” Working with
Whitmore, Sprint put out some of the world’s first guidelines on
polite wireless use. Among them was the suggestion that cell phone
users should avoid displaying anger during a public call, speaking
in a tone that’s louder than normal conversational volume, and
taking calls during meetings or in restaurants and other busy
places. The confusion surrounding proper cell phone
usage is a conundrum faced by all nations, but rude behavior of this
kind is a lesser evil when compared to the more egregious,
region-specific violations of cultural sensitivity that can occur
(see sidebar). “The more you get to know an
individual or a specific culture, the more you can come to
appreciate the dance that takes place between two parties,” said
Shelby Scarbrough, president of Practical Protocol, LLC.
“Do you endanger a relationship if you shake hands with a
subordinate in a company or delegation before the senior member?
Sometimes. Do you run the risk of offending a prospective business
partner if you ask about their wife? What if you don’t ask about
their wife? Is that considered rude? Sometimes. This is what makes
the world of intercultural relationships so fascinating.”
Being successful in another culture, Scarbrough said, requires doing
some homework on a country’s specific practices before a scheduled
encounter takes place. However, there are some standard rules of
etiquette that apply in many regions throughout the world.
Handshakes or bows in the business world are big, as are written
thank-you notes after a meeting takes place. “The
most important part is caring about the other person,” Scarbrough
said. “That’s really what it all comes down to. A lot of foibles can
be forgiven if it seems you really just didn’t know what to do.”
Heather Nalbone is a contributing writer for The Washington
Diplomat. Social To-Dos and Taboos
When it comes to business etiquette in the diplomatic community,
pitfalls are everywhere. What’s acceptable in one country may be
considered rude in another, and being unaware of a culture’s norms
can be the most egregious faux pas. Here are some of the big ones
according to “Business Etiquette for Dummies” by Sue Fox: The “OK”
sign (common in the United States) is considered offensive in many
Latin American countries, as is putting one’s feet on the table.
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Putting your hands on your hips signals a
challenge in Argentina. In India, it is considered rude.
-
In Mexico, putting your hands in your pockets is
considered impolite.
-
Eating with your left hand in Muslim countries
is symbolically dirty. In France, Germany and Austria, having
one’s hands below the table while dining is considered impolite.
-
Punctuality is prized in Turkey and Israel,
where being late is a sign of disrespect. In other Mediterranean
countries, meetings tend to begin late.
-
In Muslim countries, inquiring about a host’s
wife or daughter is rude. In India, where familial relationships
are highly valued, conversations about family members are
welcomed.
-
It is rude to refuse dinner invitations when
conducting business in many European countries. It is even more
insulting to refuse culinary items presented for the meal.
-
In the Netherlands, France and Belgium, offering
wine to the host as a gift insinuates that the host’s cellar is
lacking.
-
Unless initiated by the host, it is rude to talk
business over lunch in the Czech Republic, Italy and Greece.
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Asking what a person does for a living as a
conversation starter can be a serious mistake in Europe.
-
In Greece, showing one’s palms is considered
offensive.
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Displaying the soles of one’s feet or shoes is
discourteous in Turkey and Arabic countries, as is openly
disagreeing with someone.
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