Step up your speaking game in 6 steps
If you sense your presentations are failing to rouse others to action, it’s probably time for a tuneup, says career and business advisor Beverly Flaxington. Here are six steps to a more powerful presentation.
What it takes to be a virtual assistant
Becoming a successful virtual assistant requires a deep sense of commitment and a host of skills. As a VA, you are the Swiss Army knife and the adjunct business manager for every client for whom you work.
Power of practice
Practicing tasks and skills isn’t commonplace in most workplaces, but it should be, says Doug Lemov, a managing director of Uncommon Schools. He recommends four steps.
Schedule time to stay in their consciousness
Groom and maintain contacts by making them aware of a helpful article or pointing them toward a new business book, software program or other tool. A once-a-month “Hello, check this out” exercise like this one keeps lines of communication open and keeps you at the front of their mind.
Portrait of an admin
Here are nine eye-opening characteristics of the typical administrative professional.
Boost your ‘carrying capacity’
In the same way that advances in food, energy and housing increase the number of people an area can support, your personal success often depends upon increasing your own “carrying capacity.” Here are some ways to do it.
Get your characters in line with Excel’s LEFT function
Q. How can I return characters to the left of a dash in an Excel cell using the LEFT function?
Resolving text-to-columns with line breaks in Excel
Q. I have a spreadsheet where three address lines are separated by a line break. How do I use text-to-columns to separate the lines into columns?
When a clique shifts the workload, it’s time to see HR
Q: “My supervisor has created a ‘good old girls’ network in our office. Her favored employees are allowed to take long coffee breaks, make personal calls, spend time on the Internet, and run errands during office hours. The four outsiders are denied these privileges. Instead, we are given extra assignments and receive little help with our problems. Some outsiders want to take this issue to the human resources manager. Do you think he could help?”
6 strategies to communicate better
Effective communication takes deliberate intention, so if you find yours lacking, it’s time to refocus and get down to work, says Jessica Edmonson of Bisk Education. She has six strategies to help you do just that.