Communication Etiquette Rules
Professional Communicating etiquette rules which everyone needs to know
What is etiquette?
A code of behavior that delimits the outlooks for societal behavior accordant with the modern-day customs and proprieties pattern regarded as typical within a formal association of people with similar interests, socioeconomic class, or grouping.
At present, technology has enabled us to communicate easily with any person from any place at whatever time. But it’s the quality of being useful and convenient that often leads people to make mortifying errors that may be prejudicial to their professional state of being held in high esteem and honor. Nevertheless, how a person communicates with others greatly affects the way they comprehend him or her. Everyone should know the rules of communicating through emails, text messages, instant messaging (IM) or with the Skype. Barbara Pachter, the career manager describes briefly the modernistic communication etiquette rules in her latest book “The Essentials of Business Etiquette” and this article is discussing some of the important rules out of her book.
- Telephone etiquette
- Speaking volume: people often don’t realize how loud they talk on the phone. One must take care of his or her speaking volume during the conversation on the phone.
- Don’t answer the phone when meeting others: when talking to others, don’t pick up the call. Because this attitude will let the other person thinks that communicating with his or her is not much more important than the person calling. Also, don’t put the phone on the table because this will show that the person is ready to leave and connect with others.
- Speakerphone: if talking to someone on the speaker phone then let them know about it.
- E-mail etiquette
- Professional e-mail address: at the workplace, do not use the personal e-mail addresses for communicating. Always use the professional email address.
- Exclamation point: if a person has to use an exclamation point, then he or she should use only one to convey the excitement.
- Reply to all: think before twice before replying all because no one will be interested to read emails that of no use to them. Just reply to those to whom the email is important and worthy.
- Instant messaging (IM)
- Should know the person: if talking to someone, one should know the person whom he or she is talking.
- Keep the conversation short: during instant messaging, one should keep the conversation short. If the message is long and can take much time to response than one should call or send an email instead of instant messaging.
- Bad news not to be disclosed: on instant messaging the bad news should not be disclosed to anyone. Instant messaging requires to share short and important messages, but not of the negative ones.
- Careful about abbreviation: When doing text one should be very careful about the abbreviation.
- Don’t change the meeting venue or schedule: on texts, one should not change the venue or the schedule of meetings. If required to do so, then try to email.
- Look into the camera: when talking on Skype, one should look at the camera. Because when a person looks at a screen, it seems like he or she is looking down. But when a person looks at the camera it seems to that the person is having an eye contact.
Don’t gesticulate too much: do not use hands or show expressions allot during Skype conversation.