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Of business and manners
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However much may have been spoken or written about, there would still be those lingering doubts on the right conduct of etiquette. Here are answers to some queries that always haunted you...
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TIME TO answer those queries again!
As a junior executive, is it ok for me to give my business card when I meet one of the senior executives of my company?
A business card is an extension of your professional identity and there are rules to follow. In the above scenario, you should not hand out your business card unless and until the senior executive has specifically asked for it. Otherwise, you will come across as pushy and presumptive.
I am starting my new job. So, please tell me what is the proper way to address my colleagues and superiors.
At the beginning, it is safest to be on the formal side. You would address people as "Mr." or "Ms." (pronounced miz) and the last name or the surname. Do not use anyone's first or given name until the person has given you permission to do so. At that point, you may suggest that they call you by your first name as well.
I was introduced by the wrong name and I did not say anything. I was worried that if I corrected him, I would embarrass him. What should I have done?
Wrong names, wrong pronunciation, wrong title, company name, etc., are common and it has happened to all of us, at some point or the other. Go ahead and correct the mistake. Put on a big smile and say gracefully, "just a small correction — my name is Rajesh, not Ramesh".
We were invited to a formal sit down dinner during our business trip to the U.S. It was very intimidating to see so many forks, knives and spoons and all those different glasses! But, what confused us the most was the ice-cream served in the middle of the meal. We thought it was dessert. But, there was also one more dessert at the end of the meal. Please explain.
It is very common in the U.S. and Europe to conclude a business deal with a very formal dinner or lunch. What you thought was ice-cream or dessert in the middle of the meal was a `sorbet' course. Sorbet is served in the middle of a meal in order to cleanse the palate between two courses. Lemon, pear, melon, raspberry or orange are preferred normally because of their subtle and delicate taste. A small scoop is served in sorbet glasses with a tiny spoon.
In a buffet dinner, is it ok to have second and third helpings? If yes, do we use the same plate or pickup fresh plate for each helping? Is it different at home and in a restaurant?
It is perfectly all right to go back to the buffet table for second, third and fourth helpings! Just make sure that you are not piling all the dishes on the plate at the same time, because you have to balance the plate all the way back to the table and you do not want any mishaps on the way. Also it is very unappetising to see every item running into the other. Select foods that go well together and serve yourself small portions that you know you will eat without wasting. As for fresh plates — in a restaurant, you do leave the plate and silverware at the table for the wait staff to clear and you will take a fresh plate each time you go back to the buffet table. At somebody's home, you would keep the same plate, unless the hostess requests you to do otherwise. Unlike a restaurant, a home china cabinet has limited supply of plates, bowls and silverware.
(The writer is the Director of ProEt Centre for International Protocol and Etiquette.)
CHITRA DANGER
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