Tis’ the Season for Office Parties

A young man got drunk at his holiday party, cursed out his boss and got fired on the spot. The next day he couldn’t understand why his badge didn’t work. He had gotten fired and had no recollection of it!

With the holiday season upon us, many people will have the opportunity to attend holiday events and office parties. Although a time to celebrate and relax, how you behave at these business social events can impact your career.

Follow these 5 simple guidelines to successfully navigate your holiday event or office party.

1. Attend and mingle. Attendance at the company holiday party isn’t optional. Your absence will be noticed, and most likely, noted by your boss and other higher ups. Talk to people you know and don’t know. The person that you meet at the party may ultimately be the person that will be interviewing you for your next job.

2. Dress appropriately. It may be a party, but it’s still business. Nothing too short, too low, too tight or too anything.

3. Do not get drunk. To stay sober set a limit for yourself before you go to the party. It is much easier to limit your intake that way. Or, order a drink you don’t like and sip it slowly all night. Remember it is really easy to lose control if you have had too much to drink.

4. Pay attention to your body language. Even if the party is dull, it is bad manners to let others see how bored you are. Don’t frown, slouch, cross arms or yawn.

5. Don’t say anything negative about the party on your social media sites. This also means no posting of any unflattering photos of people on Facebook or sending tweets about someone’s unbecoming behavior.

What Are Your Table Manners Saying About You?

There are consequences to poor dining etiquette, though people aren’t always consciously aware of them.

Last week during an etiquette class a man shared that at a recent business dinner one of his employees kept taking bites from a big piece of meat that she had on her fork. I asked him if there were any consequences to this behavior. He replied that he didn’t think so.

I then asked him if she was someone he would consider for promotion. He thought for a moment and replied, “No, I wouldn't. I couldn’t have her taking clients out to dinner.”

What do your table manners say about you? Are you comfortable taking customers to lunch? Ordering wine? Interviewing for a job during a meal? Knowing how to be a gracious host or guest is an important business skill. To become more knowledgeable about dining, you can participate in my webinar tomorrow at 11: 30 a.m. Sign up at www.pachter.com

7 Ways to Avoid Saying or Doing the Wrong Thing with E-mail

E-mail is one of the main ways people communicate in today’s workplace, yet business people still make embarrassing mistakes when sending messages to customers, colleagues, bosses or potential employers. Follow these 7 suggestions so your e-mails convey a professional message:

1. Double check that you have selected the right recipient. Pay attention when typing a name from your address book in the "TO" line. It's easy to select the wrong person.

2. Add the e-mail address last. You don’t want to send an e-mail before you have finished writing and proofing it. Even when you are replying to a message, it’s a good precaution to delete the address and insert it once you are sure the message is ready to be sent.

3. Use a professional e-mail address. “Hotmama@...” “Diva@...” or “the sexyone@...” are not appropriate addresses.

4. Do not come across abrupt. Read your message out loud. If it sounds harsh to you, it will sound harsh to the reader. You’ll seem friendlier if you use a salutation.

5. Make your message easy to read. Looks count. Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Long sentences or paragraphs are more difficult to read.

6. Be cautious with humor. You can bomb badly. Something perceived as funny when spoken may come across very differently when written.

7. Proofread every message. Mistakes will be noticed and, depending upon the recipient, you will be judged for making them.

Joining a Professional Association: Is It Worth It? Yes!

By Brianna Rozzi, Pachter & Associates Intern and Guest Blogger

With busy schedules and a tight economy, it might seem unnecessary to join a professional association in your industry. But do not be fooled, professional associations have much to offer to further your career.

• Network. Through meetings and events, you are able to network with other people in your industry. Find out what’s going on in the industry through word of mouth and make connections that can be useful throughout your career.

• Be recognized for your achievements. Many organizations recognize businesses and individuals for their best practices and accomplishments. This is a great way to get you or your business publicity and attention in your industry. News travels fast and the people you work with as well as prospective clients can catch wind of the news.

• Catch up on new practices. New techniques enter your industry? Don’t understand social media? Professional associations have local chapters that hold monthly meetings and regional and annual conferences that discuss current practices as well as emerging trends.

• The Trade Publication. Most professional associations have a trade publication that is distributed to the entire membership, providing up-to-date information or research about your profession

Convey Confidence…Whether You Feel It or Not!

Last week a business owner told me that he obtained a huge contract because he didn’t convey his nervousness when he talked to a potential customer. His company was chosen because he seemed sure in his ability to fulfill the large order and his competition seemed unsure.

The competition had the ability to do the requested work, but conveyed a very different message to the potential customer.

You want to appear confident when interacting with customers and potential customers. For many reasons people can feel nervous when a new opportunity appears—fearing the unknown, stretching their capabilities, fearing failure, etc. But if you express that uncertainty, your customers will take their business elsewhere and you will have lost the opportunity to grow your business and yourself.

To avoid giving prospective customers reasons to go elsewhere, tell yourself you can handle the work (because you can!), speak confidently, eliminate your filler words ("um," "ah," “you know”) and avoid using self-discounting words, such as “I try to…” or “I’ll see if…”

What Are Your Actions Telling Others?

You learn a lot from coaching people. One thing that stands out from the stories that my participants have told me: if you do something different than your usual routine, your colleagues will notice and can make assumptions, often negative ones, about your actions.

A woman wore a skirt suit to the office, instead of her casual clothing. Her boss asked her if she was interviewing for a new job. (She had a funeral to attend.)

A man decided to clean his very messy office. The president of the company asked him if he was getting ready to leave the company. (He wanted to return some personal items to his new home office.)

Another man started staying late at the bar where his colleagues would go after work. They would leave and he didn’t. They thought he was developing a drinking problem. (He was dating the bartender.)

Be aware. Are you doing anything different than usual? Will your actions inadvertently convey a negative image?

Ways to Continue a Conversation

I always notice the shy people in my seminars and really appreciate it when they gather their courage and ask their questions. Last week one woman spoke up and said she wanted to know how to keep a conversation going. She knows to ask people questions, but then what? What do you do after the person answers your question?

My suggestion was to make one of these four types of comments. They will usually produce more information to discuss.

• Expanding: “Tell me more; it sounds as if you had a great time.”
• Self-revealing: “I know what you mean. I was in a similar situation last year.”
• Comparing: “That sounds as if it is similar to…”
• Clarifying: “What exactly did he do?”

Try them out at your next networking event and see how much easier making conversation can become.