Book Description

From now on, whenever you meet new people for business or pleasure––"The Power of Handshaking" promises you’ll never walk away from a greeting empty-handed.You’ll learn how culture-based interaction, like handshaking, can profoundly affect the outcome of a business (or personal) transactions worldwide.

This useful new guide includes the etiquette for shaking hands worldwide. From the forthright All-American to the lingering Brazilian with air kisses to the French cool-light-and-brief and the formal Japanese bow–more than 40 handshakes are described.

"The Power of Handshaking" explores the psychology behind twelve basic handshakes to help you better understand your client or colleague and know how to communicate with him or her, more skillfully. Master the always-appropriate All-American with its eye contact, smile, firm grip, and two or three strokes, and the more intimate Lingering. Then discover the meaning behind the Push-Off, Pull-In, Two-Handed, Topper, Finger Squeeze, Palm Pinch, Twister, Royal, Water Pump, and Dead Fish and how to stay balanced in your dealings.

"The Power of Handshaking" will show you how a handshake can lead to new business and new friends, and tell you much about the people you deal with. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

DON'T BUY THIS!
It is an absolute waste of money... the only thing I learned was not to buy anything from this company ever! The book is about 10 pages of text, that could easily be made into to 2 by taking out the spacing. The information is common sense, and you can find more by spending 3 minutes on any website. Do yourself a favor, and spend your money elsewhere!

Not worth the money
This little booklet of advice is really not worth the [money] it costs. It has very few pages, all in large type, providing very little valuable information. My advice, try a different book for learning this stuff.

Incorrect translations, Over simplistic explanations.
This book was flimsy, 9 pages for 9.95, and four pages can be read online, so when you get the book, you feel that it was a complete waste of money. If you are experienced at all with China, don't get this. If you are going on a short business trip, and you don't know anything at all, go for it. But, BEWARE, the Chinese language translations were NOT correct. The most simple greetings "hi" and "how are you" were incorrect. Try to find a thicker more complete volume. The Lonely Planet guides are great. ... Read more

Book Description

If you are responsible for your organization's next big event--whether it is a black tie dinner, a political barbecue, a charity walk-a-thon, a celebrity speech, a school auction, a capital campaign, or a business lunch to benefit your favorite cause--everything you need to know and do is in this easy-to-use book."

From this one handy checklisted guide you'll learn how to:

-Select an event to fit the cause and set your fund raising goals
-Plan and execute the entire event using a month-by-month event calendar and checklist
-Develop an effective charity team to assist you all along the way, with the duties of each defined
-Get media attention using sample public service announcements and great new promotion ideas
-Build contacts and network with the community and other organizations
-Find sponsors
-Prepare inviting invitations and programs
-Critique your event and maintain support for the future ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great!
I highly recomment Gala! not only for its content, but also because it gives a great framwork on how to put together an event. Personally, it helped me preparing an 100 people event and I truly can say it great because it showed me how to pull all the elements together.
What's different from other books, it's that Patti Coons explains how important are details while preparing your event.
I great book overall!!!!

not worth the money
I suppose if you had never planned any kind of event, this book might be helpful. Once you've planned even a kids' birthday party, this book becomes obsolete. The lists are ridiculous; the same information and "hints" are reworded throughout the book to appear "new". For example, there's a monthly list of tasks to accomplish in a year-long planning scenario, and then the same tasks are redistributed and reworded for the shorter scenario; it fills up the book, but one would have to be brain-dead not to be able to condense the year-long format into a shorter list. All in all, it was a waste of money and a waste of time.

It's for fundraisers! Not events! Just fundraisers!
When I bought this book I thought it was about planning different kinds of events, fundraisers included. Turns out it's all about fundraisers. Which is fine, but I wish they'd said so ON THE COVER so I wouldn't wasted my money. The info is good for fundraisers, but pretty much irrelevant for any other kind of big event.

The cover needs correcting!
OH my. Gala just arrived and as usual the first thing I did was to peruse the cover. The front cover is smashing. The back cover, however, is riddled with typos and awkwardly worded sentences. Apparently, Ms Coons' editor wasn't paying attention during this very special event. If I had been inside of a bookstore, where I could have captured the mistakes, BEFORE I headed to the checkout line, I would have never purchased this book. But alas, I haven't even opened the covers yet to see what's inside. If it's good quality I'll let you know.

This is ALL you need!
I used this planner to organize an event for the Chamber of Commerce and it has EVERYTHING our group needed. All areas were covered, so NOTHING was overlooked; no last minute panics. Easy reading, checklist, sample letters, invitations, etc. Every Chamber and nonprofit organization should have a copy of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good All-Around Primer for Business Etiquette
This book covers all of the basics for how to conduct oneself in the business world. Office politics, dining, and social functions are all addressed. The wardrobe section is very helpful, as well. It offers sound clothing advice for both men and women. The women's section is noteworthy in that it gives women the freedom to actually dress like a woman in the office. Too many books of this sort pigeonhole women into the traditional black hole of a dark suit, round earrings, and sensible pumps. The dining section gives advice on being proper, but not stuffy, at the table. There is also a useful glossary on hard-to-eat foods. This book offers useful and practical tips for the seasoned executive and the young up-and-comer, alike. I recommend it to anyone in the business world. ... Read more

Book Description

"You Did What? The Biggest Mistakes Professionals Make" is geared towards individuals in the professional world.This book is filled with quick tools, tips and real-life stories of how business behavior can make or break your career. For seasoned executives to recent graduates, this book gives readers solid techniques that can be used right away for effective results.In less than five minutes, anyone can pick up this reference book and be prepared to handle business situations correctly. ... Read more

Book Description

This long-awaited third edition of the bestseller version has new and updated cases and a worldwide coverage that will be of high interest to everybody involved with cross-cultural matters whether as student, researcher or business visitor. This is the indispensable practical guide for international business people who sell, manage and negotiate across cultures since it is designed to prepare the business visitor to conduct effective negotiations in the world's major markets.

Written in clear, concise English, "Cross-Cultural Business Behavior" is based on the author's 35 years of hands-on experience doing business all over the world.

Translated into German, Polish and Lithuanian, it has been adopted as a textbook by more than a dozen business schools in the U.S., Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Lithuania.

Richard R. Gesteland is the founder of Global Management LLC, an international consultancy serving corporate and institutional clients. Since 1993 he has trained over two thousand managers around the world in cross-cultural negotiating techniques. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Just necessary to succeed in a global business
If you have to deal with collegues in an international company, if you want to understand your customer or supplier, if you want to reduce unnecessary friction, you must understand how your counterparty interprets your behaviour. This book is a great help with its coordinate system of cultures.

Go Global
A very useful book if you need to GO GLOBAL. It give you the first hints about characteristics of foreign culture, even your own cultures. The structure and the very practically and lively examples make the book easy and sometimes funney to read. A strong buy for those who need or want to look outside of their own culture. Best book that I have seen so far in this area. No theories, pure reallity. I tested it live and it helped me in various situation to understand pitfalls that I hit or avoid pitfalls. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great resource fornew and experienced business people !
Everyday Business Etiquette has the answers to so many questions business people ask."What jewelry should I wear to that presentation?""When is a thank you gift in order?" This helpful book even hasanswers to questions you may not have thought to ask like "When's thebest time to close a deal in Hong Kong?" This easy read should be onevery business person's shelf! ... Read more

Book Description

This is a superb guide to the subtleties and complexities of business etiquette. This book shows how to maintain a professional and competitive edge by understanding basic business etiquette. In addition to the exercises and activities on making introductions, dining out, sending and receiving gifts, public manners, tipping and attire, there is updated information on electronic etiquette.

Learning Objectives:To review business etiquette and its role.To discuss techniques for meeting people.To discuss telephone and electronic etiquette.To suggest good business meeting protocol and multicultural etiquette. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Insightful!
Ann Marie Sabath, the Amy Vanderbilt of international etiquette, provides a concise, up-beat and authoritative guide to Latin American social and business etiquette. Her manual covers dos and don'ts, and includes basic data about each country, including history, air travel, telephone, currency, holidays, language, religion, time zones and weather. In a compact 221 pages, she presents an informative outline that will help you act appropriately at work and play in 14 Latin American countries. We [...] recommend this book to those who work with people from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, and to those who travel to these countries on business. Have a good, safe trip, or as they say in Latin America, Vaya Con Dios.

Focus on the etiquette
Ms. Sabath did a wonderful job on the business etiquette as it pertains to the various countries; however, she should have omitted political opinions (and historical facts) as she commonly suggests business travelers to do.

The first section of each chapter provides a very brief look at the history, economy and politics of a given county, which is an integral part of understanding the people that one deals with. It is an injustice to the uninformed reader to only cover this in a short page or two, as most countries in Latin America have over 500 years of history and deeply rooted politics.

Additionally, Sabath frequently distorts historical facts and injects political viewpoints. An example of this is shown by the statement on how the Chilean Marxist President, Salvador Allende, "imposed his rule on the county," which led to instability and a poor economy. Allende was the first, if not only, democraticly elected president from the Communist party not only in the hemisphere, but in the world. I would suggest that business travelers who want historical and political information to seek it out from more informed and comprehensive sources.

Given this minor shortcoming and impossible task of summarizing 500 years of history and politics into a few paragraphs, Sabath does a commendable job of informing the public of all the little things one needs to know when doing business in Latin America--hence the four stars.

Most of the Business Basics You Need to Know
I first read Ms. Sabath's book on business etiquette in Asia and the Pacific Rim, and decided to read this one as well. I like this one better based on the material about countries where I have done business in Latin America. In fact, it filled in some information that had puzzled me -- why some business women had continually been grabbing my arm during discussions. This apparently is quite common in some Latin American countries. My wife had found this habit more than a little distressing to her. I'm sure she will be more comfortable on future business trips knowing that this is normal.

I have often wished that there was an outstanding source on business etiquette in various countries, and have searched in vain for one. I was quite interested to read this one to see if it would fulfill my needs. Obviously, I could not evaluate the advice for countries where I have not done business so I checked out the countries where I had done business. The results left me pretty pleased.

Issues that came up were addressed and in ways that seemed accurate based on my experiences. For example, if you go to Ecuador, your wardrobe will have to either accommodate the damp chill of Quito or the tropical humidity of Guayaquil.

On the other hand, the proper way to work with Chileans is still a mystery to me, even after reading this book. Well, one book cannot do everything.

The book is solid as far as it goes, and it attempts to cover the waterfront (14 countries and 24 subjects per country). That's probably the reason why the book is pretty basic in approach. You will get good help here on important subjects like how many hours of time difference (so you don't call at the wrong time, although this isn't often a big problem with Latin America), how dates are written down so you can decipher the messages you get, when holidays are so you won't offend someone by suggesting a meeting on an important religious or national holiday, and gift-giving etiquette (an area where Americans often err).

I do suggest that you acquire this book to have these basics available near to your computer and telephone at work. Also, the bibliography seems to provide a list of longer books on each geographic area. Those books may give you more details. There's probably no substitute for speaking with a business person from the country before you go, and getting advice from the concierge at a good hotel once you're there. Naturally, if you are fortunate enough to have colleagues in your company who work there already, they can fill you in. So this book is primarily aimed at those without a local operation.

Some of the better sections included information about what are appropriate conversational topics, rude gestures and actions to avoid, punctuality, seating etiquette, the special issues for women in business, and the weather conditions you can expect.

A book like this is a good reminder of how much we are conditioned by our culture. If nothing else, it can help you understand the sources of stalled thinking that can harm our business relationships in other countries because of our typical American approaches.

I liked what was in the book. I graded it down one star for what was not -- information about how to handle situations where communications and negotiations are not going well. ... Read more

Book Description

The founders of the Executive Etiquette Company offer expert advice on the many issues, questions, and quandaries of business protocol in the modern workplace. ... Read more

Book Description

In today's increasingly diverse and ever-changing work environments, the old rules of conduct often don't seem to apply anymore. Customs vary, and language and cultural differences, not to mention evolving office hierarchies, are among the many factors making interaction an increasingly complex challenge.

The Etiquette Edge offers a clear, commonsense approach to making courtesy, etiquette, and respect for others a competitive advantage in the workplace. Rather than dwelling on dry, nitpicky "rules," the book emphasizes appropriate, effective communication and behavior as a means to get ahead. Simply written and containing quizzes, checklists, and sidebar examples, the book shows readers how to:

* Recover from a major workplace faux pas
* Handle sensitive e-mail and phone communications
* Make a great impression on bosses, and get along with "enemies"
* Deliver unwelcome information, including condolences
* Manage confrontations with courtesy ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Quick Reference, But Other Books Will Give You More Depth
This book gives a quick rundown of the differences between Chinese and Western business etiquette, but does not prepare one for the aspects of Chinese culture that cause culture shock in Western business travellers - rude public behaviour, extraordinary personal habits; things that can distract you from the task at hand if not aware of them. A good supplement is Taiwanese writer Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture,* which traces, frankly and informatively, the long, sad history of cultural stagnation and repression which is the other half of China's story in addition to Confucius and the poetry of Li Po, and has an impact on encounters between Westerners and Easterners today. Most important is Bo Yang's comments on the concept of "Face" - that is, the importance of not losing face to a Chinese - this is more important to a Chinese than anything else, and can affect the subject under discussion in a business meeting. The more aware the Western business person (or again, traveller) is of Chinese society, the more successfull his trip will be (and the more positive his appreciation of China, ultimately, will be). The style of *The Ugly Chinaman* will give you additional insight into how Chinese culture differs from ours.

Another book I recommend is Paul Theroux's account of travelling across China, *Riding The Iron Rooster*. Many aspects of this far-flung trip mirrored my own practical experiences business-travelling in a much smaller part of China (and Hong Kong). I found it enlightening and helpful as a general, prepatory work (it is also highly readable).

For Hong Kong, in addition to Bo Yang's book, I recommend Jan Morris's book *Hong Kong* which has a wealth of detail on the unhappy history of the millions of refugee Chinese who fled to British Hong Kong in the last four or five decades and who are (understandably) very touchy about this subject (it involves, again, loss of "face"). In Hong Kong today there is a reluctance to admit this sad history but a knowledge of it is essential to understanding how Hong Kong ticks, and a business traveller who absorbs this knowledge will be in a better position to understand Hong Kong. The book also contains a wealth of absorbing, easy to read history about British days.

Paul Theroux's book, *Kowloon Tong* though a novel, captures the mood of Handover-era Hong Kong and has illuminating portraits of different types of Western and Chinese characters of a kind you will meet and interact with if your stay in Hong Kong is extended or you are domiciled there.

An informative two-column quick reference guide.
This informative little 55 page paperback book gives summary comparisons of business practices in China versus the United States. The authors' presentation is made in a two column style throughout the book. The left-hand column is for United States normal business practices, protocols, and social customs; whereas, the right-hand column presents the complementary practices, protocols, and social customs in China. The book is designed as a quick reference pocket book. Chapter headings are: 1. Welcome to Business China 2. The Global Marketplace 3. Doing Business in a Global Marketplace 4. The Chinese Culture 5. Chinese Business Etiquette 6. Chinese Gestures 7. Communication Interferences 8. Succeeding in International Business 9. Quick Tips: China 10. Common Phrases ... Read more

Book Description

Subtitled How to Survive & Succeed in Business. Covers everything from how to avoid embarrassing yourself to the results of Dr. Yager's original survey on etiquette that discovered the 6 basic principles of business protocol; male-female relationships at work; party etiquette; 17 types you might encounter in business; how to make a positive lasting impression;executive communication; business gift giving; job changes and etiquette; etiquette and ethics; bibliography; resources; index ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For anyone wanting to master social skills
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Business Protocol continues to be an invaluable compendium of "user friendly" information for entrepreneurs and business managers in the protocols of the workplace. The corporate manager will receive gift-giving guidelines; communication (email, fax, cell phones, beepers, voice mail) etiquette standards; business meal and entertaining guidelines; the do's and don'ts of office friendships and romances; ethical conduct standards, holiday officer party norms; and much, much more. Business Protocol is "must" reading for anyone wanting to master those social skills that can help make their career or company successful in today's highly competitive marketplace. ... Read more

Book Description

What's the best way to ask a colleague to refrain from smoking in the office? What's the proper protocol for exchanging gifts with colleagues and clients? Is it okay to address the CEO by his or her first name? These and dozens of other business-etiquette questions are answered by trusted etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart and her coauthor Marian Faux in this indispensable handbook for office life in the nineties.

More than a collection of dos and don'ts, Executive Etiquette in the New Workplace is a practical and reassuring sourcebook that offers businesspeople at every rung of the corporate ladder the guidelines they need for handling the increasingly complex relationships of office life with confidence, grace, and style.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good reference to keep on the shelf
This book is quite thorough--probably more information than a person can internalize in one reading, but it's a good book to keep on the shelf in case you need to brush up before a special function (such as formal dinner, job interview, etc.) ... Read more

Book Description

How do you succeed in business? Everyone knows the first requirement: Be good at your job. But there is a second skill that can be every bit as important and that no on-the-job training covers: fitting in. The rules are subtle and unwritten, from wearing the right clothes to dealing with bosses, co-workers, and clientsùgood and bad. A major mistake can sink you. Get it right, from the start, by following the simple 20-step program in Office Etiquette & Protocol. ... Read more

Book Description

Be IN THE KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Doing business across borders is very different from doing business across town–subtle and not-so-subtle differences in attitudes and etiquette play a big role.

Did you know?
• Bowing in Japan isn’t just bending at the waist; where you put your hands and how deep you bow makes a big difference!
• Don’t give gifts in groups of four or nine. “Four” and “nine” are unlucky because the words sound like “death” and “hardship” in Japanese.
• Don’t expect Japanese colleagues to come out and say “no.” They will usually say “maybe.”

In the Know in Japan helps you:
• Fit right in by understanding local manners, etiquette, and behaviors
• Navigate through everyday life with tips for the whole family
• Get an insider’s perspective on the social and business environment

The book includes a FREE 60-minute CD with the key phrases you need to make a great impression. ... Read more