Happy holidays

I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time off from school and spending time with your families. Oh and make sure to eat lots of turkey!

Know Your Business

Before going to a new job, it is best to know and understand the history of the company you are trying to get a job with. This will give you more credibility during your interview. This will also help you understand where the company has been and where it is trying to go. Remember that knowing your subject prepares you for any questions that could be asked.

Public Speaking

Last night, I read through the comments from my textbook presentation. I want to thank everyone for their feedback and suggestions. If anyone would like some help in learning how to give better presentations or public speeches, this is the book that I read about a years ago.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Public-Speaking-Stephen-Lucas/dp/007321650X

Business Ethics

We all at some point in time come across an ethical dilemma at work and wonder what we should do. Is it right to be unethical in order to get sales and a new client? I believe that it is more important to be ethical in decisions than to make a sale. How would you feel if you were on the opposite side of the spectrum?

Brain Exercises

After reading Dr. Spaeth's blog about playing music and exercising your brain, I thought that it would be neat to find more exercises that might be helpful as well. Here is a website that I found that has several different exercises. I enjoyed the "Brain Creativity" exercise the best.

http://www.brainmetrix.com/

Breaking the Language Barrier

At my new job there are two coworkers that do not speak English at all. Whenever I need to talk to them it is very hard to get my message through to them because of the language barrier. I found some tips on this site that will help you if you are finding yourself in the same situation.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4670376_break-thru-language-barrier.html

For Marketing Majors

The hardest part in marketing is encoding the message. The most crucial part is encoding a message that will be interpreted the way that you want it to be. When the receiver decodes the message in a way that is different from the way it was intended, it defeats the purpose of your marketing strategy. Remember that everyone decodes messages differently, so you need to make sure that you are encoding the message in a way that is easy to comprehend.

What Do I Wear?

Have you ever wondered what you should wear to an interview? Here is a site that gives a few tips on what you should do and wear. I hope it helps you land your dream job.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/25/living/oprah-wear-to-interview/index.html
Amber Kallor

Does This Sound Familiar?

Do you ever get this response after giving an idea or simply expressing your feelings? Did they even hear what you were saying? I found that it is best to repeat or summarize what someone has just said when giving a response. This will let the other person know that you were listening and understand what was said.

Internships

Here is a website that lists the current internships that are available in Austin. Take a look through the list and see if there is any that you have an interest in.

http://www.internship.com/austin-tx

LinkedIn

I decided to do some research that would help me build the best profile on LinkedIn. I was able to find this link, which gives seven tips on created the best profile. I hope this helps everyone who is trying to set one up or is trying to improve their own.

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140327151938-19713953-7-linkedin-profile-tips-and-tricks-in-2014-that-make-a-difference?_mSplash=1

Ronan Keane

Interviews

Before going into an interview, it is best to think about the questions that you will be asked. This will prepare you for how you will answer the questions and gain more credibility. Come up with several situations that you have experienced from previous employments or life experiences, and break them down into how you handled the situation. When an employer asks you about a situation and how you handled it, you will be prepared and be able to answer it without any problems.

Body Language

Found another TED Talks that I thought would be helpful for everyone. I really enjoyed this video and found it helpful. I myself tend to hunch over and slouch, and I never thought about how I appear to others through my nonverbal communication.

http://ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

Amy Cuddy

Stage Fright

Found a neat video on beating stage fright. This is a perfect example of how to convert your fear into something positive.

http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_kowan_how_i_beat_stage_fright

Joe Kowan

Social Media

Most employers today, tend to look at candidates Facebook and other social media. If you are looking for a professional job, make sure to appear professional on social media. Do not post pictures of parties and drinking at the bar. This gives the wrong impression to employers. One way to use social media to your advantage is to create a LinkedIn profile. This will also help networking when looking for a job, and having a professional appearance.

First Impressions

In the business world it is highly important to make a great first impression. The first impression an employer gets from you can determine the outcome of your employment. Make sure to show up on time and to dress professionally. When you show up on time (being early) it shows dedication and will help to lead to future success. Also dressing for success will always lead to getting noticed and remembered.

Digital Age

Maybe I’m just old school, but I miss talking to people face to face. Everything now has gone digital and communication is not the same, and it is harder to decode the message. It is hard to determine one’s emotion through an email or text. At least talking to people on the phone, you are able to hear the emotion and tones in one’s voice.

Avoiding Stumbles

When giving a presentation you want to sound as natural as possible. If you happen to make a mistake or stumble, just ignore it and keep going. By the time you finish your presentation everyone will have forgotten the small mistakes. If you don’t ignore the stumble, it can throw off your entire presentation and you will become flustered. Just remember that everyone makes mistakes and it is not the end of the world.

Another Tip for Avoiding Stage Fright

If you are anything like me, then you get nervous before giving a speech. Here is a helpful tip on how to avoid stage fright: Breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling while counting to ten. This helps to slow down your heart rate and also keeps your concentration on counting and not about being nervous. Also remember that everyone experiences some degree of stage fright.

Ways to Avoid Stage Fright

If you are anything like me, then you get nervous before giving a speech. Here is a helpful tip on how to avoid stage fright: Breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling while counting to ten. This helps to slow down your heart rate and also keeps your concentration on counting and not about being nervous. Also remember that everyone experiences some degree of stage fright.

Best Practice

A best practice before giving a presentation to an audience is to rehearse repeatedly. The more prepared you are, the more natural you will sound. Being prepared and sounding natural will help build your credibility to your audience.

International Communication

After graduation I will be traveling to Europe for a few weeks, so I decided to looks for tips on communicating to use while I am there. I don't know if I should attempt to modify my accent though. I feel like it would be horrible to attempt and I'm sure that I would butcher it as well.

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-communication/international-business-communication-scope-tips-and-writing-procedure/27690/
Smriti Chand Business Communication

Neat Video

Found another video that I thought was interesting. Susan brings up a great point about leadership and getting noticed. "Using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others." People often believe they are great leaders because they get results, but a true leader inspires other to be great as well.

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_colantuono_the_career_advice_you_probably_didn_t_get
Susan Colantuono: The career advice you probably didn’t get

New Job

I decided that I would continue with my blog about my previous employer who yelled at a fellow employee. Since then, I have switched jobs and I must say that I love my new job. Everyone treats each other with respect and all communication is concise and clear. It truly is amazing how these little things can affect your life in such a big way.

Writing a Resume

I have recently been looking for tips to write an unforgettable resume that would help me stand out, and have found thousands of different ideas and ways to do so. I came across this website and found it extremely helpful. Hopefully some of these tips will inspire or help to write the best resume when searching for a career after school.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/resume-writing-tips/
Daniel Scocco

Professional Image

Figured I would continue with tips to improve communication skills. Many of us will be taking our first steps on the path to our careers soon after graduation, and some of these tips will help to land that perfect career. The way you walk into an interview can say more about you than you think. Remember that first impressions last a lifetime, make sure that you make it count.

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/worklife/project-professional-image-workplace-6900/
Vince in Career Advice

Are You Listening?

Chapter 2 describes how we are such poor listeners because of several different factors. I found these tips online, hoping that it might give some insight and help to understand the best ways to communicate efficiently. I know I have a problem with number 3.

http://powertochange.com/students/people/listen/
Susie Michelle Cortright

Interesting Quotes

Found some interesting quotes about good communication, and I have to say that my favorite quote is #10 from Sydney Harris.  This cartoon is a perfect example of not being able to get through.

http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2010/12/the_single_bigg.shtml

The Danger of Silence

I was looking through some TED Talks and came across this video. I thought it was intriguing and brilliant. My favorite quote is "We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying, that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't." This powerful quote makes me think of what we actually communicate to others when we fail to REALLY listen!

http://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence
TED Talks with Clint Smith

Yet it does matter on what you say.

I was working yesterday and I overheard a manager yelling at a fellow employee. This manager used inappropriate and unprofessional language towards the associate. It made me wonder why he would react in such a manner at work. For me, when a manager cusses and acts unprofessionally towards another associate, I lose respect for him. As a manager, I make it my goal to gain respect from everyone. After all people will work harder for a boss they respect.

Its How You Say It

Its not what you say, its how you say it. When I was younger I knew exactly what message my mother was sending to me by simply saying my name. The tone of voice used, mood of the sender, and volume of the message being sent, all give meaning and context to the message.
http://speaking-tips.com/Articles/Using-Your-Tone-of-Voice.aspx

Positive vs Negative

Are you causing negative communication within your company? The answer is that you possibly could be! You could be causing negative effects on your company without even realizing it. Be careful of what you say around the water cooler. 
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-negative-communication-workplace-11524.html

Making it Clear

Better communication consists of clear and concise messages. We sometimes believe that our message is clear to the recipient, but that is not always the case.