Business and Corporate Etiquette Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Client Relationship Managers, Managers and Supervisors and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PE-006

Before you join: Participants should have experience working in a professional office, client-service, public-sector or corporate setting and should be comfortable communicating in the course language.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Business etiquette affects how colleagues, clients, senior leaders and external partners judge reliability, judgement and respect. Small failures can create avoidable friction: an unclear introduction, a poorly handled meeting, inappropriate dining behaviour, weak email tone or a missed follow-up. In international and cross-functional work, assumptions about hierarchy, time, formality and relationship-building can also damage trust.

This course develops the practical conduct expected in formal business settings. Participants learn to make introductions, manage professional conversations, use appropriate greetings and forms of address, host visitors, attend meetings, communicate by email and video, handle business meals, exchange gifts appropriately and respond to difficult social moments. The course also addresses cultural awareness, protocol precedence, confidentiality and the judgement needed when written rules do not cover a situation.

Teaching combines focused briefings with realistic cases, small-group analysis, observed simulations and structured feedback. Participants apply etiquette principles to situations such as client receptions, executive meetings, virtual calls, supplier visits and formal meals. They leave with a personal business etiquette action plan, communication templates and practical checklists for common professional interactions.

The course suits professionals whose roles require regular contact with clients, leaders, officials, partners or colleagues from different business cultures. It is particularly valuable for managers, client-facing staff, executive assistants, protocol personnel and professionals moving into roles with greater visibility or representational responsibility.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply professional introduction, greeting and forms-of-address protocols in formal business encounters
  • Use the Platinum Rule to adapt conduct to colleagues, clients and senior stakeholders
  • Plan and host meetings, visits and receptions using clear protocol and hospitality checklists
  • Write emails, invitations and follow-up messages with appropriate tone, structure and response etiquette
  • Manage dining, seating and table-service situations according to accepted business meal conventions
  • Conduct video meetings using camera, audio, chat and participation etiquette
  • Handle etiquette breaches, awkward requests and culturally sensitive moments with tactful responses
  • Create a personal business etiquette action plan for priority workplace interactions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence during introductions, formal meetings and client hospitality
  • Clearer judgement about hierarchy, forms of address and professional boundaries
  • Improved written tone in emails, invitations and follow-up correspondence
  • Reduced anxiety when attending business meals and formal events
  • A practical plan for improving personal presence in visible workplace situations

For your organisation

  • More consistent client-facing conduct across teams and locations
  • Fewer avoidable misunderstandings during meetings, visits and formal events
  • Stronger professional impression among clients, partners and senior stakeholders
  • Better-quality correspondence, invitations and meeting follow-up
  • Clearer staff expectations for hospitality, confidentiality and respectful conduct

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess and strengthen the professional behaviours that shape first impressions.

  • Professional presence: appearance, punctuality, preparation and attentive body language
  • First-impression cues assessed through credibility, warmth and situational appropriateness
  • The Platinum Rule applied to differing communication preferences
  • Personal presentation standards for office, client and formal-event settings
  • Posture, eye contact and handshake choices within health and cultural norms
  • Time etiquette: arrival, waiting, rescheduling and respectful departure
  • Digital traces reviewed through profiles, status messages and email signatures

Participants can introduce people, start conversations and close interactions with confidence.

  • Introduction order determined by seniority, client status and host responsibility
  • Names repeated accurately using confirmation and pronunciation-checking techniques
  • Forms of address selected for titles, ranks, academic credentials and familiarity
  • Opening questions built around context, purpose and shared professional interests
  • Small-talk boundaries maintained through neutral topics and respectful curiosity
  • Conversation turn-taking managed with active listening and concise contributions
  • Graceful exits signalled through appreciation, next steps and appropriate farewells

Participants can adapt their conduct to hierarchy while maintaining respectful working relationships.

  • Organisational hierarchy interpreted through role, decision rights and meeting purpose
  • Respect shown without excessive deference or artificial familiarity
  • Office-door, interruption and availability conventions handled with professional judgement
  • Shared-space etiquette covering desks, kitchens, lifts and confidential conversations
  • Requests framed using purpose, timing, options and realistic response expectations
  • Constructive disagreement expressed through the SBI feedback model
  • Professional boundaries maintained around humour, personal questions and social invitations

Participants can communicate through written and telephone channels with appropriate tone and control.

  • Email subject lines state action, topic and required response
  • Message structure uses purpose, context, action and courteous close
  • CC, BCC and reply-all decisions protect relevance and confidentiality
  • Response-time expectations set through acknowledgements, out-of-office notices and follow-ups
  • Invitation wording covers purpose, venue, attendance and RSVP deadline
  • Telephone openings identify caller, organisation, purpose and availability
  • Voicemail messages provide concise context, callback details and urgency level
  • Written tone checked for formality, clarity, courtesy and unintended ambiguity

Participants can prepare and conduct professional meetings and visitor interactions using clear protocol.

  • Meeting invitations specify objective, participants, agenda, access and preparation
  • Host and chair responsibilities distinguished before the meeting begins
  • Reception procedures cover greeting, badges, waiting areas and escorts
  • Seating plans reflect seniority, function, accessibility and conversation needs
  • Agenda etiquette protects time, participation, decisions and agreed actions
  • Visitor briefings address security, confidentiality, facilities and local arrangements
  • Closing protocols confirm decisions, thanks, departures and follow-up ownership

Participants can attend and host business meals and events with appropriate confidence and judgement.

  • Business meal objectives clarified before venue, guest list and budget choices
  • RSVP protocol covers acceptance, dietary needs, cancellations and punctual arrival
  • Place settings read through glassware, cutlery sequence and napkin conventions
  • Table conversation balances relationship-building, discretion and inclusive participation
  • Host duties include welcome, ordering, introductions, payment and guest comfort
  • Alcohol decisions guided by policy, moderation, consent and client context
  • Thank-you messages acknowledge hospitality, discussion points and agreed next steps

Participants can participate in and lead virtual interactions with disciplined digital conduct.

  • Video-call preparation checks background, lighting, camera angle and audio quality
  • Joining etiquette covers display names, punctual entry and microphone control
  • Camera-use expectations balanced with bandwidth, accessibility and meeting purpose
  • Chat messages kept relevant, readable and appropriate for permanent records
  • Virtual introductions establish roles, location, attendance and speaking order
  • Hybrid meetings prevent remote participants becoming observers rather than contributors
  • Screen-sharing etiquette uses clean desktops, readable materials and permission checks
  • Closing virtual sessions confirms actions, files, deadlines and follow-up channels

Participants can recognise cultural differences and choose respectful responses without stereotyping.

  • Cultural humility separates observation, assumption and respectful enquiry
  • High-context and low-context communication patterns compared for meeting preparation
  • Power-distance expectations considered when addressing senior stakeholders and officials
  • Time orientation influences scheduling, deadlines, hospitality and relationship-building
  • Gift-giving decisions checked against policy, value limits and local custom
  • Religious observances accommodated through scheduling, food choices and greetings
  • Interpreters briefed on purpose, terminology, confidentiality and speaking pace
  • Chatham House Rule distinguished from confidentiality and public attribution

Participants can respond calmly and respectfully when professional interactions become awkward or sensitive.

  • Etiquette breaches addressed privately, promptly and without public embarrassment
  • Names, titles and pronouns corrected using brief respectful language
  • Unwanted personal questions redirected through boundary-setting and topic transition
  • Late arrivals handled through acknowledgement, recap and minimal disruption
  • Confidential information protected during travel, meals and informal conversations
  • Declining invitations or gifts uses appreciation, policy reference and alternatives
  • Apologies follow acknowledgement, responsibility, remedy and future commitment
  • Escalation decisions distinguish minor discomfort from conduct requiring formal reporting

Participants can translate course principles into measurable conduct commitments for their role.

  • Personal etiquette audit identifies strengths, risks and recurring workplace situations
  • Stakeholder mapping prioritises clients, leaders, peers, visitors and suppliers
  • Interaction standards drafted for meetings, correspondence, hospitality and virtual calls
  • Pre-event checklists adapted for visits, presentations, meals and receptions
  • Feedback requests structured around observed behaviours and future improvement
  • Thirty-day action plan assigns behaviours, dates, evidence and review points
  • Manager discussion prepares support, accountability and role-specific expectations

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Personal business etiquette action plan
  2. Professional introduction and forms-of-address checklist
  3. Meeting and visitor-hosting protocol checklist
  4. Business email and invitation template set
  5. Business meal and event conduct guide
  6. Virtual meeting etiquette checklist

Who should attend

  • Client Relationship Managers — represent their organisation in high-stakes client interactions
  • Managers and Supervisors — set conduct standards for teams and external meetings
  • Executive Assistants — coordinate senior-level meetings, visitors and formal correspondence
  • Sales and Business Development Professionals — build credibility during prospect and partner engagements
  • Protocol and Public Affairs Officers — manage official visits, ceremonies and stakeholder events
  • Technical Specialists — communicate confidently when moving into client-facing responsibilities

Skills and tools covered

Professional presenceBusiness communication etiquetteMeeting protocolCross-cultural awarenessClient hospitalityTactful issue handling

Tools and standards

The Platinum Rule, SBI feedback model, Chatham House Rule, RSVP protocol

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish etiquette principles, followed by case work based on client meetings, executive visits, formal meals and virtual interactions. Participants assess realistic situations, practise introductions and conversations, and take part in structured simulations with peer and instructor feedback. Group exercises compare acceptable responses where cultural expectations differ. Reflection periods help participants identify habits that support or weaken their professional presence. The final application planning session converts course learning into specific actions for upcoming workplace interactions.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working in a professional office, client-service, public-sector or corporate setting and should be comfortable communicating in the course language. Familiarity with routine emails, meetings and video calls is assumed. The course is designed for people who already interact with colleagues or external stakeholders and want more consistent judgement in formal situations. No prior protocol qualification, hospitality background, international travel experience or knowledge of diplomatic etiquette is required. Participants do not need to memorise formal rules before attending.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience of routine workplace communication, meetings or client contact. No previous etiquette, protocol or hospitality training is required.

Bring examples of the professional situations you find difficult, such as meetings, client meals or formal emails. If permitted by your employer, you may also bring anonymised invitations, correspondence or event procedures for discussion.

It suits professionals who represent their employer with clients, senior leaders, visitors, suppliers or public officials. It is also useful for people moving into management, relationship-management or executive-support roles.

Customer service training concentrates on service interactions and issue resolution, while communication courses focus more broadly on messages and influence. This course focuses on the conduct, protocol and judgement expected in formal professional interactions.

You will use the checklists and templates for introductions, meetings, emails, virtual calls, visitor hosting and business meals. The personal action plan identifies priority situations in your own role and sets observable behaviour changes.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided among instructor input, cases, group work, simulations, feedback and application planning across the ten modules.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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