Your body speaks a thousand words. You can tell so much about a person by looking at them and by observing their movements. Does the person you are talking to, like you? Is he enjoying your company? Is she trying to wriggle her way out of the conversation? What kind of a person is your prospective employee, employer or partner? Here are a few dead giveaways that will give you insight into the personality of a person, and indicate what he or she is feeling during a conversation.
Slouching:
A person who stands erect gives the message that he is emotionally strong, knows what he wants and how to get there, and has confidence in his abilities. A person who slouches is essentially an introvert, (though he may have overcome his shyness with the passage of time) is self-conscious or is simply laid back.
Arms crossed:
Observe the way your companion is sitting. Are her arms crossed around her chest? This is a closed position, and it shows that she is not very comfortable with the direction the conversation is taking. She is possibly trying to protect herself emotionally, and is involuntarily shutting you out. If she is leaning back and sitting with her arms across her chest, she could be feeling defensive, and is possibly trying to draw away from you. She could also be disagreeing with what you are saying. This stance doesn't denote lack of interest it is a combative, defensive or self-conscious stance.
If you see a lady standing with her arms crossed, it shows that she is feeling uncomfortable, and that shed really rather be somewhere else. She is slightly nervous, and doesnt really know what to do with her hands, so she crosses them across her chest.
Leaning in:
If a person leans towards you while talking, it indicates interest, while if she leans away from you, it means that her attention is starting to waver. Change the subject, quick!
Touching:
If your companion gently taps you on your hand or on your shoulder when you are saying something, it indicates a definite interest in the conversation. It could also mean that the person is attracted to you, or is extremely comfortable in your company.
Feet:
If you are standing and conducting a conversation with someone, observe where his feet are pointing. Are they pointing towards you, or away from you? If they are pointing towards you, it is a good sign and it shows that he is interested in what you have to say. If they are pointing in another direction, it means that he is looking to walk away from you.
Eyes, eyes baby!
Is your companion making eye contact with you? If eye-contact is good, the person comes across as comfortable in the present situation, and interested in what the you are is saying. So if you want to pay attention to what a person is saying or convey interest in the conversation, make sure you look into your companions eyes. This doesn't mean that you stare non-stop; staring is a little rude, not to mention psychotic! But constantly looking around the room while taking indicates lack of interest. It could also indicate that you are a shy person, or that you are feeling self-conscious. So if the person you are speaking to is avoiding eye-contact, don't jump to conclusions that she is not interested in what you have to say. Shes probably just shy.
Direct eye contact is also good to use when being interviewed, as it shows confidence and conviction in what you are saying.
Liar, liar! Is the person you are speaking to, looking to his left or to his right? Studies suggest that if someone is fibbing, he will look slightly to the left while speaking to you, as he is using his creative brain, while if he is being honest, he will look to his right!
Adjusting clothes/hair:
If your companion sub-consciously adjusts her clothes, it indicates that she is interested, and not just in your conversation! If she pats her hair, it could also be a possible indicator of interest, but don't read too much into this. Women love their hair, and tend to enjoy playing with it, whether or not they are really interested in the person they are talking to. However, if men pass their hands through their hair, it's a dead giveaway that they want you to perceive them as attractive.
Remember, look for more than one sign before you jump to conclusions. If your companion crosses her hands, it may simply be because she is feeling cold, but if she crosses her hands, leans away from you and glances around the room instead of at you, she's definitely losing interest in the conversation. So use your judgement while observing body language.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Build your personality
Some Essential Personality Development Tips:
Every man who wants to develop his personality also wants to become popular. Man’s life is a burden without popularity. If we leave aside certain action, there is not much difference between a man and an animal. Everybody can be popular if he/you takes care of these few things enlisted personality development tips-
1. If you want to progress in life than honestly analyze the traits of your character.
2. Do not laugh at people when they are in difficulty or trouble other wise you will loose your personality in a moment.
3. This is a great way to develop your personality by listening everyone politely, even if their ideas are baseless or not of your interest.
4. During conversation do not keep talking yourself too much.
5. When ever somebody brings any gift for you, don’t forget to praise it. It does not matter even if you were expecting something else.
6. Make other feel that you love them.
7. Keep your moral high in case of defeat and be more polite on being victorious.
8. Solve your problems in a creative way. Try your best not to let these spoil your relations with your friends.
9. Enlist your bad habits and try to get rid of them.
10. We should not uplift our standard of living but also help others to do so. Try to remove the feeling of inferiority in others by loving them and by keeping good behavior towards them.
11. Be careful of what your say about others because others will say the same thing about us at different times and at different places and in this way form a public opinion about us.
12. Some people often have a favorite sentence which they repeat frequently. We should try and get rid and get rid of such a habit.
13. Independence increases our good qualities and slavery bad qualities.
14. Independent thinking and freedom to work is the only source of progress and welfare.
15. Love is the greatest magic in this world.
16. Positive attitude is of great importance in our personality. No body like people who have narrowed out look. In life only that person is considered well behaved who has positive and healthy bend of mind.
17. The real beauty of man lies not in his physical appearance but in his work and good qualities. That is why it is important that we improve mental outlook to develop our personality.
18. Every individual should develop the ability to adjust with others, because basically man is a social animal, so one can not survive by living alone.
19. Some people keep repeating a particular statement and it becomes a part of their nature. At the most you may repeat a statement twice but it you do it more than that it leaves a bad impact.
Every man who wants to develop his personality also wants to become popular. Man’s life is a burden without popularity. If we leave aside certain action, there is not much difference between a man and an animal. Everybody can be popular if he/you takes care of these few things enlisted personality development tips-
1. If you want to progress in life than honestly analyze the traits of your character.
2. Do not laugh at people when they are in difficulty or trouble other wise you will loose your personality in a moment.
3. This is a great way to develop your personality by listening everyone politely, even if their ideas are baseless or not of your interest.
4. During conversation do not keep talking yourself too much.
5. When ever somebody brings any gift for you, don’t forget to praise it. It does not matter even if you were expecting something else.
6. Make other feel that you love them.
7. Keep your moral high in case of defeat and be more polite on being victorious.
8. Solve your problems in a creative way. Try your best not to let these spoil your relations with your friends.
9. Enlist your bad habits and try to get rid of them.
10. We should not uplift our standard of living but also help others to do so. Try to remove the feeling of inferiority in others by loving them and by keeping good behavior towards them.
11. Be careful of what your say about others because others will say the same thing about us at different times and at different places and in this way form a public opinion about us.
12. Some people often have a favorite sentence which they repeat frequently. We should try and get rid and get rid of such a habit.
13. Independence increases our good qualities and slavery bad qualities.
14. Independent thinking and freedom to work is the only source of progress and welfare.
15. Love is the greatest magic in this world.
16. Positive attitude is of great importance in our personality. No body like people who have narrowed out look. In life only that person is considered well behaved who has positive and healthy bend of mind.
17. The real beauty of man lies not in his physical appearance but in his work and good qualities. That is why it is important that we improve mental outlook to develop our personality.
18. Every individual should develop the ability to adjust with others, because basically man is a social animal, so one can not survive by living alone.
19. Some people keep repeating a particular statement and it becomes a part of their nature. At the most you may repeat a statement twice but it you do it more than that it leaves a bad impact.
self confidence
You have probably noticed those people at work, school, and in your daily life that always appear to be self confident and on top of world.
Everything seems to go right for these people and they always seem to present themselves as calm, collected and successful in everything they do.
If you are paying attention you have probably noticed that these self confident people usually are successful in every area of their lives.
Is this because they are smarter? Or is it because they have more money? Maybe they are just lucky?
The reality is that none of these things are necessarily true. Self confident people understand the impact of believing in themselves and relying on their abilities.
This confidence ultimately creates opportunities for success and with each new success another self confidence building block is put into place. Success builds upon success reinforcing self confidence with each new achievement.
Self confident people perceive themselves as able to achieve those things they set out to do and this perception creates reality in their lives.
Yes, perception creates reality. You can become the person you want to be. You have heard it said that if you can believe it you can achieve it.
So start believing in yourself, acting on that belief and you will start building self confidence in your life.
Here are some helpful tips to build self confidence one success at a time.
1. Make a list of your strong points.
All the positive things about yourself and the things that you are good at doing. Think of compliments you have received or things that come easily to you. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's good, write it down.
2. Choose two of those things that you want to work on to improve even more.
It's important to succeed and by concentrating on the areas you are already good at you will have a better chance of becoming even more sure of yourself. Remember that success builds upon success.
3. Exude confidence even if you don't feel like it.
Talk to yourself in an encouraging way and stay away from negative thoughts and people as you can.
Instead surround yourself with positive, confident, and successful people. This will become a habit and one that will build confidence.
4. Look at yourself in a different way than you are used to doing.
It can change your life and help your confidence level to rise. See yourself as the self confident person you want to be and before you know it you will become that person.
If you have a set-back do not let it get the best of you. Remember the times when you exhibited self confidence and how good it felt and then try again and each time will help you to build confidence and confidence building will become a way of life.
Everything seems to go right for these people and they always seem to present themselves as calm, collected and successful in everything they do.
If you are paying attention you have probably noticed that these self confident people usually are successful in every area of their lives.
Is this because they are smarter? Or is it because they have more money? Maybe they are just lucky?
The reality is that none of these things are necessarily true. Self confident people understand the impact of believing in themselves and relying on their abilities.
This confidence ultimately creates opportunities for success and with each new success another self confidence building block is put into place. Success builds upon success reinforcing self confidence with each new achievement.
Self confident people perceive themselves as able to achieve those things they set out to do and this perception creates reality in their lives.
Yes, perception creates reality. You can become the person you want to be. You have heard it said that if you can believe it you can achieve it.
So start believing in yourself, acting on that belief and you will start building self confidence in your life.
Here are some helpful tips to build self confidence one success at a time.
1. Make a list of your strong points.
All the positive things about yourself and the things that you are good at doing. Think of compliments you have received or things that come easily to you. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's good, write it down.
2. Choose two of those things that you want to work on to improve even more.
It's important to succeed and by concentrating on the areas you are already good at you will have a better chance of becoming even more sure of yourself. Remember that success builds upon success.
3. Exude confidence even if you don't feel like it.
Talk to yourself in an encouraging way and stay away from negative thoughts and people as you can.
Instead surround yourself with positive, confident, and successful people. This will become a habit and one that will build confidence.
4. Look at yourself in a different way than you are used to doing.
It can change your life and help your confidence level to rise. See yourself as the self confident person you want to be and before you know it you will become that person.
If you have a set-back do not let it get the best of you. Remember the times when you exhibited self confidence and how good it felt and then try again and each time will help you to build confidence and confidence building will become a way of life.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
E. Mail Etiquette
Why do you need email etiquette?
A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three reasons:
Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional image.
Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails.
Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits.
What are the etiquette rules?
There are many etiquette guides and many different etiquette rules. Some rules will differ according to the nature of your business and the corporate culture. Below we list what we consider as the 31 most important email etiquette rules that apply to nearly all companies.
1. Be concise and to the point.
Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.
An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Imagine for instance that a customer sends you an email asking which credit cards you accept. Instead of just listing the credit card types, you can guess that their next question will be about how they can order, so you also include some order information and a URL to your order page. Customers will definitely appreciate this.
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it?
4. Make it personal.
Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e. customized content. For this reason auto replies are usually not very effective. However, templates can be used effectively in this way, see next tip.
5. Use templates for frequently used responses.
Some questions you get over and over again, such as directions to your office or how to subscribe to your newsletter. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your message when you need them. You can save your templates in a Word document, or use pre-formatted emails.).
6. Answer swiftly.
Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient!
7. Do not attach unnecessary files.
By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus scanner in place since your customers will not be very happy if you send them documents full of viruses!
8. Use proper structure & layout.
Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and lay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.
9. Do not overuse the high priority option.
We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority'.
10. Do not write in CAPITALS.
IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail. Therefore, try not to send any email text in capitals.
11. Don't leave out the message thread.
When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other words click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove the previous message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary. However, I could not agree less. If you receive many emails you obviously cannot remember each individual email. This means that a 'threadless email' will not provide enough information and you will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email in order to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox!
12. Add disclaimers to your emails.
It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect your company from liability. Consider the following scenario: an employee accidentally forwards a virus to a customer by email. The customer decides to sue your company for damages. If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail, saying that the recipient must check each email for viruses and that it cannot be held liable for any transmitted viruses, this will surely be of help to you in court Another example: an employee sues the company for allowing a racist email to circulate the office. If your company has an email policy in place and adds an email disclaimer to every mail that states that employees are expressly required not to make defamatory statements, you have a good case of proving that the company did everything it could to prevent offensive emails.
13. Read the email before you send it.
A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.
14. Do not overuse Reply to All.
Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.
15. Mailings > use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge.
When sending an email mailing, some people place all the email addresses in the To: field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (1) the recipient knows that you have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicizing someone else's email address without their permission. One way to get round this is to place all addresses in the Bcc: field. However, the recipient will only see the address from the To: field in their email, so if this was empty, the To: field will be blank and this might look like spamming. You could include the mailing list email address in the To: field, or even better, if you have Microsoft Outlook and Word you can do a mail merge and create one message for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fields in the message so that you can for instance address each recipient personally. For more information on how to do a Word mail merge, consult the Help in Word.
16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.
In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use it.
17. Be careful with formatting.
Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors, use a color that is easy to read on the background.
18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages.
Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.
19. Do not forward chain letters.
Do not forward chain letters. We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just delete the letters as soon as you receive them.
20. Do not request delivery and read receipts.
This will almost always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message. Besides, it usually does not work anyway since the recipient could have blocked that function, or his/her software might not support it, so what is the use of using it? If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient to let you know if it was received.
21. Do not ask to recall a message.
Biggest chances are that your message has already been delivered and read. A recall request would look very silly in that case wouldn't it? It is better just to send an email to say that you have made a mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a message.
22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.
Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.
23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information.
Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don't want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don't send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.
24. Use a meaningful subject.
Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance, when you send an email to a company requesting information about a product, it is better to mention the actual name of the product, e.g. 'Product A information' than to just say 'product information' or the company's name in the subject
25. Use active instead of passive.
Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.
26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.
Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all times try to avoid these types of words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent or important message.
27. Avoid long sentences.
Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to send emails that are too long. If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation, chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!
28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks.
By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.
29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.
If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus. The same goes for chain letters that promise incredible riches or ask your help for a charitable cause. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it is impossible to find out whether a chain letter is real or not, the best place for it is the recycle bin.
30. Keep your language gender neutral.
In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: 'The user should add a signature by configuring his email program'. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutral gender: ''The user should add a signature by configuring the email program'.
31. Don't reply to spam.
By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your email address is 'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the delete button or use email software to remove spam automatically.
32. Use cc: field sparingly.
Try not to use the cc: field unless the recipient in the cc: field knows why they are receiving a copy of the message. Using the cc: field can be confusing since the recipients might not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc: message, should you include the other recipient in the cc: field as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: field unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are receiving a copy.
A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three reasons:
Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional image.
Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails.
Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits.
What are the etiquette rules?
There are many etiquette guides and many different etiquette rules. Some rules will differ according to the nature of your business and the corporate culture. Below we list what we consider as the 31 most important email etiquette rules that apply to nearly all companies.
1. Be concise and to the point.
Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.
An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Imagine for instance that a customer sends you an email asking which credit cards you accept. Instead of just listing the credit card types, you can guess that their next question will be about how they can order, so you also include some order information and a URL to your order page. Customers will definitely appreciate this.
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it?
4. Make it personal.
Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e. customized content. For this reason auto replies are usually not very effective. However, templates can be used effectively in this way, see next tip.
5. Use templates for frequently used responses.
Some questions you get over and over again, such as directions to your office or how to subscribe to your newsletter. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your message when you need them. You can save your templates in a Word document, or use pre-formatted emails.).
6. Answer swiftly.
Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient!
7. Do not attach unnecessary files.
By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus scanner in place since your customers will not be very happy if you send them documents full of viruses!
8. Use proper structure & layout.
Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and lay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.
9. Do not overuse the high priority option.
We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority'.
10. Do not write in CAPITALS.
IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail. Therefore, try not to send any email text in capitals.
11. Don't leave out the message thread.
When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other words click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove the previous message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary. However, I could not agree less. If you receive many emails you obviously cannot remember each individual email. This means that a 'threadless email' will not provide enough information and you will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email in order to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox!
12. Add disclaimers to your emails.
It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect your company from liability. Consider the following scenario: an employee accidentally forwards a virus to a customer by email. The customer decides to sue your company for damages. If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail, saying that the recipient must check each email for viruses and that it cannot be held liable for any transmitted viruses, this will surely be of help to you in court Another example: an employee sues the company for allowing a racist email to circulate the office. If your company has an email policy in place and adds an email disclaimer to every mail that states that employees are expressly required not to make defamatory statements, you have a good case of proving that the company did everything it could to prevent offensive emails.
13. Read the email before you send it.
A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.
14. Do not overuse Reply to All.
Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.
15. Mailings > use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge.
When sending an email mailing, some people place all the email addresses in the To: field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (1) the recipient knows that you have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicizing someone else's email address without their permission. One way to get round this is to place all addresses in the Bcc: field. However, the recipient will only see the address from the To: field in their email, so if this was empty, the To: field will be blank and this might look like spamming. You could include the mailing list email address in the To: field, or even better, if you have Microsoft Outlook and Word you can do a mail merge and create one message for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fields in the message so that you can for instance address each recipient personally. For more information on how to do a Word mail merge, consult the Help in Word.
16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.
In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use it.
17. Be careful with formatting.
Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors, use a color that is easy to read on the background.
18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages.
Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.
19. Do not forward chain letters.
Do not forward chain letters. We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just delete the letters as soon as you receive them.
20. Do not request delivery and read receipts.
This will almost always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message. Besides, it usually does not work anyway since the recipient could have blocked that function, or his/her software might not support it, so what is the use of using it? If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient to let you know if it was received.
21. Do not ask to recall a message.
Biggest chances are that your message has already been delivered and read. A recall request would look very silly in that case wouldn't it? It is better just to send an email to say that you have made a mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a message.
22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.
Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.
23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information.
Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don't want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don't send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.
24. Use a meaningful subject.
Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance, when you send an email to a company requesting information about a product, it is better to mention the actual name of the product, e.g. 'Product A information' than to just say 'product information' or the company's name in the subject
25. Use active instead of passive.
Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.
26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.
Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all times try to avoid these types of words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent or important message.
27. Avoid long sentences.
Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to send emails that are too long. If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation, chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!
28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks.
By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.
29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.
If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus. The same goes for chain letters that promise incredible riches or ask your help for a charitable cause. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it is impossible to find out whether a chain letter is real or not, the best place for it is the recycle bin.
30. Keep your language gender neutral.
In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: 'The user should add a signature by configuring his email program'. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutral gender: ''The user should add a signature by configuring the email program'.
31. Don't reply to spam.
By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your email address is 'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the delete button or use email software to remove spam automatically.
32. Use cc: field sparingly.
Try not to use the cc: field unless the recipient in the cc: field knows why they are receiving a copy of the message. Using the cc: field can be confusing since the recipients might not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc: message, should you include the other recipient in the cc: field as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: field unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are receiving a copy.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Character Building
Do's and Don'ts of Character Building
Integrity
DO: Stand up for your beliefs • Follow your conscience • Be honorable and upright • Live by your principles no matter what others say • Have the courage to do what is right and to try new things even when it is hard or costly • Build and guard your reputation
DON’T: Do anything wrong • Lose heart if you fail or don’t get what you want
Honesty
DO: Tell the truth and nothing but the truth • Be sincere • Be forthright and candid
DON’T: Lie • Cheat • Steal • Be sneaky, tricky, or deceptive
Reliability
DO: Keep your promises • Honor your word and commitments • Be dependable • Do what you are supposed to do • Return what you borrow • Pay your debts • Be on time
Loyalty
DO: Stand by and protect your family, friends, school and country • Be a good friend • Look out for those who care about you • Keep secrets of those who trust you
DON’T: Betray a trust • Let your friends hurt themselves • Do anything just so others will like you • Ask a friend to do anything wrong or spread gossip that could hurt others
Golden Rule
DO: Treat others the way you want to be treated • Respect the dignity, privacy and freedom of all individuals • Value and honor all people, no matter what they can do for you or to you • Respect others’property — take good care of property you are allowed to use and don’t take or use property without permission • Respect the autonomy of others — tell them what they should know to make good choices about their own lives
DON’T: Use or manipulate others • Abuse, demean, or mistreat anyone
Tolerance and Acceptance
DO: Judge others on their character, abilities, and conduct without regard to race, religion, gender, where they live, how they dress, or the amount of money they have • Be tolerant, respectful, and accepting of those who are different from you • Listen to others and try to understand their points of view
Nonviolence
DO: Resolve disagreements, respond to insults, and deal with anger peacefully and without violence
DON’T: Use threats or physical force to get what you want or to express anger
Courtesy
DO: Use good manners • Be courteous, polite and civil to everyone
DON’T: Use put-downs, insults, yelling, or ridicule to embarrass or hurt another
Duty
DO: Know and do your duty • Acknowledge and meet your legal and moral obligations
Accountability
DOccountability : Accept responsibility for the consequences of your choices, not only for what you do but what you don’t do • Think about consequences on yourself and others before you act • Think long-term • Do what you can do to make things better • Set a good example
DON’T: Look the other way when you can make a difference • Make excuses or blame others
Pursuit of Excellence
DO: Your best • Persevere • Be prepared • Be diligent • Work hard • Make all you do worthy of pride
Self-Control
DO: Take charge of your own life • Set realistic goals • Keep a positive outlook • Be prudent and self-disciplined with your health, emotions, time and money • Be rational — act out of reason not anger, revenge or fear • Know the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do • Be self-reliant — manage your life so you are not dependent on others; pay your own way whenever you can
Justice
DO: Be fair and just • Treat people equally • Make decisions without favoritism or prejudice • In imposing punishment be sure the consequences for wrongdoing are consistent, certain, and proportional (not too harsh or lenient)
DON’T: Take more than your fair share • Take advantage of or blame others unfairly
Openness
DO: Be open-minded and impartial — consider what people have to say before you decide • Be careful — get the facts, including opposing viewpoints, before making decisions (especially blaming or accusing another)
Concern for Others
DO: Be compassionate and empathetic • Be kind, loving, and considerate • Be thankful and express gratitude for what people do for you • Forgive others for their shortcomings
DON’T: Be mean, cruel or insensitive
Charity
DO: Be charitable and altruistic — give money, time, support, and comfort for the sake of making someone else’s life better, not for praise or gratitude • Help people in need
Do Your Share
DO: Be a good citizen and a good neighbor • Care about and pursue the common good • Be a volunteer — help your school and community be better, cleaner, and safer • Protect the environment by conserving resources, reducing pollution, and cleaning up after yourself • Participate in making things better by voicing your opinion, voting, serving on committees, reporting wrongdoing and paying taxes
Respect Authority and the Law
DO: Play by the rules • Obey parents, teachers, coaches, and others who have been given authority • Observe just laws • Honor and respect principles of democracy
Copyright © 2004 Rita Gangwani and Associates : website: http:// www.geocities.com/ritagangwani
email: ritagangwani@yahoo.com works: 9811144300
DON’T: Look the other way when you can make a difference • Make excuses or blame others
Pursuit of Excellence
DO: Your best • Persevere • Be prepared • Be diligent • Work hard • Make all you do worthy of pride
Self-Control
DO: Take charge of your own life • Set realistic goals • Keep a positive outlook • Be prudent and self-disciplined with your health, emotions, time and money • Be rational — act out of reason not anger, revenge or fear • Know the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do • Be self-reliant — manage your life so you are not dependent on others; pay your own way whenever you can
Justice
DO: Be fair and just • Treat people equally • Make decisions without favoritism or prejudice • In imposing punishment be sure the consequences for wrongdoing are consistent, certain, and proportional (not too harsh or lenient)
DON’T: Take more than your fair share • Take advantage of or blame others unfairly
Openness
DO: Be open-minded and impartial — consider what people have to say before you decide • Be careful — get the facts, including opposing viewpoints, before making decisions (especially blaming or accusing another)
Concern for Others
DO: Be compassionate and empathetic • Be kind, loving, and considerate • Be thankful and express gratitude for what people do for you • Forgive others for their shortcomings
DON’T: Be mean, cruel or insensitive
Charity
DO: Be charitable and altruistic — give money, time, support, and comfort for the sake of making someone else’s life better, not for praise or gratitude • Help people in need
Do Your Share
DO: Be a good citizen and a good neighbor • Care about and pursue the common good • Be a volunteer — help your school and community be better, cleaner, and safer • Protect the environment by conserving resources, reducing pollution, and cleaning up after yourself • Participate in making things better by voicing your opinion, voting, serving on committees, reporting wrongdoing and paying taxes
Respect Authority and the Law
DO: Play by the rules • Obey parents, teachers, coaches, and others who have been given authority • Observe just laws • Honor and respect principles of democracy
Copyright © 2004 Rita Gangwani and Associates : website: http:// www.geocities.com/ritagangwani
email: ritagangwani@yahoo.com works: 9811144300
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tips on a perfect Hand Shake
1. Hand shake is always done with a right hand.
2. Hand should be vertical to the ground.
3.Elbow should be slightly bent.
4. web ( palm) of one person should meet the web of the other completely.
5. Fingers and thumb should entwine.
6. Give slight pressure to show warmth.
7. Look into the eyes of a person.
8. Say some nice words as greeting.
9.Smile.
10. up-down-centre movement at least Twice.
11/ Release the hand in 3 seconds.
2. Hand should be vertical to the ground.
3.Elbow should be slightly bent.
4. web ( palm) of one person should meet the web of the other completely.
5. Fingers and thumb should entwine.
6. Give slight pressure to show warmth.
7. Look into the eyes of a person.
8. Say some nice words as greeting.
9.Smile.
10. up-down-centre movement at least Twice.
11/ Release the hand in 3 seconds.
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