You gain the winning edge in business by knowing how to get the job done and by knowing how to treat people well. It's a winning combination. The following books will help you in your study of people skills and etiquette, and they will contribute to your personal growth.

Book Topics

Etiquette & Protocol | Body Language | Civility/Society | Conversation
Correspondence | Dining | Gift-Giving | Image | International/Cross-Cultural

Etiquette & Protocol

At Ease...Professionally - Klinkenberg, Hilka Our favorite, written by the founder and managing director of Etiquette International, contains everything professionals need to know to feel polished and self-assured in any business situation. It's part of the package of reference material we give to all participants in our seminars and one-on-one coaching sessions.

Debrett's Correct Form - Montague-Smith, Patrick, ed.
When it comes to the complex British system of titles, there is no better reference book. An invaluable and "infallible" guide for anyone dealing with the British.

Miss Manners' Basic Training: Communication - Martin, Judith
In her famously arch and witty style, Miss Manners explains everything anyone needs to know about communicating with others.

New Complete Guide to Executive Manners - Baldridge, Leticia
An excellent, comprehensive reference book on all aspects of American business etiquette by the doyenne of American business etiquette.

Protocol - McCaffree, Mary Jane and Pauline B. Innes
In this comprehensive 'bible' of diplomatic, official and social usage, the authors de-scribe the forms and procedures that constitute good protocol. What other book tells you how to deal with gate-crashers, the press, flag etiquette, order of diplomatic precedence and White House entertaining. That's why we include it in the reference pack-age for our seminar attendees.

The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette - Tuckerman, Nancy & Nancy Dunnan
The latest revision of a classic etiquette book. This is my favorite reference for social etiquette because it is practical, accessible and, as far as I've been able to determine, correct in all matters pertaining to the major and minor social events of our lives. A must for your bookshelf.

The New Manners for the 90's - Baldridge, Leticia
A complete updated guide to everything you need to know to handle the changing pro-tocols for today's intricate interpersonal relationships as well as for the traditional rituals of our lives. This is another one of Ms. Baldrige's many excellent books on etiquette.

Body Language

Gestures - Axtell, Roger

Civility/Society

Believers and Beliefs: A Practical Guide to Religious Etiquette for Business and Social Occasions - White, Gayle Colquitt

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than I.Q. for Character, Health and Lifelong Achievement - Goleman, Daniel
This book should be required reading for every parent, educator, or any individual who speaks or acts without thinking. If you want some insights into curbing the increasing incivility in today's society, this book is for you.

Conversation

Making People Talk - Farber, Barry

Correspondence

Addressing Overseas Business Letters - Allen, Derek
The title says it all. A terrific reference that tells you how to address the envelope correctly, handle the title of the recipient, and in which language the letter should ideally be written. Worth its weight for the added impact your overseas correspondence will have.

Crane's Blue Book of Stationery: The Styles and Etiquette of Letters, Notes, and Invitations - Feinberg, Stephen
An excellent book that explains a proper stationery wardrobe for all occasions and explains the styles and etiquette of letters, notes and invitations.

Forms of Address: A guide for Business and Social Usage - Holberg, Andrea et al.
A great little illustrated book on how to address just about anyone in business and social correspondence, in person, or in an introduction

Just a Note to Say: The Perfect Words for Every Occasion - Isaacs, Florence
Another terrific resource for those who are correspondence-challenged. I referred to this tiny book just the other day when my mind went blank composing a condolence note. It has good suggestions without being maudlin or syrupy.

Special Words: Notes for When You Don't Know What to Say - Heatherley, Joyce Landorf
This is a terrific book to have if the words just don't flow as smoothly from your pen as you would like.

The 100 Most Difficult Business Letters You'll Ever Have to Write, Fax, or E-Mail: Clear Guidance on How to Write Your Way Out of the Toughest Business - Heller, Bernard

Dining

Great Napkin Folding & Table Setting - Muller, Marianne & Ola Mikolasek
Even if fancy napkin folding is not your 'thing,' this book is worth having because it has some of the clearest photographs of proper table settings you'll find. And, it includes good descriptions and photos of the components of a properly set table, all for a reasonable price.

Miss Manners' Basic Training: Eating - Martin, Judith

The Rituals of Dinner - Visser, Margaret
An interesting examination of how and why we eat the way we do, with fascinating his-torical and cultural references to table manners. This book goes way beyond the es-sentials of dining skills, to explore the traditions and significance of the way we attend to one of the most basic aspects of our survival.

Gift Giving

In the Tiffany Style: Gift Giving for All Occasions - Tuckerman, Nancy
A classic from a classic source of gifts.

The Art and Etiquette of Gift-Giving - Bryan, Dawn
This book is out of print, but look for it in your local library. It covers every gift-giving situation you can imagine both in the USA and abroad.

Image

Command Respect: Cultivate the Qualities That Inspire and Impress Others - Garfinkel, Perry, Brian Paul Kaufman and the Editors of Men's Health
A spunky new book written in a style designed to appeal to young men starting out in business, but full of information that businessmen and businesswomen could benefit from. Hilka Klinkenberg is quoted extensively in the chapters "Around the World: How to Avoid a Culture Clash" and "At a Party: Merry-Making Made Easy."

International / Cross-Cultural

American Ways, A Guide for Foreigners in the United States - Althen, G.
In clear language, the author describes the basics of American culture and how it differs from the ways of other cultures. Most important for persons who have newly arrived in the USA, he explains how to respond most effectively to the Americans they will meet.

Bargaining Across Borders - Foster, Dean Allen
This book focuses on developing the skills of a good international negotiator rather than acting as a "do's and don'ts" cultural primer.

Brit-think Ameri-think: A Transatlantic Survival Guide - Walmsley, Jane
A hysterically funny, irreverent book about the differences between the British and the Americans by an American writer married to an Englishman and living in England. I first read this book on a flight from New York to San Francisco, and I cried with laughter the entire way. Don't miss it!

Celebrations Around the World: A Multicultural Handbook - Angell, Carole S.
Celebrations are an integral part of any culture. This is an excellent resource to help you say and do the right thing with your multicultural friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Communicating with Customers Around the World - Chan-Herur, K.C.
A concise, easy-to-use guide filled with 'must-know' information and practical tips to help you communicate with your international customers

Cracking the Global Market - Nadell

Diplomatic Handbook - Feltham, R. G.
Newly-revised text for those embarking on a diplomatic career that details the structure and various functions of the diplomatic community. And, it also provides valuable and practical information on protocol and procedures.

All of Roger Axtell's "Do's and Taboos" books are indispensable resources, written in an amusing and easy-to-read style, that will help you avoid the faux pas that can undermine international relations.

Do's and Taboos Around the World - Roger Axtell
One of the most popular quick reference books available for the international traveler.

Do's and Taboos Around the World for Women in Business - Roger Axtell
Women are not perceived the same way in other countries as they are in the USA. This book will help prepare you for some of the issues women face in the international business arena.

Do's and Taboos of English Around the World - Roger Axtell
Churchill once said the England and the USA are two countries divided by a common language. Just imagine the potential for linguistic misunderstanding when English is someone's second or third language! This book will help you avoid some of the misleading statements or embarrassing situations caused by our use of colloquial English.

Do's and Taboos of Hosting International Visitors - Roger Axtell

Do's and Taboos of Preparing for Your Trip - Roger Axtell
This comprehensive travel planner and guide makes it faster and easier than ever to plan a trip abroad by offering step-by-step guidance and by anticipating

Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World - Morrison, Teresa C., Wayne A. Conaway, Joseph Douress, Terri Morrison
This book focuses on the nuts and bolts of doing business abroad rather than on the intricacies of building the relationships that allow you to do business abroad. An excellent reference, but remember that in many parts of the world you will never get to this point if you haven't developed the relationships.

Gestures: Do's and Taboos of Body Language

Going International: How to Make Friends and Deal Effectively in the Global Marketplace - Copeland, L. and L. Griggs
A good primer if you're entering the international arena.

How to Negotiate Anything With Anyone Anywhere Around the World - Acuff, Frank
A good overview on negotiating strategies & tactics that is also a valuable and practical guide to negotiating with 40 cultures around the world.

How to Plan a Successful Trip - Hoffman, Ellen
Whether you're about to embark on your first trip abroad or whether you're a seasoned veteran, this little book is filled with terrific suggestions and checklists to reduce the stress of travel.

International Excellence - Engholm, Christopher & Diana Rowland
A succinct, well-written guide to the seven breakthrough strategies for personal and professional success in the international arena. Each chapter ends with a personal assessment survey so you can check your level of expertise or preparedness.

International Negotiation - Fisher, Glen
A skinny, but valuable, book that provides a conceptual framework of 5 considerations to help you better understand and manage the negotiating process in the international arena. My copy is highlighted from first sentence to last.

Japanese Business Etiquette - Rowland, Diana
A practical guide filled with detailed information to help you interact successfully in business with the Japanese.

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries - Morrison, Terri, et al.
A good, easy-to-use reference of the basics for the countries with which you're likely to do business. We include this book in the reference materials we give to the participants in our international protocol/etiquette seminars.

Managing Cultural Differences - Harris, Philip R. and Robert T. Moran
This is really a textbook in style and scope, but the self-assessment surveys, question-naires, and inventories are terrific tools.

Mindsets, The Role of Culture and Perception in International Relations - Fisher, Glen

Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society - Dresser, Norinne
An informative and entertaining guide to manners in today's multicultural American society by the writer of the 'Multicultural Manners' column for the Los Angeles Times. Full of 'aha' moments about every day interactions.

Riding the Waves of Culture - Trompenaars, Fons
Although it is a bit textbookish, this is an excellent book to enlighten American managers on various global cultures and how their intrinsic beliefs impact business interactions and influence business behavior. Includes excellent examples of successful and failed cross-cultural business transactions of Fortune 500 companies.

Rules of the Game: Global Business Protocol - Leaptrott, Nan
This book, by my friend and colleague, is a simple, practical methodology for under-standing intercultural interactions. By examining fundamental motivating factors for each culture, you learn to identify the rules around the world and understand the global players, their motivations and their modus operandi.

Survival Kit for Overseas Living - Kohls. L. Robert
I wish I had read this book before moving to any of the six countries in which I've lived. Then I would have known the potential perils of moving to a new country and I would have had some awareness of the tools needed to overcome the obstacles instead of learning it all the hard way!

The Art of Crossing Cultures - Storti, Craig
This little book will help anyone understand the mental processes that occur when confronting a different culture, and how to anticipate the differences and master alternative reactions.

The Asian Mind Game - Chu, Chin-Ning
This fascinating insight into the secrets of the Asian psyche that influence Asian behavior in business, politics, lifestyle, and battle (or negotiation!) is essential reading for anyone negotiating with Asian executives.

The International Businesswoman of the 90's: A Guide to Success in the Global Marketplace - Rossman, Marlene
Filled with helpful information and practical advice on how to take advantage of your natural abilities.

The Pan-American Dream: Do Latin America's Cultural Values Discourage True Partnership with the United States and Canada - Harrison, Lawrence E.
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of the Americas as an economic unit. It is a hard-hitting examination of the contrasting and conflicting values and attitudes of the Ibero-Catholic and Anglo-Protestant cultures and their effects on current and future economic relations by a man who knows his subject well.

The Seven Cultures of Capitalism - Hampden-Turner, Charles & Alfons Trompenaars
The authors examine the unique values, habits, and cultural styles of the USA, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the Netherlands as key ingredients of their economic success. Understanding these different habits helps us gain control over our business behavior when dealing with representatives of these cultures.

Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity - Fukuyama, Francis
One of my favorite books and a 'must' for anyone serious about doing business in other cultures. Fukuyama contends that we cannot divorce economic life from cultural life and that social capital is as important as physical capital. He analyses the relevance of social trust in creating the types of business organizations found in different cultures.

Understanding Arabs - Nydell, Margaret
The only good cross-cultural guide I've found for an overview of the framework of Arab culture as well as for each of the nineteen Arab countries and their differences.

Understanding Cultural Differences - Hall, Edward T. & Mildred Reed Hall
If you think all Europeans are alike, and not that different from Americans, this book is an eye-opener. Based on their decades of research into and writing about intercultural relations, the authors examine the three countries individually and in relation to one another. And, they give lots of advice to avoid the misunderstandings and miscommunications that can occur among businesspersons from these cultures.

When In Rome... - Mole, John
A perceptive and entertaining guide through the corporate minefield of twelve nations of the European community. It's also a practical rule book to help you avoid the faux pas that can spoil cross-cultural business relationships.

With Respect to the Japanese - Condon, John C.
A great little book that examines the critical values, attitudes and behaviors that affect the way Japanese and Americans perceive and react to one another.