Insulate yourself from negativity
If co-workers’ bad attitudes create tension, protect yourself from those office toxins.
Category: Featured Article
Specific subject lines guard your messages from deletion
Generic e-mail subjects aren’t just inefficient and confusing; they put your message at risk.
Fine-tune your agenda
For your meeting to model efficiency, ensure that the agenda includes these five elements.
Handle a heavy reading chore with these 4 tactics
You absorb most material that crosses your desk with ease. But once in a while, a heavy assignment—reading a book, proofing a long report or being asked to give your input on a complicated competitive analysis—can throw you off. Stop procrastinating and cut through that daunting reading assignment with these tactics…
Put in the ‘zing,’ take out the ‘boring’
“Professional” business writing doesn’t necessarily mean “b o r i n g.” Before printing the final draft of your documents, go back and put some “oomph” in them. Use these copyediting tricks:
Use these 5 ways to better balance your life
Looking for a better approach to life? You probably have more ability to carve out your own work/life balance than you think. Here’s how:
Power up your persuasiveness and overcome their doubts
Sound more credible, competent and convincing by using “power talk.” That’s the term coined by communication expert George Walther to mean that every word you use creates value for you. Practice these techniques.
Agenda item 1: Set meeting rules
Someone always comes late. Someone goes off on a personal tangent. Someone adds her “two cents” and butts in no matter what. If the participants often derail your meetings, start each one by agreeing on the ground rules, advises Charlie Hawkins, author of First Aid for Meetings.
Recognize the needs behind colleagues’ demands
When you’re frustrated by micromanagement or other demands at work, step back and study what the other person truly needs from you. One day Lydia Abram had an “ah ha moment” that taught her how to satisfy a micromanaging colleague’s needs without slowing down her work flow:
When saying less is best
As a naturally helpful person, you may eagerly answer questions from a caller on the phone or a colleague in the office. Offering too much information can be costly. Use these guidelines.