3 Friday habits worth doing
End your week on a positive note every Friday with these three work habits—and set the tone for the following week:
Keep a positive tone
Be more persuasive by avoiding the negative. Example: Instead of writing, “The meeting room is a mess because some of us aren’t tidying up after using it,” write, “When the meeting room is clean, we all benefit. Thanks for cleaning up after you use it.”
The complaining caller
You’ve had nothing but constant interruptions all morning as deadlines loom and then the phone rings … again. Seconds later, you find yourself on the other end of a loud, complaining customer, client or colleague whose expectations haven’t been met. What do you do?
Starting an office recycling program
Establishing an office recycling initiative could reduce the carbon footprint and save your business money. In the average workplace, 80% to 90% of solid waste is recyclable, according to the EPA. How to begin one at work:
Write your own FAQ
Maintaining a list of frequently asked questions and the correct responses will make it easier for those who cover for you when you’re out of the office.
1-Minute Strategies: Aug. ’10
Proofreading alert! According to search engines Google and Yahoo, the most common misspellings in searches are not due to the difficulty of the word, but rather to sloppiness … Make restaurant reservations in a fraction of the time, now that Yelp.com and OpenTable.com have integrated their web sites … Reduce ink use and save money by changing your default e-mail font to Century Gothic.
Wear that nametag well
At any networking event, wear your nametag on your right side, as close to your face as possible. That makes it easy for someone to check your name when shaking your hand.
PowerPoint Tips: Questions to ask yourself
I’m often asked about the “rules” for PowerPoint® presentations. How many bullets? How many words per bullet? Font size? Font type? There are some great books on the subject. I happen to like Garr Reynold’s Presentation Zen and Michael Flocker’s Death by PowerPoint®. You can read a hundred books on the subject and go to classes and seminars. If you do, you’ll hear hundreds of pieces of advice, some conflicting, about how to wow your audiences and get your point across. So what is the best advice? Ask your audience!
Apps to make travel easier
Here are PCMag.com’s top 5 free travel apps to make travel smoother (available on any smartphone with a data plan):
Before you hit “send”
If you’ve written an e-mail in the heat of emotion, you are probably far better off if you delete it.