Easy-to-muddle homonyms
Check your writing twice for misuse of these easy-to-miss homonyms, which a spell-checker won’t catch:
Category: Communication
Are they lying to you? How to spot a fib
That colleague looking intently into your eyes as he answers your questions may be telling you a fib. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception, says to look for these common tip-offs that someone is lying:
3 steps to smooth conflicts with co-workers
If an underlying tension exists between you and a co-worker, now’s the time to address it. While it may be easier to ignore it, such tensions can mushroom. Use these techniques to reverse the momentum of mounting conflict:
Hold back on ‘out-of-office’ notes
Steer clear of “oversharing” when it comes to out-of-office messages sent to the rest of the office. For example: “I’ll be leaving the office at 4 p.m. today. I’m taking my daughter to the dentist. Please send any urgent requests to Pam.” Does the message really need to explain where the sender is going?
Deploy the power of your smile
It’s an old bit of advice that smiling while you’re talking on the phone is one way to improve your phone demeanor. But how many people actually follow that advice? New evidence may convince you to try it. Now scientists say that the people on the other end of the phone line really can tell whether or not you’re smiling.
1-Minute Strategies: Nov. ’10
Become an effective networker even if you’re an introvert, writes Devora Zack, author of Networking for People Who Hate Networking … Know when to use—and when to skip—skycaps while traveling … Track your personal spending with two free online tools … Give your “audience”—the people around you—a new, great story.
People skills trump technical skills
New research by Right Management shows organizations prefer employees who are a good motivational fit with the team and the organization’s culture. HR pros say that interpersonal behaviors and organizational fit are bigger factors than technical skills or experience.
Tips for leaving better voice mails
The challenge in leaving an effective voice-mail message is this: Leave a too-long message, and it could annoy recipients. Too short, and recipients may not understand the reason for your call. Follow these tips from Career Rocketeer when you need to leave a message that gets attention:
Tooting the receptionist’s horn
A receptionist may be the first person whom customers and clients see. But co-workers and managers can easily forget the pivotal and skilled role receptionists play. As a receptionist, you know about more than making a good impression. Make sure you’re leveraging these two highly valued skills, which a good receptionist should have in spades:
Common flaws and fixes
Four sentences that need repair, along with fixes: 1. Subject/verb agreement. 2. Actionless, dull sentences. 3. Negative structure. 4. Comma splice.