Checklists for Life

16

Professional Life

Every businessperson, including veteran professionals, confronts situations where they’d appreciate a little advice. Lists can pare down even the most intimidating or abstract business project into one that seems manageable. Success is sure to follow, one checkmark at a time!

 Ten Tips for Effective Networking

Networking is one of those business buzzwords that makes many people cringe. But networking is not about shoving your business card into the hands of strangers while boasting about yourself! Self-promotion specialist Ilise Benun defines networking as talking about your work to people who want to listen and helping them get to know you and what you have to offer. “People want to work with people they trust,” says Benun, “but how will anyone work with you if they don’t know you’re there? And if you don’t tell them, who will?” Here are some tips for networking effectively—without making anyone uncomfortable.

1.	Join professional organizations and get busy. Just joining an organization isn’t enough; you need to get to know people on a personal level and allow them to see you in action. Volunteer for a working committee, take minutes, organize events, or get involved in any way that makes a contribution and helps you become visible in the organization.
2.	Sharpen your “elevator speech.” Be able to explain what you do in the time it takes an elevator to go a few floors—fifteen to twenty seconds at most. Don’t think of it as a sales pitch, just as an intriguing way to introduce yourself professionally.
3.	Be a card carrier. You’ll defeat your purpose if you arrive at a meeting or event without a stack of your business cards. And you never know when you might run into someone at the grocery store who provides a perfect networking opportunity.
4.	Get the card thing over with. Exchanging cards is “a crucial part of the ritual,” according to Benun, who admits it can be awkward. Her advice is to plunge right in and say something like, “Hey, let’s get the business card thing out of the way.” Done! And no one feels embarrassed.
5.	Make one friend. You won’t make a friend the first time you meet someone, of course. But if you can find at least one person you can talk with when you attend an event, the occasion will seem less intimidating. And you never know how many people you may wind up talking to just because you sought out one person.
6.	It’s not about you. The people you meet in most settings, professional and social, are usually thinking about themselves; it’s a trait most humans share. Shifting your attention from yourself to the concerns of your networking prospects will make you stand out. When you’ve asked good questions and paid attention to the answers, you will become someone people are very interested in paying attention to.
7.	Go where they go. Find out which events, conferences, meetings your prospects attend. You’ll not only meet the people you’re interested in, you’ll learn something new about their interests and concerns.
8.	Look for low-key opportunities. Don’t overlook the networking possibilities inherent in your beach volleyball games, book group meetings, church gatherings, or any of your other nonprofessional encounters. Sometimes the best contacts are made when no one is thinking about business and conversation evolves more naturally.
9.	What’s new with me? A few times a week, ask yourself what is new and interesting in your life and business: What projects are you working on? What are you trying to accomplish in the short/long run? Any creative problems you’d like to discuss? Whenever you run into someone you haven’t seen in a while, you’ll be prepared to make the most of your encounter.
10.	Follow up. No matter how many business cards you hand out and take in, you won’t have achieved much unless you get in touch afterward. Benun suggests establishing a follow-up procedure that’s easy and fast. It could be as simple as keeping a stack of stamped postcards handy for sending a note, or setting aside time every week to stick a Post-It note on your brochure and mail it to new acquaintances.

 The Perfect Presentation: How to Prepare

Many people would rather face a firing squad than an audience. In fact, studies consistently show that public speaking is the number one fear for most people, while dying falls well behind at number six. Take a deep breath and follow these pointers to ensure that you do the best possible job the next time you make a presentation.

1.	Practice makes perfect. Remember the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall: “Practice, practice, practice!” Practice your talk so thoroughly that you know your stuff cold. Knowing you are as prepared as possible will bolster your confidence. Record your speech once or twice and play it back; you’ll know what you need to work on. Feeling confident about your delivery will ease stage fright.
2.	Don’t write out the whole talk. Use only key words to jog your memory as you speak. Make sure you’ve got all your pages or index cards—and that they are in the right order!
3.	Get to the room early to ensure that:
	• The mike works and is adjusted for your height.
	• The lighting is adequate.
	• There is water at the lectern.
	• The audiovisual equipment is working.
4.	Check the mirror:
	• Is your fly zipped?
	• Is your lipstick neatly applied?
	• Are your teeth free of food?
	• Is your slip out of sight?
	• Is your hair combed?
	• Are the bottoms of your shoes free of toilet paper or other trailing debris?
5.	Prepare your introducer. He should have background material to work with and should know how to pronounce your name correctly.
6.	Give some thought to reasonable replies for possible hostile or tough questions.
7.	Put your watch on the podium in front of you so you can keep track of the time.
8.	Stand up straight.
9.	Speak slowly. Most people have a tendency to speak too quickly when they’re onstage, so if you slow yourself down deliberately, you’ll probably be at about the right pace.
10.	Don’t be afraid to pause if you need to collect your thoughts or if you lose your place in your talk. A moment’s quiet may seem like hours to you, but the audience will hardly notice. A dignified pause is much better than rambling or saying “um” to fill the silence.
11.	If your hands shake—and adrenaline can do this to you even if you’re not feeling nervous—steady them on the podium instead of holding on to rattling papers. You’ll feel calmer knowing no one can see your nerves.
12.	Remember that even if the worst happens, you’ll live to laugh about it.

You’d be better off not asking any family or friends to lend moral support at your next talk, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Research shows that people facing a hostile audience tend to perform much better because they feel they have nothing to lose. Those familiar faces can actually cramp your style because you have more at stake.

CONTROLLING STAGE FRIGHT

Consider the physical agonies many people endure when faced with a roomful of people waiting to hear them speak. Sweating, shaking, nausea, pounding heart, quavering voice, and difficulty breathing won’t kill you, but they certainly undermine confidence! Here are the steps most frequently recommended by psychologists and performance coaches for controlling that fear.

•	As you wait to go onstage, remember that the worst will be behind you the moment you reach the podium. Stage fright is usually at its worst right before the performance.
•	Focus on the goal of your talk (to inform, entertain, motivate, or persuade). Make achieving the goal more interesting to yourself than feeling the anxiety.
•	Take plenty of deep breaths. You can literally make yourself sick with shallow, nervous breathing. Breathing deeply will help ease your physical symptoms and restore your poise.
•	Envision your audience as a group of friendly people. In fact, they probably are pulling for you. Most audiences want to like the speaker just as much as the speaker wants to be liked.
•	Keep in mind that you always appear more confident than you feel. Those butterflies in your stomach may feel real, but no one can see them!
•	Ask your doctor about the medications known as beta blockers. They aren’t tranquilizers and don’t affect your alertness or alter your mental state, but they do block the adrenaline rush that leads to stage fright symptoms. Beta blockers are prescription drugs (and should never be taken by anyone with asthma), so talk with your doctor if nothing else has worked for you.

Smart Strategies for Business Trips

Even seasoned business travelers can overlook crucial details—those that can make all the difference in on-the-road productivity—when packing for a last-minute trip. Use this checklist to make yourself a savvy business traveler.

 TO BRING

1.	Must-have telephone numbers. Unless you’re lucky enough to have an electronic organizer, chances are you don’t carry your Rolodex in your briefcase. Take time to copy down all the phone numbers and addresses you’ll need before you leave home. (Save time by getting directions to your destination before you arrive.)
2.	Full set of local clients’ phone numbers. Don’t limit your “traveling Rolodex” to the clients or associates you’re scheduled to meet. You never know when your plans might change or an urgent matter necessitating an unscheduled visit might come up.
3.	Emergency cash or bankcard. Finding out you have no cash as you leave your bags with the porter or hail a taxi can be extremely inconvenient. Consider keeping an emergency stash securely locked in your briefcase, or at least an “emergency twenty” in your wallet. A bankcard is the next best thing—stop by an airport ATM before your first meeting.
4.	A list of restaurants and bars in town. Prepare yourself with a list of recommended spots so you can confidently take a client to lunch without asking for suggestions. The list will also be handy if you need to spend a quiet half hour between appointments.

 TO DO

1.	Know how to access your messages. Make sure you know the phone numbers and codes required for remote access of your phone messages. If you have a secretary, rather than a voice-mail system, be sure you know her number—you may not call it much under ordinary circumstances.
2.	Keep your laptop close. Many a laptop has been pinched while its owner talks on the telephone or pays for coffee. If you must put your laptop down in a public place, secure the strap by wrapping it once around your wrist or leg.
3.	Be discreet. Be careful of conversations on the airplane, in the airport lounge, or in any public place. You never know when your remarks are being overheard.