Table Of ContentPraise for Etiquette & Communication Strategies
for Nurses, Third Edition
“Kathy Pagana has done it again! This well-written, easy-to-use, comprehensive discussion
of social and professional etiquette is a must-read for all aspiring and experienced nurses.
Whether you are a new graduate interviewing for your first nursing position or a seasoned
nurse with years of experience, Etiquette & Communication Strategies for Nurses,
Third Edition, is your complete guide to setting a positive, professional tone; building collegial
relationships; and optimizing your nursing career. Pithy quotes, helpful FAQs, and essential
take-away tips add valuable insights and texture to Pagana’s fluid, skillful, and understand-
able writing style. Get ready for a fun, readable, professional etiquette experience!”
–Cynthia Clark, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Strategic Nursing Advisor, ATI Nursing Education
Author, Creating and Sustaining Civility in Nursing Education
“Navigating the professional pitfalls that we all find ourselves in can be challenging. Kathy
Pagana has made figuring out the nuances of meeting, greeting, connecting, and form-
ing lasting collegial relationships a breeze. This book is filled with read-it and use-it tools.
Whether you are new to your career or a seasoned veteran, you’ll learn something that will
pave the way for future success.”
–Vicki Hess, RN
Author, Top 5 Healthcare Speaker, Virtual Coach
Principal, Employee Engagement Solutions, LLC
“Etiquette isn’t just a nicety; it’s essential for a successful nursing career. Keep Etiquette &
Communication Strategies for Nurses, Third Edition, nearby as you steer your career. Its
streamlined format allows you to easily dip into it again and again to find answers on how to
handle professional situations. Whether it’s navigating social media, networking effectively,
dining out without embarrassing yourself, or becoming a more effective presenter and writer,
Kathy Pagana’s practical insights make this book an indispensable resource for nurses in all
specialties and practice settings.”
–Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
President, CLS Development Inc.
Editor, Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses, Third Edition
“If you have questions about etiquette, chances are that Kathleen Pagana has the answer.
Her etiquette book is a comprehensive guide for any nurse wanting to appear polished and
professional. Illustrated with stories, key tips, and recommendations, it will prevent you from
embarrassing yourself. The organization of the material makes it easy to dip into the topics of
most interest. You’ll want this guide to help you put your best foot forward.”
–Pat Iyer, MSN, RN, LNCC
Author, 52 Writing Tips: Fast and Easy Ways to Polish Your Writing
“Kathy Pagana’s book Etiquette & Communication Strategies for Nurses, Third Edi-
tion, is an invaluable resource for nurses at any point in their career. Whether one is a new
nursing graduate learning to navigate the professional setting, an experienced nurse looking
to grow in new ways, or a nursing executive, Pagana provides the reader with tools to thrive
in any professional setting.”
–Rebecca FitzSimons, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director of Nursing Programs, UChicago Medicine
“Kathleen Pagana takes a fun look at the skills necessary to manage various professional situ-
ations with poise, grace, and common sense. She discusses situations that, if managed appro-
priately, can make a difference in your career. Definitely a book for aspiring, newly promoted,
or experienced nursing leaders.”
–Tami Taylor, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer, St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center
ETIQUETTE &
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGIES for Nurses
ADVANCEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR YOUR CAREER
T H I R D E D I T I O N
KATHLEEN D. PAGANA, PHD, RN
Copyright © 2020 by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in
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This book is not intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed medical professional.
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ISBN: 9781948057639
EPUB ISBN: 9781948057646
PDF ISBN: 9781948057653
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/2019952347
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First Printing, 2019
Publisher: Dustin Sullivan Managing Editor: Carla Hall
Acquisitions Editor: Emily Hatch Project Editor: Todd Lothery
Development Editor: Todd Lothery Copy Editor: Todd Lothery
Cover Designer: Rebecca Batchelor Proofreader: Gill Editorial Services
Interior Design/Page Layout: Rebecca Batchelor Indexer: Larry Sweazy
Dedication
This book is dedicated with much love to my husband, Tim, and our three
daughters, Jocelyn, Denise, and Theresa.
About the Author
Kathleen D. Pagana, PhD, RN, is a dynamic speaker and bestselling author.
She is an emeritus professor at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
and the president of Pagana Keynotes & Presentations. She has been a leader in
healthcare for more than 40 years. She has a BSN from the University of Maryland
and an MSN and PhD in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She has
earned the prestigious designation of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) from
the National Speakers Association.
She is the author of more than 95 articles and 29 books. Her business etiquette
articles have appeared in more than 15 different national publications. Her most
popular books, Mosby’s Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference (14th ed.) and Mosby’s
Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests (6th ed.), have sold almost 2 million copies,
with translations in Chinese, French, Greek, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, and
Spanish.
In her positions as patient care manager, military officer, faculty chair, academic
dean, and director on the board of a healthcare system, professional etiquette has
helped her handle a number of business challenges. She has enjoyed the privilege
of helping thousands feel more comfortable in professional and business situations
where they are in the spotlight and need to look and act their best.
Table of Contents
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
1 Making Your Acquaintance . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introductions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Elevator Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Shaking Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Remembering Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Business Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Conversations and Networking for
Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Conversational Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Art of Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Generational Differences in Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Transgender Issues/Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Mentoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Name Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Communicating With a Person Who Has a Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Nurse-to-Nurse Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Nurse-to-Physician Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Patient Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3 When Talking to an Audience:
Presentation Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Starting a Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Closing With Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
viii Etiquette & Communication Strategies for Nurses, Third Edition
Targeting Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Planning With the Analog Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Determining Your Core Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Harnessing Your Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Avoiding a Data Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Using Stories and Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Citing Quotes and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Adding Humor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Ending on Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
The Value of Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
How to Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Getting Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Knowing When You’re Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Managing Fear and Anxiety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Avoiding the Seven Deadly Speaker Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
4 Your Professional Presence . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Professional Clothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Dressing in the Clinical Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Body Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5 Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Preparing for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Professionalism During the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
After-Interview Professionalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Phone Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6 Meetings Still Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Planning and Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Reasons Not to Have a Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Table of Contents ix
Chairperson Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Etiquette for Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Introductions and Seating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Follow-Up Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Serving Food and Refreshments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Virtual Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
7 Communication Technology . . . . . . . . . . 133
Email Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Telephone and Speakerphone Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Cellphone Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Voicemail Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Text Messaging Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Fax Machine Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
8 Avoiding Social Media Blunders . . . . . . 153
Social Media Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Complying With HIPAA on Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
LinkedIn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Instagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Snapchat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Pinterest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Blogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
9 Mingling Among the Cocktail Set . . . . . . 181
RSVP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Greetings and Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
