The Importance of Etiquette, Grooming, and Personal Branding

“Etiquette, grooming, and personal branding are very critical in business but there are so many people still ignoring it,” said Elke Alexandria, Program Director of London School Academy, IKB London School of Public Relation.

Elke Alexandria was invited as a guest lecturer on the Business Communication International Class on Wednesday (02/12/2020). She discussed business etiquette, grooming, and personal branding, not only theoretical but she also showed examples and tips that the students can use when behaving in a business environment.

Elke Alexandria is renowned as a trainer in personal branding, grooming/dress for success, speaking and presentation skill, service excellence, personality, and personal growth, and also customer service. Before she shared the presentation, first Dr. N. Nurlaela Arief, MBA, MIPR as the class coordinator revealed her opening speech and introduced Elke Alexandria to the students.

In the presentation, first Elke defined that business etiquette was a set of rules that governed the way people interacted with one another in business, with customers, suppliers, with internal or external bodies. “It is all about conveying the right image and behaving properly,” she added.

Elke Alexandria who is an alumnus of the Arizona State University revealed that there were a lot of things that should not be done when behaving in the business environment, among other things, not greeting or using a name, leaving people waiting, interrupting, lack of courtesy and respect, breaking confidence, improper appearance,  poor hygiene, and making inappropriate jokes.

Otherwise, she suggested that to behave well and getting a good first impression in front of our partners, there were tips that we can implement, such as, being on time, being well-groomed, using body language, having a proper handshake, introducing ourselves, and asking for names, looking at our partner’s business card, and doing a conversation for about 5-10 seconds. Besides good behavior, she said that it was also crucial to dress up according to the situation we are facing, for instance at work we can wear formal suits.

Lastly, she revealed how our behaving and grooming would define ourselves and it would be our branding. Consequently, we need to have good personal branding by having good behavior and grooming in appropriate situations. She  closed her presentation by saying a quote from Bjarney Ludviksdottir  who said “ You are the best brand, make it outstanding.”