The business environment is the perfect setting to observe evidence that a number of etiquette practices remain unchanged, several are carelessly untrained or forgotten, and in the case of technology, the strongest proof that protocols need to frequently adapt. As I was developing this article others were eager to share stories with me, I will share two that prove that while we allow ourselves to become instantly accessible; we are unmindful to how discourteous we can be to those around us.

Example A - A client booked a 2 hour appointment with his financial account manager and during the scheduled time the client answered his cell phone and proceeded to conduct business over the phone.  This one action interrupted the valuable time of the account manager and forced the meeting to go beyond the allotted time and caused a delay for the next scheduled appointment. If he was being charged an hourly fee by the financial account manager my bet is; he wouldn’t have taken the call.

Example B - While giving a speech during a luncheon, the keynote speaker was distracted by a woman sitting at the table directly in front of his podium. She received and sent continuous messages with her BlackBerry ™ device.  It was uncomfortable for the speaker and the other guests at the table because sadly she was his colleague.

Here are a few basic guidelines and suggestions on tech-etiquette to implement within the business environment.

1. Inform the appropriate person prior to the beginning of a meeting, luncheon, etc. that you are expecting an “urgent” call. Sit nearest the door. Use ‘vibrate’ only. (Because ‘vibrate’ can be distracting, keep your phone worn on your body or below table level and leave the room before taking the call.) Only leave to answer the one expected call.
2. Never respond or check messages in meetings, luncheons, trainings, appointments, business conferences. Turn off all devices or transfer calls to voice mail. (Step away to a private area after the event or during a break to respond.)
3. Remove wireless earpieces.
4. Keep conversations short and at a low volume when there are others within a hearing range of 10ft. (e.g. Standing in line-ups, during intermissions)

5. Never place your BlackBerry™ or cell phone – that is not turned completely OFF –on  a conference, meeting, training, dining table, or on someone else’s desk. (Leave ‘ON’ only if everyone understands that you need to be reached by someone who has not yet arrived.)

Staying connected with your clients, associates, and resources is important to the strength of your business, by being an exemplary model of proper tech-etiquette you can further enhance your image and those you represent. Don’t forget that when you leave the office for the day, for your own sake and that of your friends and family, leave the office in your pocket.

1.  Composure and patience

2. Strong organizational and problem solving skills

3. Creative thinking and simplicity

4. Sense of Humor

There are last minute adjustments and glitches that lurk behind the scenes of every event and they need to be dealt with by fast-thinking and seemingly effortless actions.  Your knowledge of the event objective will help you deliver quality through your innovative ability to pull out the best tools in your kit.

1.  Be open to establishing non-specific connections  – not all connections will be related to your business, but can help you discover the bigger picture of how we develop relationships that ultimately grow business connectivity.

2.  Tune in to Listening – Be curious by asking good questions, and take the time to listen to the answers. You will see greater opportunities and enjoy the experience.

3.  Refer and Recommend – share experiences, advice, and your connections. This will inspire others to do the same for you.

4.  Follow up – Make the sincere effort to make follow-up contact only people that you connected with.

5.  Don’t forget your Business cards! – It happens to all of us!

I have traveled around the world and in most countries it is acceptable to barter the price of goods and services; it rarely provokes resentment. Garage sales are a good example of how we unilaterally play the game. I was asked recently to discount my services 50% and although I don’t mind adjusting some prices I thought long and hard about this request.
The thesis- discounting a product to remove it from inventory is good – discounting a service depreciates value.

It is not that we can’t help you; it’s merely in relation to the logistics of productivity; while anything Olympic related shifts into overdrive expecting anything else to function as normal is unrealistic. As the torch makes its long and historic journey to mark the beginning of the celebration, the rest of the country will have to remember that if there is no immediate reply; leave a message and we will get back to you after the spirit of Olympic flame is extinguished.
GO CANADA GO!

Published article South Delta Leader, January 15, 2010

Most engaged couples don’t consider that their wedding is the first time they will be entertaining together as a married couple. Choosing the perfect setting for a wedding can reflect your personalities and create a truly memorable event. The everlasting trend in weddings is personalization and what better way to begin planning by finding inspiration at a unique site?

Destination weddings are a perfect example of a location being the jumping off point for your wedding. The blessing and curse of a destination wedding is that most of the design elements are built into a package. Having set the tone perhaps at the beach with romantic and picturesque scenery, this location establishes many elements of the design and offers the opportunity for you to reflect your personal touches into the nuptials and reception. By embracing the spirit of the location and learning customs and traditions that can be incorporated into your celebration you can deliver the personal touches for a one-of-a-kind affair.

There are couples for whom the religious aspect of the ceremony is paramount, and other couples that incorporate meaningful traditions from their ancestral roots. The location of the ceremony will be governed by this, but this also allows for some originality in symbolizing how you as bride and groom have arrived to this point of union. Transitioning your guests to another location for the reception can have a scattering effect, so plan on creating a creative and coherent welcoming at the new location that reflects some design elements of the ceremony and further builds a sense of anticipation for your guests.

Fresh-air weddings tend to be more casual affairs however depending on the location; it is the outdoors that inspires the broadest thematic inspiration from rustic to formal. All the natural elements serve to accentuate your design, entertainment, and photography. An outdoor wedding however needs a well-built backup plan, which is as critical as any other consideration as no one can control the weather conditions. Umbrellas for rain or shine, and a heated reception tent are a must. Consider flooring as no lady wants to aerate the grass with her satin heels and elderly guests will have difficulty maneuvering the unlevel areas.

To create and set the tone of your own beautiful wedding, take this opportunity to make the most of it by tapping into your own imaginative ideas on location selection. Remember, it is important to reflect your personalities but don’t go too over board that in years to come you ask yourselves, what were we thinking? Relax and enjoy your wedding day; this is the first of many festive occasions as husband and wife.

Could you please send your team to pick me up and take me on a 1-2 year world tour to meet and mentor with the best of the Special Event Designers and Producers?  I want a sneak peek into the underbelly of what it takes to organize a Presidential Inauguration, Coronations, the Academy Awards, and other high profile affairs.  I’d like to travel to the Middle East to understand the intricacies of developing an event for a Sheik, follow the Olympic Organizers from one city to the next, and be present to better understand  the cultural preparations of powerful  traditional ceremonies that mark  a right of passage, a wedding, or death.  I will need a photographer as we chronicle this most desired adventure and create a book that can then be on Oprah’s Book of the Month Club.

The Special Event industry is so misunderstood, and I would like to bring attention to the challenges, skills, and research it takes to be a true industry professional, and the importance that anthropology, sociology, and psychology play  in the development of every event.

In your January 2010 issue you headline in bold print: How to Get What You Really Want This Year.  This is what I really want, so I am being bold and just asking for it. I too want to Live my Best Life!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Want to Be Wildly Successful? Watch Your Words! – John Hersey, CSP

We hear it all the time; so many people so sure about their intention of focusing on what they truly want. They are so certain, their attitudes are so positive, and yet, nothing seems to happen. “I have done it all, BUT everything is the same”, Stephen says. He is fast to point out that he hasn’t moved a bit in the direction of his dreams.

We must remember that our language is directly linked to our thoughts; thus, we have to pay attention to what we say and how we say it in order to understand a great deal about our way of thinking. Right there, where Stephen said ‘BUT’, is the key.

One has to make it a conscious habit to catch one’s words. This could easily be the only opportunity you have to actually catch your true thoughts, because the only reason you could catch yourself is because you are going to say it out loud, otherwise, it would just stay back there, in your subconscious. The subconscious is happy to grab everything you pay some attention to, whether it is valuable or not, thus, in order to refine its choices, you could refine your language.

In our vocabulary there are millions of words, however, we use a small amount of those millions regularly. The amount of words we use depends directly on our upbringing and education, and one thing is certain: no matter how we were raised or what kind of education we have received, in order to be successful in life we have to be conscious of the words we speak and learn to differentiate what words are meaningful and which ones are pure junk.

No matter where we come from, there are certain words everyone should eliminate from their vocabulary if they want to make their life big, and want to make it big in life. These words are:

- But
- Don’t
- No
- Never
- Can’t
- Should
- Try
- Might
- Want
- Hope

All the words above express some kind of doubt, incapability, negativity, unwillingness, and lack of control. Let’s take ‘hope’ for example; ‘hope’ is a major success among people. People love what ‘hope’ stands for; nevertheless, this word is normally used to express desperation, more than real hope.

If you think this is trivial, think again. Remember, our words are tightly linked to our thoughts; whatever you say is deeply entrenched in your mind, so, when you consciously keep out of your vocabulary certain words, you are making yourself think in a more positive way. As everything, changing your vocabulary needs training, and it may seem difficult at first, however, if you learn some new great words to substitute the less positive ones, it may make it easier to switch:

- Yes
- And
- More
- Chose
- Intent
- Plan
- Can
- Will
- Trust
- Allow

Start using these words more in your daily conversations and you will experience MAGIC, there you go! Another great word!