Everyone knows how to eat. But do you know how to dine?
When setting up a business lunch with clients, can you confidently select the right venue, make suggestions about the menu, and break off the small talk and move onto business at the appropriate time?
Do you order drinks? And, which fork do you use for the salad?
To some people, details about dining might be small potatoes. But to Sue Jacques and Ann Marsh, it’s just one of the many components in our professional and personal lives that we can improve upon.
 |
| Larry MacDougal photo, Business Edge |
| Ann Marsh, left, and Sue Jacques help companies and individuals ‘tweak’ their behaviour. |
As co-founders of Influence, etiquette and protocol ltd., Jacques and Marsh say there are dozens of little things that we can do to better ourselves, enhance our careers and help the bottom line of our business.
A small checklist of items would include: how we dress; how we answer phones and e-mail; whether we take part in office politics; how we interact with colleagues or clients (even if we don’t like them); and the kind of impression we make in the first seven seconds of an introduction.
“We talk about etiquette, but the word itself is a big stumbling block for people to get over,” Jacques says.
“People think it’s about manners and deportment. But it’s deeper than that. It’s about individual development, about making yourself a better person.”
Ultimately, how we behave is really about showing respect and consideration for others, she says.
“It’s not rocket science,” Marsh adds. “There are a lot of things we as professionals know, but forget about . . . details that add up to how we are perceived.”
For example, Marsh says that whenever there’s an exchange with someone else we have a choice to do it well or poorly. When shaking hands do you deliver a “wet noodle” handshake? In an e-mail, do you misspell the person’s name? If someone calls you with information, do you spend 60 seconds scrambling for a pen and paper before you can write it down?
“It’s not that you can’t recover from that,” Marsh says.
“Our job is to make sure those things don’t happen. It’s attention to detail. It’s all about you, so you make choices.”
Based in Calgary, Jacques and Marsh formed their company in 2000 to help businesses and individuals improve their corporate protocol and business etiquette. They also teach programs to children, university students, and hold weekend workshops for businesswomen across Western Canada.
The latter program, called Wine, Women & Influence, is being held in Vancouver and Lake Louise this April, and in Edmonton in May. Last month, the workshop was held in Calgary. Course components included: networking skills, workplace communication, business protocol, electronic etiquette, professional grooming and wardrobe creation, corporate hospitality, wine selection and dining etiquette.
“We also talk about, and strongly encourage participants to develop a personal code of ethics and integrity,” Marsh says.
While many people sign a workplace code, Jacques and Marsh stress that people should make a commitment to themselves.
If you are a person who is always late to meetings or late with projects, then you should make a commitment to your own personal code that you will endeavour to always be on time.
Jacques suggests that if office gossip or office politics is a concern, individuals can determine that they won’t be part of it.
“You don’t need to make a big deal about it, just get up and leave the room if it’s happening,” she says. “If it’s an issue for you, make it part of your code so it becomes a non-issue.”
Jacques and Marsh say their decision to create Influence came out of a passion for personal growth built on experiences they enjoyed in previous careers.
Jacques held a unique position. She worked with the medical examiner’s office for 18 years, and investigated more than 5,000 deaths in that time.
“I learned a lot about dealing with people, and I learned a lot about life,” she says. “I learned about respect and that how we treat each other really does matter.”
Marsh, formerly with the Toronto Dominion Bank for 21 years, worked in a number of capacities including marketing, administration and personal credit.
“From the very beginning you have this really strong appreciation that people want and deserve to be treated with respect,” she says.
In their business, typically they are called into a company that has concerns surrounding its appearance. The company may lack a dress code, or it’s slipped from casual Fridays into weekly informality.
“And then we find there are a lot of other things,” Marsh says. “Its not always major things, just areas that can be tweaked.”
Recently, the pair worked with a group of students in the Commerce Undergrad Society at the University of Calgary.
“They want to know how to dine and dress,” Marsh says. “And as much as these grads are being interviewed, they are also watching how prospective employers behave. They want to learn what sets people apart, and what’s necessary for people to remember you.”
Like any savvy businessperson, the students want to be prepared in all areas of business. “In the dining component, we work with people on everything from how to invite someone for a business lunch, to choosing a menu that’s appropriate for the meeting . . . to doing your homework and understanding what you want to accomplish,” Jacques says.
They also help with important things like strategic seating; awkward issues like dealing gracefully with the bill; and simple stuff like who gets which glass of water.
And if you’re not sure, they’ll even set you straight on the salad fork.
Web watch:
