Meeting etiquette

Are we back to shaking hands?

By Arden / October 3, 2022 /

In late February 2020 I drove to my CPA’s office to drop off my tax documents. At that point, 15 cases of the COVID-19 virus were reported in the U.S. and there were over 1,100 deaths worldwide. I felt a bit nervous about the virus but not overly concerned. When my CPA came out to…

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Seven steps for leading efficient, effective and inclusive meetings

By Arden / November 1, 2020 /

Are you getting the most out of your meetings? Are your employees engaged and freely contributing? Are decisions being made in an expeditious way? Chances are your meetings are not accomplishing much. According to a study by Atlassian, people spend 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. And what do participants do in those meetings?…

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Virtual meeting etiquette and best practices 201

By Arden / April 24, 2020 /

Now that we have been practicing physical distancing mandates for several weeks, many of us are becoming more comfortable with the tools needed to meet virtually. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about some basic dos and don’ts for using Zoom. I thought it would be helpful to share more 201 level etiquette…

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Zoom video conferencing meeting

How to not embarrass yourself on Zoom

By Arden / March 26, 2020 /

Zoom, Zoom!!! Have you been on a Zoom meeting yet? While we practice social distancing and obey stay at home orders to stem the spread of COVID-19 everything has turned to virtual meetings. In the last week I have been on eight Zoom meetings, some for business, others for organizations I belong to and a…

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How to succeed as a young professional

By Arden / September 7, 2018 /

Are you a new graduate or young person starting out in the professional world? I remember that time. College was a lot of fun but also a lot of work and I was excited and a little nervous to start working at a “real job.” I’d held many jobs through my college years – scooping…

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Avoiding the awkward goodbye

By Arden / May 20, 2018 /

I’m taking Spanish lessons for the umpteenth time, trying to get to the place where I can carry on a conversation with a Spanish speaking person. My lovely instructor, Paola with Una Buena Spanish, is helping me with my quest to speak español.

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14 annoying habits that are driving your coworkers crazy

By Arden / February 21, 2018 /

When I worked for Washington Mutual many years ago, there were a few weeks where I was working on several big, deadline-driven projects and I was pretty stressed. The days ticked by while I toiled away on the assignments. One day a coworker who sat next to me asked if I was okay. Turns out…

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Why brainstorming meetings rarely work

By Arden / March 10, 2017 /

Meetings are conducted for a variety of reasons – decision making, company or department updates, project updates, brainstorming and more. One of the more challenging or difficult meetings to conduct effectively is a brainstorming meeting. It sounds like a great idea, but too often the meetings are run in a way that people don’t feel…

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Smile, you’re on camera! Video conference dos and don’ts

By Arden / October 5, 2016 /

Have you ever had a conversation with someone on the phone and wondered about the meaning of their words? If so, it’s possible the lack of body language made the conversation difficult to interpret. According to research conducted by Professor Albert Mehrabian, when we communicate feelings and attitudes, 7% of the meaning is contained in…

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The dreaded invitation: “Let’s have coffee…”

By Arden / August 3, 2016 /

“Let’s meet for coffee.”  Sound familiar? If you’re a business owner you may hear this phrase often. Yet, it’s not always a welcome invitation.

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