Etiquette Tips : Office Etiquette. There are proper ways to behave in any social situation. Proper etiquette is to be followed when dining out, attending a wedding or funeral, giving gifts and even saying "thank you. " Did you know there's also proper etiquette to be followed when working in an office? When it comes to business, you're a reflection of your company. If you meet with a client and you're wrinkled, unkempt, loud or have a foul mouth, the chances are good that this client will want nothing to do with your corporation. Even if you don't deal with the public, there are general guidelines to follow.
Below are some ways you can practice good office etiquette. Pay attention to your appearance - If you show up to work every day with a wrinkled shirt, uncombed hair or dirty fingernails, it will be noticed. Unclutter your desk - Your desk or cubicle should be an extension of yourself. Be on time - If you're late on a regular basis, people notice. Other things to take into consideration: - Avoid the use of profanity. Effective Interpersonal Communication In The Workplace. Experts agree that good communication is one of the keys to being successful in today's competitive job market. People must be able to communicate with each other on a daily basis to keep the work flowing in an orderly fashion, and to deal with work issues as they arise. Misunderstandings can lead to delays, which ultimately affect the productivity of the company. In the past decade, employers have been forced to cut back on the number of personnel in order to save money, and problems in productivity can be even more detrimental in a slim-downed work force.
Communication in the 21st century is quickly evolving into one that involves less conversation, and more electronic sharing of information. While in the past, an employee might have a discussion with a co-worker face-to-face, today people tend to communicate via email or instant message. One of the most important components for successful interpersonal communication is clarity. In writing, this is even more important. Use These 10 Opening Phrases in Your Emails. I process email for a living, or at least it seems that way most of the time. Hundreds of new messages arrive on a daily basis, some of them so dull and uninformative they make me want to go find a pencil and jam it into my spleen.
Others start with something a little juicier, a little more attention-grabbing, and a little more helpful. And, when the message starts off with an interesting phrase it usually means the rest of the email is worth reading all the way to the end. Try these lead-ins when what you really need is response, not a bunch of crickets chirping on the other end. 1. "Good news... " Everyone likes to read about good news. 2. Go ahead and lead with a confirmation that you have found the answer. 3. This phrase implies that you are going to get right to the point and won't hold anything back. 4. Apart from the fact that I like any space-related terminology, this opening phrase is positive and is a good precursor to any explanation about a project or business endeavor. 5. 6. 7.
OODA Loops - Decision-Making Skills Training from MindTools.com. Understanding the Decision Cycle Observation is the first step. © iStockphoto/DivaNir4a Has it ever struck you just how many military terms have become everyday terms in business-speak? War and business are often compared and contrasted. As well as "fighting off threats" or "engaging in a price war", we talk about "gathering intelligence", "making a pre-emptive strike", and even trying to "out-maneuver" the competition. It can be fun to read books like The Art of War, written in 6th Century China by Sun Tzu, and to think about how these can be applied to business strategy. Boyd developed his model after analyzing the success of the American F-86 fighter plane compared with that of the Soviet MIG-15.
This improved field of vision gave the pilot a clear competitive advantage, as it meant he could assess the situation better and faster than his opponent. Success in business often comes from being one step ahead of the competition and, at the same time, being prepared to react to what they do. How to Finish Your Work, One Bite at a Time. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” If you’ve ever ran more than a few miles, you probably understand why you need to pace yourself. Runners that sprint at the start of a race will be exhausted far before they cross the finish line. The same principle applies when trying to get work done. One solution for pacing my work that I’ve found incredibly effective is maintaining weekly/daily to-do lists. Weekly/Daily To-Do Lists The principle behind the WD To-Do List method is simple: At the end of the week, write a list containing everything you want to get accomplished.At the end of the day, write a list containing what parts of that weekly list you want to be finished tomorrow.
After you finish your daily list, you stop. Although this technique might sound obvious (and it is), there are some key advantages using a WD system has over the typical, Getting Things Done approach of keeping Next Action or project lists. Why the Weekly/Daily To-Do List System Rocks: Focus on the Daily List. Developing self discipline. Time management series Self-discipline Self-discipline can be considered a type of selective training, creating new habits ofthought, action, and speech toward improving yourself and reaching goals. Self-discipline can also be task oriented and selective.View self-discipline as positive effort, rather than one of denial.
Schedule a small task for a given time of the day; Practice deliberate delaying. Schedule a particular task in the morning and once in the evening. Harness the power of routine. Instead of devoting a lot of hours one day, and none the other and then a few on an another day and so on, allocate a specific time period each day of the week for that task. Use self discipline to explore time management Time management can become an overwhelming task.When you do not have control over your own self, how can you control time?
Advantage: As you control tasks, you build self-discipline.As you build self-discipline, you build time management. Maintain a self-discipline log book. Tricks: This-7-minute-morning-routine-will-change-your-work-life. 5 Unusual Ways to Start Working Smarter, Not Harder, Backed by Science. One of the things I love about the culture at Buffer is the emphasis on working smarter, not harder. Our team is all about getting plenty of sleep, exercise and recreation time so that our time spent working is as productive as it can be. Working harder can be an easy habit to slip into, though. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off at the end of the day, or to take time out on the weekend and stop thinking about work.
With a startup of my own to run, I find this even harder to manage lately. Whenever I’m not working on Buffer, I’m working on Exist, and it’s easy to fall into a pattern of “always working,” rather than working smart and fitting in time to look after myself as well. If this happens to you, too, here are five methods to try that’ll help get you working smarter, not harder. 1. In one of my favorite books, Stephen Covey tells a story about a woodcutter whose saw gets more blunt as time passes and he continues cutting down trees. 2. So when should you be taking a nap? 3. 4. 5.