Professional Etiquette and Workplace Behaviour Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Managers and Supervisors, Client-Facing Professionals and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PE-030

Before you join: Participants should have some workplace experience and regularly communicate with colleagues, managers, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders.

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

Professional etiquette is not limited to table manners or dress. It affects whether colleagues, clients and senior stakeholders regard a person as prepared, reliable, respectful and safe to work with. Poorly handled introductions, unclear emails, missed response expectations, inappropriate humour, weak meeting discipline or defensive reactions can damage trust quickly. These issues become more consequential when staff represent their organisation with regulators, customers, donors, suppliers, government officials or international partners.

This course develops practical workplace behaviours for professional presence, spoken communication, digital conduct, meetings, feedback, difficult conversations and client-facing interactions. Participants learn how to make appropriate judgements about formality, hierarchy, cultural expectations, confidentiality and personal boundaries. They practise methods such as BLUF message structure, the SBI feedback model, DESC scripts and RACI decision roles. The course also addresses hybrid working etiquette, accessibility, inclusive language and the conduct expected when handling complaints, service failures or sensitive issues.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases, facilitated group work, communication simulations and structured reflection. Cases can be adapted for public sector, banking, NGO, corporate and customer-facing settings. Participants receive a certificate of completion and leave with reusable communication, meeting and professional conduct materials, including a personal etiquette plan and communication charter. The course is particularly useful for professionals moving into roles with greater stakeholder exposure, supervisory responsibility or client contact.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply professional presence protocols for introductions, dress, punctuality and workplace boundaries
  • Structure concise spoken and written messages using BLUF and clear action requests
  • Chair meetings using agendas, participation rules, decision records and action tracking
  • Deliver constructive feedback using the SBI model and feedforward techniques
  • Handle difficult conversations using DESC scripts, factual language and agreed boundaries
  • Adapt workplace conduct for cultural differences, hierarchy, accessibility and hybrid participation
  • Plan client-facing interactions using stakeholder protocol, hosting and service recovery principles
  • Produce a personal professional conduct plan with measurable behavioural commitments

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence during formal introductions, meetings and stakeholder visits
  • Clearer email and chat messages that receive faster, more useful responses
  • Practical scripts for raising concerns without damaging working relationships
  • Improved judgement on workplace boundaries, confidentiality and professional conduct
  • A structured plan for building reliable professional habits over 30 days

For your organisation

  • More consistent standards of conduct across client-facing and internal teams
  • Fewer communication errors, missed actions and avoidable meeting delays
  • Improved service recovery when complaints, errors or delays occur
  • Stronger professional representation during stakeholder meetings and formal visits
  • Earlier, more respectful resolution of interpersonal concerns and behaviour issues

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can create an appropriate professional presence from arrival through departure.

  • Professional presence signals judgement before formal conversations begin
  • First-impression management through punctuality, preparation, greeting and situational dress choices
  • Business attire decisions using organisational norms, client context and safety requirements
  • Introductions using names, roles, pronunciation checks and appropriate forms of address
  • Handshake, eye contact and personal-space choices adapted to local expectations
  • Reception, meeting-room and visitor etiquette from arrival through departure
  • Nonverbal congruence between facial expression, posture, voice and stated intent
  • Professional boundaries separating warmth, familiarity, confidentiality and personal disclosure

Participants can apply respectful conduct standards and make sound decisions about professional boundaries.

  • Organisational values translated into observable conduct, reliability and accountability
  • Professional boundaries for gifts, conflicts of interest and confidential information
  • Escalation routes for misconduct, harassment, discrimination and unsafe behaviour
  • Respectful language choices that avoid assumptions, stereotypes and exclusion
  • Reliability practices for commitments, deadlines, handovers and response expectations
  • Social-event conduct balancing relationship building, alcohol choices and discretion

Participants can communicate clearly, listen actively and express disagreement professionally.

  • Active listening using paraphrasing, clarifying questions, summaries and purposeful silence
  • Message structure through purpose, key point, evidence and requested action
  • Assertive communication distinguished from passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive patterns
  • DESC script for raising concerns while preserving professional relationships
  • Tone, pace and volume adjusted for authority, empathy and clarity
  • Interruptions, disagreement and conversational airtime managed without status games

Participants can select suitable communication channels and write professional digital messages.

  • Email subject lines, openings and closing conventions that prompt action
  • BLUF structure for concise messages to senior decision-makers
  • Channel selection across email, chat, telephone, video and face-to-face discussion
  • Response-time agreements, out-of-office notices and after-hours boundary setting
  • Digital tone checked for ambiguity, urgency, courtesy and unintended escalation
  • Confidentiality controls for recipients, attachments, forwarding and public channels

Participants can prepare, contribute to and chair meetings with clear behavioural standards.

  • Meeting purpose, agenda and attendee selection determined before invitations issue
  • Chairing protocols for openings, participation, timekeeping and decision closure
  • RACI matrix clarifies decision rights, consultation and communication responsibilities
  • Minutes distinguish decisions, actions, owners, due dates and unresolved issues
  • Virtual meeting etiquette covering cameras, muting, chat and screen sharing
  • Senior stakeholder meetings handled through briefing discipline and concise interventions

Participants can give feedback, respond to errors and address concerns without unnecessary escalation.

  • SBI feedback model separates situation, behaviour and observable impact
  • Feedforward requests convert criticism into specific future-oriented actions
  • Difficult conversations prepared through facts, interests, options and boundaries
  • Emotional self-management techniques prevent defensiveness, blame and reactive language
  • Apologies distinguish acknowledgement, ownership, remedy and future prevention
  • Complaint responses address service recovery, documentation and appropriate escalation

Participants can adjust conduct appropriately across cultures, hierarchies and accessibility needs.

  • Erin Meyer’s Culture Map compares communicating, evaluating and leading preferences
  • Direct and indirect communication styles interpreted without stereotyping individuals
  • Power distance affects greetings, challenge, decision-making and meeting participation
  • Time orientation shapes punctuality, deadlines, agendas and follow-up expectations
  • Religious observance, dietary needs and holidays accommodated respectfully
  • Cross-cultural misunderstandings repaired through curiosity, clarification and agreed norms

Participants can represent their organisation professionally during formal stakeholder interactions.

  • Client-facing etiquette establishes credibility during receptions, site visits and briefings
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies protocol requirements, influence, interests and communication preferences
  • Names, titles and introductions managed accurately in formal delegations
  • Hosting protocols cover invitations, seating, refreshments, gifts and departures
  • Service recovery conversations protect trust after delays, errors or unmet commitments
  • Representing the organisation aligns personal conduct with brand and public obligations

Participants can maintain professional standards in remote, hybrid and shared work settings.

  • Hybrid presence balances in-room participation with remote colleague inclusion
  • Video-call framing, lighting, backgrounds and eye-line support professional credibility
  • Chat etiquette distinguishes urgent requests, informal exchanges and documented decisions
  • Accessibility practices include plain language, captions, breaks and accessible documents
  • Shared-workspace conduct manages noise, desks, food and confidential conversations
  • Personal device use follows meeting norms, security requirements and attention standards

Participants can apply course methods through a focused plan for sustained workplace behaviour change.

  • Professional conduct self-assessment identifies behavioural strengths, risks and priority gaps
  • Stakeholder-specific etiquette plans define expectations for clients, leaders and peers
  • IF-THEN implementation intentions convert behavioural goals into reliable routines
  • Personal communication charter sets channel, response-time and availability commitments
  • Feedback requests gather observable evidence from managers, peers and clients
  • Thirty-day review schedule tracks habits, outcomes and corrective actions

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

What you take back to work

  1. Professional presence checklist
  2. BLUF email template
  3. Meeting chairing and minutes template
  4. SBI and DESC conversation guide
  5. Stakeholder etiquette planning model
  6. Thirty-day professional conduct plan

Who should attend

  • Managers and Supervisors — set conduct standards and address behaviour within their teams
  • Client-Facing Professionals — represent the organisation in meetings, visits and service interactions
  • Project Coordinators — manage communication, meetings and action follow-up across stakeholders
  • Administrative Professionals — handle formal correspondence, visitors, schedules and executive support
  • Technical Specialists — build credibility when presenting advice to non-technical stakeholders
  • Early-Career Professionals — establish dependable workplace habits and professional judgement

Skills and tools covered

Professional presenceBusiness communicationMeeting etiquetteFeedback conversationsCross-cultural conductDigital etiquette

Tools and standards

BLUF, SBI feedback model, DESC script, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce etiquette principles and communication methods, followed by cases drawn from meetings, correspondence, client visits and difficult workplace exchanges. Participants analyse scenarios, practise conversations, review written messages and take part in facilitated simulations. Group discussion compares appropriate responses across organisational cultures and stakeholder settings. Trainers provide structured feedback against observable behaviours, then guide participants in preparing a personal professional conduct plan and communication charter for immediate workplace use.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have some workplace experience and regularly communicate with colleagues, managers, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders. They should be prepared to reflect on their own communication habits and discuss realistic workplace situations professionally. No prior training in etiquette, communication theory, management or intercultural studies is required. The course does not require formal presentation experience, specialist software or pre-reading. Participants may bring examples of challenging emails, meeting situations or professional interactions, provided confidential information is removed.

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

Participants need some workplace experience and regular contact with colleagues or stakeholders. No previous etiquette, communication or management training is required.

Bring a notebook or laptop for personal notes and action planning. You may also bring anonymised examples of emails, meeting problems or difficult interactions you want to improve.

It suits professionals who represent their organisation, coordinate others, attend formal meetings or want more consistent workplace communication habits. It is useful for both individual contributors and first-line managers.

Presentation skills focus primarily on preparing and delivering formal presentations, while customer service training concentrates on service interactions. This course addresses everyday professional conduct across meetings, correspondence, feedback, boundaries, stakeholder visits and hybrid work.

Participants use reusable templates and scripts for emails, meetings, feedback and stakeholder interactions. The final module produces a personal conduct plan with specific behaviours to apply during the following 30 days.

The course runs for five instructor-led days from 08:30 to 16:30, with around 6.5 contact hours each day. Time is divided among instruction, cases, group work, simulations, feedback and individual application planning.

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

More courses in Personal Effectiveness

Personal Effectiveness Political Savvy and Emotional Intelligence Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Political Savvy and Stakeholder Influence Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Pre-Retirement Planning Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Priority and Time Management Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Psychological Safety at Work Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Resilience and Agility Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Self-Awareness and Emotional Control Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Personal Effectiveness Self-Awareness and Personal Effectiveness Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov