Category: 1-Minute Strategy

Extract yourself from unproductive conversations with naysayers, people who only aim to shoot down your ideas. When they launch into a diatribe about what won’t work, respond by saying, “Until we’ve tried everything, I have faith that a great solution is out there.”

Check out the Netiquette web site at www.netmanners.com. You’ll find business e-mail basics, Netiquette forums for discussion and a section that allows you to pose your own questions and receive personal advice.

Include people on your work team who like to punch holes in other people’s ideas. These “alternate thinkers” will keep the group from reaching a point at which everyone wants so much to agree that they stop challenging others’ assumptions.

Send a thank-you note to the boss after attending a seminar or special training. It shows that you appreciate the organization’s investment in your future.

“To continue in English, press 1 … To access your account, press 2 … Press 3,4,5,6 …” Want to reach a live customer-service rep faster? Check out the “cheat sheet” at //gethuman.com/us/.

List what you need to cover in a phone conversation before you pick up the receiver; you’ll spend less time on chitchat and never forget a point. One study found that calls based on a written agenda last seven minutes, compared with 12 minutes for those without.

Help a traveling boss or co-worker stay fit with online travel guide at www.athleticmindedtraveler.com. It uncovers the best places for healthy-minded people to stay, work out and eat.

Boost buy-in of important decisions for a group you lead by making the choices in front of a group, not behind closed doors.

Print draft documents in a larger size for proofreading. Viewing text at about 130% of its normal size makes errors easier to spot.

Want to brush up on your schmoozing skills? Stand by the food at an office function. Why? Because people will come to you, and you have an automatic conversation-starter: food. You also have a place to set down your drink, freeing your hand for handshakes.