Grooming classes to help you revamp the way you walk, talk, dress and dine

Etiquette classes today cater to a wide audience of job seekers, front-desk execs, business heirs, romantics, students and even those with low self-esteem

There is this little anecdote about a suitor who's trying to impress his date at a fusion Indian restaurant, using a fork and knife to slice through the roti. As the man struggles, the lady simply uses her fingers to do the job. No marks for guessing how foolish Romeo would have felt.

What's the big deal about getting your manners right? In modern times, everything you do -- the way you walk, the way you talk, drink and dine, and even how you use email or make voice calls -- has certain rules. And there are a whole lot of finishing schools that offer training in three broad areas --- image, etiquette and communication -- to add finesse and class to your personality. Business etiquette is essential since it’s etched in stone and isn't as flexible as social etiquette, says Saloni from Bengaluru-based Florina Finishing School. “But in this new age, we are all becoming global citizens and communicating in the global arena, so socialising becomes an important part of the corporate world, too,” she adds.

The target audience 

From helping young women find the right partner, to getting millennials realise their self-worth, to enhancing the credibility of prospective heirs taking over family businesses from fathers and grandfathers, to guiding top-notch company executives up the corporate ladder, grooming classes are reaching out to a wide audience today. “People and diamonds only have real market value once polished,” says Delhi-based grooming veteran Pria Warrick, who runs the  Pria Warrick Finishing School at New Friends Colony.

"An image makeover not only completely transforms your visual appeal, but also gives you a social and emotional overhaul," says Mumbai-based Konkana Bakshi, founder of Savoir Faire Academie. 

Bakshi conducts one-on-one sessions with complete confidentiality for owners of listed companies who come for personal branding. Many clients approach her for grooming in public speaking, voice modulation, communication and image transformation and her private consultation fees vary from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6.5 lakh. Experts like her are also invited to train professionals on subjects like international business protocol and dining etiquette, and the cost for a group workshop starts at Rs 1.2 lakh a day.

"I have seen IT engineers who are technically sound but have no social skills, suffer from low self-esteem and almost depressive behaviour, and have zero corporate finesse," says Warrick. They virtually hide behind either their cell phones or the brands they own, as they have no confidence in their own skin, she points out. "But one of the worst in the world of etiquette is telephone manners, with sudden calls disturbing everybody in business circles. You can’t simply answer the phone or make calls from your mobile whenever you want. That is just not on. You need to take permission,” she says. Another huge problem area, Warrick says, is corporate dressing which has “gone for a toss”, with the entire approach of the working generation having become very casual. People considering it okay to enter a mall in floaters or walk into a five-star hotel in chappals. “What they tend to follow is cheap low-class American culture and that is far removed from the sophisticated Wall Street American or European class.”

What's on offer 

How to network with your business associates after work or at business socials is one of the bestselling programmes at Pria Warrick Finishing School, which teaches cross cultural protocol in dining, drinking, toasting, the art of formal seating on dinner table, laying out the cutlery and such like. “Indians drink and (then) eat whereas the world eats and then drinks. Cutlery is a problem area as Indians eat with the right whereas the world eats with the left.” Apart from Indian corporate executives, Warrick also trains many expats who have questions about how to behave in business social gatherings. A lot of international delegates ask whether they should shake hands with the spouses of their business associates or simply do a Namaste. Packages in this space start at Rs 35,000 and, with working professionals, the sessions are held over a few Saturdays.

What is the one tip etiquette experts want to give to corporate India? It is to remain even tempered. According to an international soft skills and business etiquette trainer, Maya Daswani, founder Persona Power Asia, “The higher you are in the echelons of society, status, position, wealth and leadership, the higher must be your command on diplomacy, overcoming irritation and anger in a positive constructive way of speaking- never raising your volume is the cardinal rule.” Research proves it isn't what you say but how you say it. Avoid abrupt answers in one or two words; most of all, be aware of your tone of voice, she says.

School curriculum?

What is the best way to pick up skills in grooming for a layperson? “I have always felt that if schools set up a curriculum that offered the finishing touches like we do, students would leave schools with their best foot forward and with great confidence”, says Saloni who runs one-on-one programmes for students at the Florina finishing school and charges anywhere between Rs 35,000 and Rs 50,000 for the programme of their choice. Each module is designed to help them achieve personal and professional success, but more than that cultivating an inner-outer growth, and it can be pretty life-changing for some,” she adds. Another expert, Kavita Golechha, Director Panache agrees. “Certainly, not only  grooming but many more aspects of soft skills, communication and personality development should be a part of the school curriculum as those years are the most impressionable,” she says. Though experts reckon foundations of etiquette should be a part of school curriculum, the best way to pick up grooming in today’s context is to do a capsule course from reputed consultants and by attending specialised workshops. Says Bakshi: “It may seem very generic, but the amount of learning that comes with specialised training is simply remarkable." 

Alternatively, one can watch videos of grooming experts for advice on the topic one is seeking help on.

Many of these corporate workshops are sponsored by the Human Resource (HR) department of companies, which invite experts in-house for group sizes that range from 10 to 25 people. According to corporate trainer Suneeta Sodhi Kanga, the training could be held at the client's office or in a hotel or banquet. For fine dining, wine and whisky appreciation, she says hotels are preferred. For a group of 10-25 participants, Kanga charges Rs 25,000 for a half-day workshop, Rs 40,000 for a full-day module, and Rs 75,000 for two-day programme, exclusive of 18 per cent GST.

How they smartened up

People are willing to invest in such programmes as they have often helped them improve, and in some cases has also radically transformation them. Hyderabad-based grooming expert Kavita Golechha talks of some below-average people who became super successful individuals and professionals all because of confidence the grooming instilled in them. Dipika Reddy, a small-town girl from Guntoor could barely speak English when she came to Hyderabad but now she is a confident designer who is extremely fluent in the language. Malthi Raju, a simple girl from Vishakapatnam, is a glamorous actress in Tollywood today. Businessman B D Sharma, though successful professionally, was very unhappy and depressed until he discovered the ‘New You’ programme. All these cases crop up in a chat with Golechha, who runs the Panache Finishing School. But the best one is that of a prospective daughter-in–law who was brought to Panache for a complete makeover by her would-be mother-in-law. The bride-to-be smartened up so much that she realised that the groom was no good for her as he was not willing to accept her as she was. So, she broke her engagement and became a trainer with the very academy that overhauled her personality.

Business etiquette: Quick rules

• Colours of the corporate world include black, brown, grey and cherry

• For men, formal suits in winter or summer suits are best; You could wear plain or striped trousers but no checks. Closed shoes are considered formal, preferably with laces; white socks are a big no-no

• Women should not go overboard with floral prints and should choose solids instead. In Western wear, girls must not have shirt tucked inside and the length of bottoms should at least be till the knees

• In case of sarees, best to stick to the ones with borders 

• No fancy jewellery, only petite pieces at workplace for women

• Neatly combed hair with a professional look

• Telephone etiquette: Make or receive a call only if its urgent and that too with permission

• Business cards: A person lower in rank or authority should never ask someone higher up for his card. If the latter doesn’t give his card on his own, find other ways of getting his co-ordinates later

Grooming classes: Indicative fee structure
Nature of consultation	Course name	Fee (in Rs)
Group batch	Business communication	20,000
Group batch	English enhancement	25,000
Group batch	Presentation skills, art of networking	15,000-35,000
Group batch	Business etiquette, telephone and electronic manners, netiquette (Email, laptop, social media, instant messaging and chat)	40,000-60,000
Group batch	International business etiquette and executive presence, fine dining and table manners, power dressing (Business attire and style management)	75,000-1,50,000
Private consultation	Public speaking, voice modulation, communication and image transformation	4-6.5 lakh
Classes can be held over a few sessions, say, on five Saturdays. They can be half-day or full-day sessions, or be spread over two continuous days. Group sessions for 15-30 corporate participants are cheaper than individual consultations and are often sponsored by the company and facilitated by the HR department.