{"id":22217,"date":"2025-10-28T10:29:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T08:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/?p=22217"},"modified":"2025-10-28T10:29:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T08:29:40","slug":"wiit-soft-skills-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wiit-soft-skills-series\/","title":{"rendered":"WIIT Soft Skills Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Muted Mics, Missing Manners: Business Etiquette in the<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital World<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s workplace, etiquette goes far beyond handshakes and office greetings. It shapes credibility, trust, and workplace culture in both physical and digital spaces. Based on the WIIT webinar, Muted Mics, Missing Manners, hosted by Thenzie Stewart (WIIT Chair) with guest speaker Lindiwe Monyae, this guide unpacks essential Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts for navigating hybrid work with professionalism and respect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u25a0 Do\u2019s of Business Etiquette<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dress appropriately for the culture (slightly more formal if unsure).<\/li>\n<li>Greet colleagues\/clients with a warm \u201cGood morning\/afternoon.\u201d Offer a handshake or polite nod.<\/li>\n<li>Use clear subject lines, full words, and professional tone in emails\/chats. Proofread before sending.<\/li>\n<li>Speak clearly, listen actively, and allow others to finish.<\/li>\n<li>Switch camera on at the start to show presence; maintain eye contact with the lens.<\/li>\n<li>Join meetings\/classes on time, whether online or in person.<\/li>\n<li>Focus fully on the meeting, close email, silence phone, take notes.<\/li>\n<li>Send action points, thank-you notes, or follow-ups promptly.<\/li>\n<li>Use schedule-send for after-hours emails; respect people\u2019s time zones.<\/li>\n<li>Use headphones in public, password-protect sensitive files, and ask before recording.<\/li>\n<li>Sit upright, maintain open posture, use eye contact to show attentiveness.<\/li>\n<li>Nod occasionally, smile, and use hand gestures sparingly to show engagement.<\/li>\n<li>Address everyone politely, regardless of role; introduce yourself clearly.<\/li>\n<li>Circulate agendas and reading material beforehand; stick to time.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your physical or digital desk neat, organised notes, clean background.<\/li>\n<li>Exchange contact details, send a quick follow-up \u201cthank you.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Be aware of cultural norms, pronouns, and inclusive language.<\/li>\n<li>Set healthy work\/life boundaries; respect others\u2019 personal time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u25a0 Don\u2019ts of Business Etiquette<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t assume \u201cmy clothes don\u2019t matter\u201d\u2014first impressions stick.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t dive straight into business without acknowledging the person.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t use slang, all caps, or send one-word messages like \u201cHi?\u201d with no context.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t interrupt, dominate, or raise your voice unnecessarily.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t stay off-camera the whole meeting unless you\u2019ve explained why.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t arrive late or keep others waiting without notice.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t answer emails, browse, or snack noisily on camera.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t ignore agreed tasks or leave colleagues guessing about progress.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t call\/video-call without booking, or expect instant replies outside hours.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t discuss company matters in caf\u00e9s, on speakerphone, or share screenshots casually.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t slouch, cross arms defensively, or check your phone mid-conversation.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t appear distracted, look away constantly, or keep camera pointed at the ceiling.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t assume juniors \u201cdon\u2019t matter\u201d or send curt, contextless messages.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t hold meetings without purpose, or let discussions meander endlessly.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t let clutter, noise, or unprofessional backdrops distract from your message.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t connect only when you need something; relationships are built over time.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t use biased jokes, slang, or exclude colleagues from informal circles.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t glorify overwork or expect others to be online 24\/7.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u201cEvery generation has its own way of working, but respect never goes out of<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>fashion.\u201d \u2014 Lindiwe Monyae<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Watch the webinar here : <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/D47-OokuByw?si=CTG86Tpy5YvwZa-o\"><em>https:\/\/youtu.be\/D47-OokuByw?si=CTG86Tpy5YvwZa-o<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u25a0 <strong>Call to Action:<\/strong> Put these Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts into practice at your next meeting\u2014whether online or in person. Share your own best etiquette practices with the WIIT community, and join us for the next session in our Soft Skills Series<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Muted Mics, Missing Manners: Business Etiquette in the Digital World In today\u2019s workplace, etiquette goes far beyond handshakes and office greetings. It shapes credibility, trust, and workplace culture in both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":22218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22219,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22217\/revisions\/22219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womeninit.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}