Set The Tone With A Great Handshake

Before I get rolling, I must tell you that shaking hands is not my favorite thing to do. You see, I'm a Germophobe. Yep, I'm a hand sanitizing, don't even think of drinking off my glass, please don't double dip,  card carrying...

GERM. O. PHOBE!

Having said that...I also believe that the handshake is THE MOST important networking tool you have in your networking arsenal. So, I tell myself "suck it up buttercup" and extend my hand to most everyone I meet-usually being the first to extend my hand (tip #1).

One of the most important things to remember, when extending your hand, is that you want to be palm to palm (tip #2) with the other person-whether you are a woman or a man and regardless of whether you are shaking hands with someone of the opposite gender.

WOMEN! Did you read that? No fingertips only (tip #3). Stick that hand out and shake hands with confidence. Set the tone that you are confident and equal.

MEN! No wet noodles (tip #3) but no bone crushers (tip #4) either. Extend your hand and give a firm handshake with everyone.

An easy rule of thumb (no pun intended) is to line up the "v" of your hand with the "v" of your partner's hand (tip #5).

Save those two handed shakes for those you are closer with as it signals a more "intimate" greeting (tip #6).

Now, grab that hand sanitizer and get shaking!

Here's a little funny to set you on your way for the long weekend.

As always, thank you for reading and be sure to...

Say it with Style.


Jen

Are Women Better Team Leaders?

In recent months there has been much discussion about women being better suited for leadership positions within organizations. 

Why you ask? 

What is it about women that makes them ideal team leaders? 

Not surprisingly, it comes down to our innate communication style(s).

As women, we are generally more intuitive which lends itself well to leading a team. We are also more verbal which means more discussion within teams which is always a good thing. Women also are generally more empathetic communicators which means they make more sound decisions because they ARE thinking about others and not just how it affects themselves or the bottom line. 

Some say that there is a flip side of having such personal interactions with team members. They believe that there is a loss of control that occurs when we do not have a clear line between "us" and "them." 

I say...

It's always best to find the balance between personal and business. Set reasonable boundaries from the start but don't be afraid to form relationships with your team.  

At the end of the day, it's about forming relationships and doing business with those we truly like and trust. You can't do this without being more personal on, at least, some basic level.

How about you...what do you think about blurring the line a bit to form more of a relationship with team members?

As always thanks for reading and remember to Say it with Style...

Jennifer

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

Back in April, I FINALLY got a Smartphone...I was so excited to have that thing in my hot little hand.  I jumped in with both feet, trying to learn as much as I could about it's features and how I could use them to make my life easier. GOOD.

I don't know about you...but I LOVE being able to text and email clients from my Smartphone.  I especially love texting as you can quickly send a reminder, picture or contact and see immediately that the item was delivered.  GOOD. 

Shortly after I got my Smartphone, it became evident that texting for me was going to be much more difficult than with my prior phone. I couldn't seem to get the hang of typing on the virtual keyboard. BAD. 

I found that I was spending much more time proofreading, which is ironic because there is an autocorrect feature. BAD.

           Speaking of autocorrect, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

How about you?

I have, on more than one occasion, sent texts to clients with seemingly unidentifiable "language" in it which also then took more time to clarify. UGLY.

I once sent a message to client (a long time, close-friend client) with unintended profanity in it! UGLY. 

Moral of the story? 

Turn that autocorrect off, double and triple check those texts to clients or make the decision to only use texting for very short messages as it was intended~SMS after all stands for Short Messaging System.

Let's all be sure to make autocorrect  your best friend and not your enema...I mean ENEMY! :)

Thanks for reading...and remember to Say it with Style.

Jen

The Real Deal

 What exactly does it mean when we say someone is authentic?

Let us first explore the true meaning of the word.

Synonyms:

genuine - true - real - veritable - original

 When we are talking about authentic communication or an authentic communicator we are talking about someone who is:

 GENUINE-no buzz words

TRUE-honest

 REAL-shows their personality

VERITABLE-consistent in their communication

ORIGINAL-not a cookie cutter

So, are you an authentic communicator?  Are you the real deal?

If not, it's time to start...

Thanks for reading,

Jen