Business Etiquette Networking Top Tips

our handshake is very important, be the first to extend your hand, it shows you are leading the way. Look the recipient in the eye and give a firm handshake. Both are signs of good character and will make a great first impression.

Always look people in the eye, when you first meet and during your conversation. Don’t look over their shoulder at someone else and engage in conversation.

Listen. At networking events, or meeting new clients, listen more than you talk. Always ask questions, engage and really listen to what people have to say. Pick up ques and remember details that you can mention again in the conversation, such as names, where they work or how many children they have. This shows you are genuinely interested.

Give out and ask for business cards. Then after the event, drop your new contact an email to say it was nice to meet them and if they ever need anything to contact you. Add every contact you meet to your database, you never know when you might need it.

At a networking lunch or business meeting in a restaurant, remember your table manners. Work from the outside in with cutlery. Don’t drink too much, or at lunch stick to water, or soft drinks. When you’ve finished your meal, place your knife and fork together in the centre of the plate. Never cross them, crossed knives are bad luck and an insult in some countries.

When at a networking event or in company and you have to take a call, keep it short and sweet. No one wants to listen to your loud 20minute conversation. In fact, Put the phone DOWN! Let it go to voicemail. It is always rude to pay more attention to your phone, than a real person.

Old fashion politeness is simple, ‘please’ ‘thank you’ and ‘hello, nice to meet you,’ go a long way.

Punctuality. Always be on time for a meeting, or for a networking event. It shows you value that person, company.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Don’t talk badly of others, in your industry or through your contacts. It will only cast you in a bad light and associate you with negativity.

Watch your social media. Prospective employers are very likely to ‘google you’ and if all they find is pictures of you drunk and acting inappropriately, it is not going to look good. Set all your social media accounts to private, but create a professional LinkedIn account and professional Facebook page for work only. Never say something on the internet (social media, blogs or comments) that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. It is there forever!

Watch your mouth. Never, ever curse in the workplace, at a networking function or definitely not in a job interview.

Have you heard the saying ‘A gentleman is his word’? A real gentleman, keeps his word, whether in business, in a relationship, or with friends. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you make a verbal business agreement, stick to it. Don’t back out of an agreement because it is not ‘on paper’.

Stephen Handisides is an international TV presenter, model, journalist and an all-round expert on Aesthetic Beauty and Male Grooming. Stephen is the host of ‘The Modern Face of Beauty’ series which will be broadcast on 52 local and national television networks in the US reaching 44 million households. He is regular expert commentator in the UK on ITV’s This Morning, GMTV, Lorraine, OK! TV, Five, Sky News, and BBC radio. Stephen writes for over twenty major newspapers, trade and consumer magazines, with five regular columns focusing on the trends in lifestyle aesthetics and male grooming. He also hosts and produces Sky TV’s MyFaceMyBody and is the brains behind the Global Aesthetic Awards, held in London, LA and Sydney.

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