To Complain or Not to Complain

This depressing, unending cold, wet weather is making even the most gracious, positive people complain. I’ll be honest, it’s easy for me to complain, but I had a little flash of insight about complaining the other day while riding our tandem with my husband in the cold rain.

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Are You Helping Your Child To Succeed?

The other day my husband, Eric, and I grabbed a fast dinner at Whole Foods Market. We love the variety of options and how easy it is to get a quick meal. As I was enjoying my chicken mole I noticed a very nicely dressed family sit down near us with their dinner. They must…

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Does Business Etiquette Matter?

I sometimes get out my Amy Vanderbilt’s Everyday Etiquette book to see how much etiquette has changed since the book was written in the 1950s. There is a section on when a man should remove his hat and one on where a secretary should put her steno dictation pad when meeting with her boss. While…

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I’d Like To Announce You’re Not Invited

My husband Eric and I received a high school graduation announcement for our neighbor Catherine, who lives across the street. It’s hard to believe this young woman will soon be leaving home and heading to college. It seems like just yesterday she was a little girl playing with dolls.

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I Can Hear You Loud and Clear

I recently asked my Facebook likes how they feel about people talking on cell phones in public places like the grocery store or coffee shop. Several people responded that they hated it and yet some of those same people stated that they do it themselves. I had to admit that if I get a phone call…

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Email Etiquette in our 24/7 World

My friend, Peggy Dolane, writer and social media expert , suggested I write a blog post about our 24/7-reachable-anytime-world. She wondered what the etiquette is about sending and responding to emails after hours. Good question Peggy.

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Is Your Handshake Talking Behind Your Back?

In almost all of my classes I teach how to have a confident handshake. While it may seem like a really small thing, your handshake actually speaks volumes about you. You want to be sure it expresses that you are a confident, professional person. I saw this video about the 10 different handshakes and thought…

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Are You The Real Deal?

Yesterday I presented my Networking with Ease presentation to 120 people at the Greater Seattle Chamber “Focus On” series. As usual, my audience asked some really great questions. One man asked if someone should tone down their over-the-top energy when they are networking. It was an interesting question and one I hadn’t been asked before.

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Dance With Who Brung You

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have read in a post or two that I don’t like to cook. Thankfully my husband Eric doesn’t mind too much being the house chef. However, we agreed Sunday dinner is my one night to cook. To make cooking my Sunday meal more fun, I…

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The Show Will Go On!

I’m just thrilled Family Fourth at Lake Union will take place this year thanks to the donations of many Seattle businesses. The outpouring of support from small to big companies is heartwarming. 

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