
Making it fit for the office...
By Tim Ferguson
Published: 6 July 2007 16:36 BST
Business people can now find out whether they should be talking to their boss using instant messaging (IM), or when the best time is to phone customers, with the help of some 21st century etiquette lessons.
The Finishing Academy - which specialises in business and social etiquette - has produced the Business and Communications Etiquette Guide in association with Microsoft, which looks at getting the best out of communications at work.
With IM predicted to surge in popularity over the next few years and web conferencing and text messaging becoming more common, the guide is touted as a way to select the most effective communication methods.
Penny Edge, managing director of The Finishing Academy in Cheshire, said business and communications etiquette is evolving as technology and social acceptance change but many of the same old principals should remain.
Postcards from the bleeding edge…
Read the latest missive from tech guru and silicon.com columnist, Peter Cochrane, as he blogs from around the world.
She told silicon.com: "There do need to be benchmarks and rules. I think people are a bit lost with how to communicate with people."
Edge explained etiquette is about using communications methods people are comfortable with. She said: "It's really respecting the people you're dealing with."
The guide suggests the way we communicate with people evolves as we develop relationships with them, with different communication methods coming into play.
Key points from the guide include only using IM for short requests which require immediate response and using email when later discussion is needed.
The guide also suggests one shouldn't forget the phone as it is the best way to build rapport with contacts and deal with delicate issues.
It offers a warning about using humour and sarcasm, as they could be inappropriate in some business situations if you don't know the person well.
The final pearl of wisdom is to make sure people know what the best way to contact you is - for instance, making sure your IM status always says 'available' when you're at your desk and willing to chat.
The successful candidates will be able to: Play leading roles on consulting teams working on client delivery projects, designing and implementing ...
Communicate regularly with relevant parties to monitor the status of the processes and facilitate continuous improvement, as required. Respond to ...
You will play an important part in showing teachers and students the exciting opportunities for transformation that ICT can bring, providing st and ...
CIO50 2008
The silicon.com CIO50 2008 profiles the most influential and innovative tech chiefs in the UK across all industries and organisation size, from the biggest FTSE100 companies to high growth dot-com start ups and the public sector. The list was voted on by the UK CIO community and a panel of experts. Find out more in our latest special report.
July 10th: Just MASH Marketing: The Customer Reference Mashup
TechNet Webcast: How Microsoft Does IT: Management and Operations in Windows Server...
Mashing it up with Support: Automate, Coordinate and Collaborate with the Incident...
Ensure Virtualization is Meeting Your Needs--Read this New White Paper
Stories from the web...
Copyright ©1995-2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Top of page
Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: Quality by design Why do picky people settle for poor design at work?
Naked CIO The Naked CIO: Service level disagreements SLAs - not worth the paper they're written on?