On Thursday 19th February we held the seminar “Business Etiquette for the XXI Century”, in collaboration with Leisure and Care.
Igor Urra, General Secretary of the Spanish Chamber, welcomed attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced Cristina González, the speaker for this session. She has combined a long career as a travel manager with her passion towards protocol, as she has been teaching it at different Protocol Schools in Spain. Nowadays, she is fully committed to Leisure and Care, the company that she recently created.
Mr. Igor Urra, our Secretary General, with Cristina González, speaker of the event.
Cristina introduced the session thinking out loud about what protocol means. In her own words, protocol is more than long dresses, wealthy people and fancy events. It is about rules and standards that make people’s personal and professional lives easier. The speaker focused, specifically, on basic Business Etiquette – or Protocol applied to business – rules that can help professionals to improve results while networking and attending meetings.
Nowadays, businesses have to deal with getting out there and making connections, this is the reason why, regarding Business Networking, Cristina mentioned that when going to an event one must have a plan to try to connect with, at least, three new people who could be beneficial for the business. Mainly because, sticking to those we already know will make us feel comfortable, but it will not help us to develop our contact network. On top of that, the speaker reminded us that important as it is to make contacts, it is essential to find reasons to reach out to them and keep in touch.
Cristina González, founder of Leisure and Care, during her presentation.
During the second part of the seminar, Cristina enlightened the audience on how manners can make the difference in the business world. She introduced several rules that, if followed one will not face the risk of losing any business because of an unprofessional behaviour. For instance, being on time and preparing the meeting ahead is essential, so that we do not waste anyone’s time; sitting appropriately – adjusting the chair so that everyone is at equal height – ; dressing according to the occasion – fifty-five percent of a good impression is based on how you look – and having a strong agenda will help you succeed.
At the end of the session, attendees took the opportunity to ask Cristina about unresolved questions around protocol and exchanged their views on the topic. After this, participants continued networking while enjoying some breakfast.
Participants had the opportunity to network after the seminar.
If you want to find out about other activities that the Spanish Chamber is organising, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website. Furthermore, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates on our events!