Business Performance Perspectives Newsletter

Welcome to the third quarterly ezine from Business Performance Perspectives.

The focus of this ezine is on manners research, which I hope you will find of interest.

In the course of researching new business etiquette programmes this month, I have come across some interesting research in the area of manners. This research extends from business etiquette to dining etiquette.

Please note that this research does not include Ireland. However, the research from the US and the UK does show some trends that may be reflected here in Ireland.

There is a gap in real information on manners in Ireland. To close this gap we are undertaking the second annual survey of Irish business manners. Please do take a few minutes to complete the survey here.

As well as completing the survey, you can register to receive a copy of the results and commentary before they are published to the wider public.

One Day Etiquette and Style Programme Update:

The first Polished Professional course took place on the 20th of September. The full day programme is designed for business professionals who want to ensure that their work style and business etiquette reflect the quality of their professional work. 

The programme is ideal for professionals who are going for a new role, setting up a new business or entering a new work arena. For further information on dates for upcoming courses in 2007, please email me at info@pamelafay.ie.

Berry Bros and Rudd UK Survey:

Business people need to pay attention to what they do at a business lunch if they want to seal a business deal.

That is the message from the Berry Bros and Rudd poll of 800 of the UK's leading business people that revealed almost one in six, (15%), would pull out of a deal after a bad business lunch.

Two-thirds, (67%), of the country's leading directors felt the worst `faux pas' and a definite deal-breaker was getting drunk at lunch, with one in ten (10%) admitting a drunken encounter would make them move their business to a rival firm.

Acting like a wine expert and implying you know more than anyone else at the table was high on the "don'ts" list and considered a `no-no' by over a third, (37%), of business leaders. The survey also found almost half (41%) of UK business people would have serious doubts about a person's professional ability if they behaved improperly at lunch, indicating a need for business etiquette to extend beyond the boardroom.

The type of wine ordered at lunch also led some high-flyers to doubt a person's business acumen. If in doubt - go for the more expensive bottle - ordering the cheapest wine on the menu left a third, (31%), of business leaders unimpressed.

Dining Etiquette Survey:

Nearly three-quarters of adults in the UK believe that it is acceptable to eat with a fork held in their right hand, not bothering with a knife at all.

One in five of the UK population also regularly uses their napkin to blow their nose.

The change in dining etiquette has, unsurprisingly, come at a time when an increasing number of families have too little time or inclination to eat together at the dinner table, where good manners could be passed on.

The survey of 2,231 people by Great British Chicken (a trade group which promotes the use of British poultry) also found that only a third of families now eat most of their meals together at the dinner table. The rest prefer to sit in front of the television and one fifth say that every meal is consumed in front of the box.

The 15 most common bad table manners are:

• 73% Holding fork in right hand/no knife
• 67% Elbows on table
• 67% Failing to remain at table while everyone is still eating
• 64% Eating straight out of packaging
• 47% Leaving table while others eating
• 36% Talking with mouth full
• 34% Using fingers to scoop up last bits of food
• 27% Pointing at someone with knife/fork
• 25% Burping at table
• 24% Licking plate clean
• 20% Blowing nose on napkin
• 20% Putting too much food in mouth
• 19% Forgetting to thank host for meal
• 19% Not knowing which cutlery to use in restaurant
• 8% Throwing food at someone across table

Wall Street Journal (Europe) Manners Survey

West Europeans and Americans generally believe that their fellow countrymen have good manners.

Four out of ten people consider punctuality essential when meeting someone. The same proportion of Europeans think that it is good manners to switch off mobile phones in restaurants. These are the findings of the Manners survey carried out for the Wall Street Journal Europe by GfK Custom Research Worldwide in 20 European countries and the USA in the autumn of 2006.

Which country has the best manners? Survey questions included which nation follows good etiquette at the dinner table, when greeting others and in public places.

The most frequent response from Americans and West Europeans, excluding Swedes and Spaniards, was to name their own country. The picture was quite different in Central and Eastern Europe, where many believe that the British and French have particularly good manners. Belgians were the most convinced of their own good manners (39%), followed by the Swiss (38%) and Austrians (34%).

Across all countries, the British are acknowledged as No. 1 when it comes to good manners, with 16% of respondents believing that people in the UK have the best manners. In joint second place, the French and Germans were named by 13%, while the Japanese, a nation which did not take part in this survey, were ranked third with 12%. An above-average number of Swedes and Germans acknowledged that the Japanese have good manners, 35% and 23% respectively.

In response to the question where good manners are least displayed, the USA was named by most subjects at a general average of 20%. This opinion was expressed particularly by Turks (42%), Germans (23%), Swedes (22%) and Americans themselves (26%).

Four out of ten respondents believe that punctuality is of the essence when meeting friends. A good 25% think that arriving slightly early is appropriate. This means that two thirds of all respondents consider it correct to be punctual or even a little early.

A further 15% thought that a delay of five minutes is acceptable and a considerable 11% believe that being a quarter of an hour late is justifiable, but only 3% would let friends wait at the agreed meeting point for half an hour. However, there are distinct differences between the nations. German punctuality appears to be a myth when it comes to meeting up with friends, with only 18% of Germans considering punctuality to be important.

More than half think that it is in order to be five to 15 minutes late. Respondents were not so generous in any of the other countries surveyed. Yet 15 minutes is the maximum time 98% of Germans would be prepared to wait. Turkey and the Netherlands are countries in which more than 10% find it acceptable to wait 30 minutes or longer. Adhering to the agreed time when meeting friends means a great deal to Austrians, Russians and Italians. More than eight in ten respondents in these countries indicated that arriving punctually or a little early was extremely important.

What do you do if your mobile starts ringing during a meal in a restaurant? Four out of ten Europeans think that mobiles should be switched off at the dinner table. In the country comparison, switching off mobile phones is considered to be good manners in Denmark (65%), Sweden (54%) and Germany (50%), in particular.

At 8%, only a small proportion of respondents said that it was polite to let a mobile ring in a restaurant without taking the call. Almost all agreed on one point: that it is impolite to answer the phone and have a lengthy conversation at the table.

The Manners survey involved questioning respondents in 20 countries on which nation they thought had the best manners and what their attitude was towards punctuality, using mobile phones and smoking. For the current survey, which was carried out by GfK Custom Research Worldwide for The Wall Street Journal Europe.

A total of 20,326 subjects aged 15 and older in 20 countries were surveyed in September and October 2006.

Feedback

I would be delighted to receive your feedback on any aspect of this e-zine. Please email Business Performance Perspectives on info@pamelafay.ie.