Expectations of professional communication in the workplace include:

• humility
  • do not over promote yourself
  • less is more - confident without being brash
• names
  • informal, first names are usually acceptable
  • take the lead from how others introduce themselves
• handshake
  • for an introduction or greeting, both men and women
  • make sure it is firm, not a 'limp fish'
• conversations
  • safe topics
    • sport, weekend, travelling
  • topics to avoid
    • relationships, politics, religion, age, financial status
• confidentiality
  • not appropriate to discuss individual employment details such as pay rates or employment contracts
  • not appropriate to discuss work out of hours or with others you are not directly working with, especially if you have signed a confidentiality agreement.
• Do not interrupt the conversations of others unless extremely important
• If you are on the phone, excuse yourself from the conversation if a colleague approaches you to ask a question.  Do not tell the employee "Wait I am on the phone" - it is very rude.
• Do not have a conversation near someone who is on the phone, especially if this is a heated conversation.