Business Etiquette- I.

Fill in the correct words. Find an odd word
greet, rules, strict, care, higher, signal, eye, handshakes, nod, polite, smile

When it comes to business etiquette, there are rules that aren’t meant to be
broken. Some of these may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised
by how many times you may have made a mistake without even noticing it.
In recent years, companies large and small have embraced a more laid-back
startup culture. Remote work is getting more and more popular. The less rigid
office environment may have some feeling like business etiquette rules are
antiquated and unnecessary. Don’t throw them in the trash with floppy disks and
strict dress codes just yet. Although it may not be obvious, many companies still
have implicit professional and social 1____of conduct.
Greeting the people that you come in contact with isn’t only 2____but it
establishes rapport. You never know who the people that you greeted could be, so
it is important to 3____everyone with the same degree of kindness. A simple “Hi,
how are you?” or even a 4____ and nod is enough. 5_____are the universal
business greeting. A firm handshake is still considered a positive trait. A weak one
is negative. Usually the 6_____ranking person will offer their hand first, but if they
don’t, you can still offer yours. Make 7___contact when you shake their hand and
smile. Those who avert their eyes are viewed as lacking confidence and honesty.
When someone else is speaking, it is important to 8____or smile. This
shows that you are engaged and actively listening. It tells them that you 9____
about what they say and value their thoughts. Be careful not to interrupt. If you
wish to speak, you may send a nonverbal 10____by opening your mouth, but it is
polite to wait for them to finish.
Be polite and professional in all forms of communication. It doesn’t matter if you
are meeting face-to-face, by phone or through email, each interaction needs to be
professional. When you communicate through text only, you don’t have the tone of
voice, facial expressions and other nonverbal cues that accompany it. Remember
this when writing emails. Keep messages short and to the point, but don’t send
anything that you wouldn’t say in-person.