When It Comes To Business Etiquette, Do You Make The Grade?

I frequently google around on etiquette topics to get a feel for what's out there, and last night's search gave me back this USA Today quiz on business etiquette. (Just turn off your volume first, it has annoying audio.)

It's a great quiz, asking lots of the questions that I am asked to cover when I lead business etiquette seminars. And they got all of the answers right! (I expected nothing less, but it's nice to these finer points hit so well.)

But, heh heh, I didn't get all the answers right (insert blush here). I got 14 out of 15, and I'll give you a leg up on the one I got wrong, as it taught me something new.

The question was, "What percentage of the message you communicate is conveyed through your visual appearance?" You could choose 30%, 55% or 75%, and never having heard these breakdowns before, I had to take a shot in the dark. I went for shock value and chose 75% (which would be scary if true).

Survey says: Incorrect! Phew. The answer is 55%, with this explanation: "This figure is from a study by Albert  Mehrabian , a professor of psychology at UCLA.  Your wardrobe should fit and be appropriate for the setting.  Pay attention to your body language, and don't forget to smile." I may have never heard this stat before, but as a professional etiquette expert, I couldn't agree more with the advice.

Comments

[Beth]

First, thank you for the warning about the sound. That is one of my biggest pet peeves about many websites. I missed the same one you did, because I took it before reading the rest of your post. I missed it in the same way, even. I did have to guess on the revolving door question, but I got it correct.

I realize this is grammar and not etiquette, but while they might've hit points of business etiquette correctly, they did mess up on language usage; the title is "Miss Business Manner's" Etiquette Quiz. Of course, the apostrophe is misplaced unless their fictional character's name is, indeed, Miss Business Manner. Would it be impolitic to point this out to them (or similar mistakes in a general business environment)?

[Carol]

I noticed that John McCain refused to look at Barack Obama during their first debate on
September 26, 2008. Even when they first came out on stage and shook hands, John Mccain turned away. I am sure it was very disconcerting to talk to someone who refuses to look in your direction. Should Barack Obama have pointed this out, or should he have continued to talk to the back of his head?