As I mentioned in my Monday August 1 post, I have a new career advice book being released this month. It’s called Success Tweets for Creating Positive Personal Impact. Lydia Ramsey of Manners that Sell is my coauthor.
I’ve decided to give readers of this career success blog a sneak peek at the common sense tweets in Success Tweets for Creating Positive Personal Impact this week. Here are some of the common sense tweets you’ll find inside the book.
Business Meal Etiquette
- Do you have trouble remembering which is your bread-and-butter plate? Think of a BMW. Left to right, it’s bread, meat and water.
- Flatware is used from the outside in. Start with the utensils to the far left or far right of your plate or bowl.
- The napkin goes into your lap after everyone is seated. It never goes back on the table until all are finished and rising from the table.
- Never begin eating until everyone at your table is served. If someone’s meal is late and he or she suggests you begin, you may do so.
- Bread is broken, never cut. Tear off one small piece at a time. Biting into the entire roll at once is a major faux pas.
- The coffee cup remains upright on your saucer even if you don’t care for coffee. Turn it over only if the server asks you to.
- The red wine glass is held by the bowl to keep the wine at room temperature. The white wine glass is held by the stem to keep it cool.
- At the beginning of the meal, food such as bread is passed to the right. The waiter serves from the left so this helps avoid collisions.
- When hosting a business meal, make sure that the server knows to bring you the check to avoid any embarrassing or awkward moments.
- The host decides when to discuss business over a meal. For a business lunch, this usually occurs as soon as the orders are placed.
- Business dinners are more social occasions where the focus is on building relationships rather than closing deals.
- As a guest, order in the mid-price range on the menu. It is equally offensive to order the cheapest item as to select the most costly.
- Engage others in conversation at a business meal. Speak to the people seated to your left and your right. Never let someone sit alone and silent.
- Keep your breath fresh. Brush, or use the strips after meals and coffee. Don’t chew gum. Ever. It makes you look like a cow.
Building Strong Relationships
- Get genuinely interested in others. Help bring out the best in everyone you know. Others will gravitate to you.
- Keep confidences and avoid gossip. Don’t embarrass others by repeating what they share with you – even if it isn’t in confidence.
- Use every social interaction to build and strengthen relationships. Strong relationships help you create positive personal impact.
- Everyone has something to offer. Never dismiss anyone out of hand. Take the time to learn about other people.
- Get to know yourself. Use your self-knowledge to better understand and relate to others.
- Pay it forward. Build relationships by giving with no expectation of return.
- When meeting someone new ask yourself, “What can I do to help this person?” You’ll build stronger relationships thinking this way.
- There is no quid pro quo in effective relationships. Do for others without being asked or waiting for them to do for you.
- Be generous. When you give, you’ll be surprised at how much comes back to you.
- Be happy to see others succeed. Use their success to motivate you to create your greater success.
- Trust is the glue that holds relationships together. The more you trust others, the more they will trust you.
- Become widely trusted. Deliver on what you say you’ll do. If you can’t meet a commitment, let the other person know right away.
- Resolve conflict positively. Treat it as an opportunity to strengthen, not destroy, relationships you’ve worked hard to build.
- Settle disputes and resolve differences quickly. Don’t let them drag on. Engage the other person in meaningful dialogue.
- Be a consensus builder. Focus on where you agree with others. It’s easier to create agreement this way.
- Be responsible for yourself. No one can “make you angry.” Choose to act in a civil, constructive manner in tense situations.
- Do your job. Give credit to others for doing theirs. Everyone likes to work with people who share the credit for a job well done.
- We all make mistakes. Own up to yours. You’ll become known as a straight shooter, honest with yourself and others.
- Punctuality is a simple way to show courtesy and respect for others. It should be valued as the heart and soul of good business.
- Savvy business people know that “RSVP” means to send a reply regardless of whether they plan to attend an event or not.
I hope you found these common sense tweets to be helpful in your journey to the life and career success you want and deserve. Come back tomorrow for more common sense tweets from Lydia Ramsey and my forthcoming book Success Tweets for Creating Positive Personal Impact. As always, thanks for reading my daily thoughts on life and career success. I value you and I appreciate you.
Bud
PS: If you haven’t already done so, you can download a free copy of my latest career success book Success Tweets Explained. It’s a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail. Go to http://budurl.com/STExp to claim your free copy. You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success quotes.
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