Excuse Me: The Survival Guide to Modern Business Etiquette Hardcover – August 10, 2017

Excuse Me: The Survival Guide to Modern Business Etiquette by Rosanne Thomas“Excuse Me” is a solid book that offers practical business etiquette advice that covers four generations. Certified Etiquette and Protocol Consultant, and founder of Protocol Advisors, Inc., Rosanne Thomas explores what it takes to survive and thrive in today’s demanding global workplace. This useful 289-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. Respect: Practicing the Platinum Rule, 2. Social Skills: Putting Your Best Foot Forward, 3. Professional Presence: Getting It Right, 4. Business Behavior: Combining Proven Strategies with 21st Century Expectations, 5. Business Communication: Making the Connection, 6. Electronic Communication: Smart Rules for Smart Devices, 7. Twitter, Etc.: Acing Social Media, 8. Business Dining: Observing the Formalities, 9. The Social Side of Business: Knowing the Basics for Every Situation, and 10. New Frontiers: Future-Proofing Your Career.Positives:1. An engaging, well-written book.2. Interesting topic, modern business etiquette. An important and practical topic in the expert hands of Rosanne Thomas.3. The book flows very well. Each chapter begins with a topic-appropriate quote, concepts are explained with clarity and practical examples are provided.4. Civility and respect at the foundation of a well-run organization. “Golden Rule falls short. Its basic premise is that there is only one frame of reference—one’s own—for determining how another would like to be treated. A newer rule, the Platinum Rule, goes one big step farther by requiring truly respectful people to treat others as they would wish to be treated.”5. Goes over the four generations in the workforce: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y/Millennials.6. Provides interesting defining characteristics of each generation. “Applicants should speak to what millennials value most: work-life integration, teamwork, and continuous learning.”7. The importance of your brand. “Says Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, ‘Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.’”8. Helpful philosophy, the advice of Guru Sai Baba, who said, “Before you speak, ask yourself: is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?”9. Business attire rules.10. Proper business etiquette. Polite points to understand in the cubicle life.11. How to make effective connections. “The ability to read and send nonverbal cues is critical in the professional arena. In face-to-face interactions, studies tell us that approximately 60 percent of communication is nonverbal, 30 percent is tone of voice, and only 10 percent is the words we say.” Bonus, “When we make eye contact with others, we not only show respect and attention, we connect, build trust, and bond. Doctors, attorneys, and coaches use it to comfort, persuade, influence, encourage, and control. Without eye contact, they could not effectively do their jobs.”12. Debunks the myth of multitasking. “The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially, one at a time . . . to put it bluntly, research shows that we cannot multitask.”13. The limitations of electronic communication. “In a number of key areas, including developing new relationships, negotiating, maintaining relationships, and overcoming cultural barriers, face-to-face communication beats electronic by overwhelming percentages.”14. Provides helpful email guidelines and texting tips.15. Interesting studies. “Studies show that millennials especially are far more influenced by online endorsements made by their friends than they are by direct marketing from brands.”16. The pitfalls of business dining. “The savvy professional knows a business meal is not about the food. In calm and comfortable surroundings, away from the frantic pace of the office, a guest is far more likely to let her genuine persona emerge, laying the groundwork to establish true rapport.”17. The dining do’s and don’ts.18. The social side of business. A brief primer on wine.19. A look at the future workplace. “The profoundly human skills of interpersonal communication, empathy, and compassion, along with others such as creativity, problem-solving, and caring, are the ones people will get hired for in the future.”20. Notes included.Negatives:1. Lack of visual supplementary materials to compliment the narrative.2. I like to see best practices from major companies.3. No formal bibliography.In summary, a very useful book to own. Thomas provides many practical examples and sound advice to all four working generations. The importance of civility and respect is the main focus of the book. This is an excellent refresher on good manners in the modern workplace. I recommend it!Further recommendations: “Collaborative Intelligence” by Dawna Markova, “Getting More” by Stuart Diamond, “Good Stratefy Bad Strategy” by Richard Rumelt, “Great Teams” by Don Yeager, “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, and “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg,

I enjoyed the book and its overarching themes. So often we forget the simple lessons of life and living in this world. Treat those as you would like to be treated, your actions have consequences, and act in accordance with some type of moral compass. This book talks about these themes in an easy to read and understand format. My only beef with the book, and this is minor, is the vignettes at the beginning or end of each chapter. After reading 2-3 you see the pattern and their usefulness is a bit stale. However, all in all this is a well written book that I recommend to my junior officers (I am a semi-senior US Army officer) and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

It’s been said that the test of good manners is the ability to put up pleasantly with bad ones. But in a world where in-your-face behavior is sometimes mistaken as a strength, it’s often hard to understand the rules of etiquette.Etiquette. It’s a fussy word that almost defies definition. I grew up at a time when I’d get extra homework if I dared say “Yeah” to a teacher rather than “Yes, sir.” Men stood when a lady entered the room. I never referred to my parents’ friends by their first names. I asked to be excused before leaving the dinner table.Those “Leave It to Beaver” days seem very distant now. But I still want to behave in ways that show respect for others without coming across as an antique from another era.I’m apparently not alone. And thanks to this fine book by “professional presence” consultant Rosanne Thomas, there’s guidance on everything from first impression management to social media savvy. Thomas covers every nuance of "etiquette" one might imagine. And in this age of changing mores, it's helpful to have some clear standards of what's not only acceptable but what's truly appropriate.

"Etiquette" might seem like an outdated concern, but it's as important today as it ever was--perhaps even more as the workplace becomes more diverse, generations with different values strive to make a contribution together, and teams become more global. This book is a trove of insights and advice that can help anyone at any level in the organization collaborate more successfully and have better at-work relationships. It covers the basics of everyday manners, appropriate attire, and good table manners. Interwoven throughout is guidance to help workers of different generations collaborate effectively and respect one another. There's an excellent section on interviewing and the hiring process. And the book is fully up to date with the modern workplace: the section on social media is essential, and the insights about the form of the office space--cubicles vs. open space--should help everyone squeezed together in that small space work together with a minimum of friction. This book should be required reading for new hires and old hands alike. It would make a terrific gift for a new college graduate entering the workforce. An important book for the times we live and work in.

It is just a list of good manners for everyday life, which we should all practice as a matter of course. If you need to be reminded, it is a good reference, but an indictment on our society that we have to be reminded to practice good manners

The info provided is too much detailed and boring...It’s like learning basic manners when interacting with business people. Have no much to say