Have you ever found yourself in the awkward position of being tongue-tied and totally nervous because you were not sure who to introduce to whom? You feel totally insecure because both these personalities are VIP's in their own right; one is your boss and the other is head of another large company....But, everything you every heard about or learnt about introduction etiquette suddenly flew out of the "etiquette filing system" in your brain.

When you find yourself in such a situation; unless you are a great actor; several things happen - you lose yourself confidence; your facial expression changes; your posture appears less upright and your voice either raises a pitch or two or becomes inaudible.

The more confident you are when making introductions the more comfortable everyone around you will feel. To avoid feeling awkward or embarrassed and assist you in making introductions in a poised and polished fashion, here are some Business Introduction Etiquette guidelines:

Self Introductions: - When introducing yourself, include your first and last name; always add your title, such as office manager, if you have one; and your company's name and respond in a formal matter. Avoid saying "hi" it sounds too immature for business and saying "hello" is never enough. To appear more businesslike when you say "hello" say the other person's name, "hello, Jim Green, it is a pleasure meeting you."

Gender: - All business introductions are based on power and precedence. The person who holds the highest position in an organization takes the precedence over others who work there. Gender does not affect the order of introduction.

Rank: - The person with the highest rank in the company (President, CEO, etc) receives the person of lesser rank. Here is an example of an often used but incorrect form of introduction - "Mr. /Ms. Highest Rank, may I introduce You To Mr. /Ms. Lesser Rank." Using "introduce you to" reverses the order of precedence.

The proper way to make this introduction would be as follows: "Mr. /Ms. Highest Rank, may I introduce To You Mr. /Ms. Lesser Rank."

If the two words (to you; you to) are confusing, you may leave them out and instead simply say "Mr. /Ms. Highest Rank, may I introduce Mr. /Ms. Lesser Rank."

Forms of Address: - It is important to know the titles of people you are introducing. The offices are too numerous to go into within this article, but the following web page Protocol & Forms of Address will assist you in using the correct form of address.

Family Introductions: Never refer to your wife or husband as Mr. / Mrs. If your last name is known to everyone, all you need to say is "Tom, my husband," or "Mary, my wife." If a woman has a different last name from that of her husband, she should mention her husband's last name when introducing him. Clarify the relationship of your family member. Example: "Carl Pencil, I'd like to introduce Frank Vase, my brother."

Honorific: Never give yourself an honorific in an introduction. It is however considered proper etiquette to use honorifics in business, even if you know the other person on a personal level.

Focus: - Look at each person as you say their name. This draws attention to the individual and makes him or her feel important - while you look in control. Give a brief synopsis about each person that you introduce; this helps to make for easier opening conversations.

Good manners: If you forget a person's name, kindly apologize and ask them to repeat their name. This act of graciousness says that you would like to know their name and is much more courteous than avoiding them all together.

Always stand when you meet someone, and when you shake someone's hand. This also applies when saying goodbye. Gender does not play a role in business etiquette. Professional women undermine their credibility when they remain seated to shake hands or greet someone. Make sure you shake hands with everyone in a group - not just those that you know. Making proper introductions not only strengthens your credibility, it gives you more authority.

Joanna Parris, CSP is a Certified Home Staging Expert; President, Durham Chapter - RESA (Real Estate Staging Association); member of SEA (Staging Excellence Alliance) and certified Senior Move Manager (cSMM) - she can be reached at Joanna@effectivestaging.com