PTT: Blurred Lines

Professional Tip Tuesday
Over the weekend, my sweet boyfriend and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. He got me an awesome old-school Raleigh bicycle - now we are ready to explore Kansas City in style!

A happy girl with a new set of wheels!

Aside from that, I happened to read a HuffPost article that said: 22% of Americans meet their significant other in the workplace and 84% of millennials are totally okay with that.

           
Britt and I must be part of that 84%. We met when we worked for the orientation program at our university and now we both work together at the same company as post-grads! Just call us Jim and Pam. 

This week's Professional Tip Tuesday is inspired by my weekend activities and my boyfriend's love for The Office.

Summer 2011 - Just a couple of Orientation Hawkeye Guides.

Jim and Pam's office DOs and DON'Ts.

DO... 

• DO try and separate yourselves professionally. - As an admin and a sales guy, Jim and Pam can definitely attest to this one. 
• It will be better for your relationship and your career if you are working in two different parts of the company. 
• Why? You won't be directly competing with each other. This will save you from tension at the workplace and with your relationship.
• DO support each other's dreams and career goals. - Take note, boys. Jim encouraging Pam to take art classes is sweet as can be.
• Do what you can to help each other succeed. Leverage each other's skills and knowledge to get where you want to be in your career.
• Why? There is nothing better than having someone on your side - especially when they know the ins and outs of the workplace.

DON'T...

• DON'T be inseparable. - Didn't Jim and Pam seem a little nutso with those mini-bluetooths?
• It is nice to be able to chat occasionally during the workday, but keep it to a minimum. 
• Why? Even if you are getting all of your work done - it won't look good if your coworkers, or your manager for that matter, catch you chatting with your significant other all day. ...Even if your manager is Michael Scott.
• DON'T let your relationship woes show at work. - While Michael Scott isn't afraid to pry, Jim and Pam do a little too much oversharing at times too. 
• It doesn't matter if it's a coworker that is getting a little nosy, or if you are just feeling a little extra chatty - do not divulge.
• Why? Your co-workers are not always looking out for the best interest of your relationship (or your career). Plus, in the heat of the moment you might say something you don't actually mean. And it makes it even more awkward that they work with your significant other also.

There you have it, some office relationship DO's and DON'T's from Jim and Pam.

With the significant number of millennials okay with dating a co-worker, I was surprised to find there weren't many articles on the subject. The only search results were about "office flings". It will be interesting to see what research and studies will come out in the future on this topic.

Comment below with your thoughts on office relationships. Any "Do's" and "Don'ts" of your own? 

PTT: Presenting like a Professional [Woman]

Professional Tip Tuesday
My roommate told me this morning a radio host referred to today as: "National Don't Want to Go Back to Work Day". Man, oh, man I couldn't agree more. My first 'paid' holiday and I still felt like I could have used an extra day!

Friday after work, I made a split second decision to go back to Iowa City for the home opener football game. As much as I love Kansas City, it was fantastic to recognize some faces and be in a familiar place for a bit.

A holiday weekend spent with good friends and cheering on the Hawkeyes.

And now, I am in my last week of training at work - hallelujah! But before I get there.. I have a big presentation coming up on Thursday. So today's Professional Tip Tuesday is: 

Presenting like a professional [woman]!

This post specifically goes out to the ladies. We tend to have a different speaking style than men. The following 4 tips are things to be aware of when presenting. 

1.Watch out for that upspeak? (The question mark is ironic...)

• Occasionally girls aren't quite as confident in the words we're speaking and we phrase our sentences as questions. But what does that do? It totally discredits everything we have said. That's no good.

• You are presenting on the topic for a reason. You know your stuff. So show it with a strong, confident ending to your sentences!

2. Use punctuation. Don't interrupt yourself.

• I didn't even know it, but this describes exactly what I do ALL the time. Do you ever find yourself adding on ands and buts and howevers like they are going out of style? Compound sentences are another big thing we do when we're feeling unsure. 
• Tara Sophia Mohr explains it perfectly in her article (linked here): "When we don't feel we have the right to take up space in a meeting or conversation, or when we are nervous, we tend to rush, and never leave a moment without words". 

3. Be an expert. Know it and practice it. 

• The key to successfully do 1 and 2 is to actually be sure of what you are talking about. If you are comfortable with the content, the rest will come way more naturally. 
• And here's the secret - it's ok if you don't know everything! The audience will be oblivious as long as you can say most of it with confidence. 
• **Bonus tip: If someone in the audience asks you something you are unsure of, deflect the question with something like: "I want to make sure I give you the right answer so let me check up on that and get back to you." You will still sound like you know it all. And as long as you follow up with that person, your credibility is saved.

My friends and I didn't know everything about the university when we worked for orientation.
But we definitely had to be comfortable with the material when presenting to students!

4. Embrace your personality! Our warm tones can set us apart.

• The more I read about women in the workplace - the more excited I get. We have a special niche skill that makes us an incredible value to any team. 
• Especially in the context of tips 1, 2, and 3 - an empathetic but confident tone can make for one killer presentation!

There you go. That's my 4 big tips on a successful presentation. These are all things I am learning to embrace slow but sure. All of these tips will do wonders if you can get them down. 

Men tend to naturally speak more matter-of-factly than women. So for this week's questions: Whether you are a man or a woman - what's your trick to sounding like you know your stuff? What are your top presentation tips? Comment below! I would love to hear your advice since my big speech is coming up on Thursday :)

Modern Day Manners

I have always been a huge manners person. And in my experience so far, I would say politeness will get you far. People love to be appreciated. I think my good etiquette savviness comes from my lovely grandmother. She is someone I would describe as graceful in every sense of the word.

My wonderful grandparents.

But as a 22-year-old "adult", proper etiquette can get a little tricky. So when I stumbled across The Grown Up Guide to Modern Manners on Pinterest this evening, I had to share it! 

Check it out and let me know what you think. The author mentions the proper protocol for tips, cell phones, weddings, and parties. All good things for a young professional to brush up on! 

What are your go-to "modern" manners? Comment below! 

PTT: Fake It 'Til You Become It!

Professional Tip Tuesday
As a part of my Lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to indulge in a little couch time. Unfortunately, I recently finished my latest television show binge on Netflix.

...On that subject, I have decided Netflix is best compared to my closet. I have so many clothes, yet I feel like I never have anything to wear. And similarly, there are so many options on Netflix, yet I can't ever find anything to watch.

But on this particular day, my "Top 10 for Anna"on Netflix suggested I check out "Ted Talks: Life Hacks". I love TED Talks! So I clicked on it.

And now all of my Top 10 are TED Talks.

Today's Professional Tip Tuesday is a little gem I found thanks to that very suggestion. The very first video that played was a 20 minute presentation by Amy Cuddy called: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.

In her presentation, Cuddy talks how Power Dynamics are conveyed in nonverbal communication. Humans (and animals) express their power and dominance through their nonverbals.

Let's break it down:

• Feeling confident and powerful? This person tends to spread out and their nonverbals might be more exaggerated.
• Feeling insecure or nervous? This person's nonverbals tend to be small and enclosed, taking up very little space.

I don't think these two different power dynamics are mutually exclusive. I can think of scenarios where I have played both roles. Around my friends, I can be as animated as a cartoon character. But in classes I wasn't comfortable in, I might curl up in my desk and stay quiet.

The important part of all of this is Cuddy's findings. Through research she realized, the way you act out these power dynamics will influence the way you feel. She says, you can Fake it Until You Make It! ...Sound familiar? :)

Amy Cuddy says, "Stand like Super Woman"
Photo Credit: Poptech Flickr

If you want to appear confident in a job interview, when presenting a big idea in a meeting, or even just conversing in the break room - mimic the nonverbals of a confident person. Stand up straight, take up more space, and be strong! Cuddy says, "Don't just fake it til you make it. Fake it until you become it!"

So watch that TED Talk (linked above) and if you're still interested in this topic (like I totally am!) read this article from Cuddy on Wired.com.
What characteristics do you notice in people that appear more confident? Comment below!

Lazy Sundays

In college, Sundays were the worst. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the last day of the weekend - students everywhere are stressed about all the homework they should have done.

But being out of school, I can finally appreciate this beautiful day.

And this was a big weekend - my roommate and I have been in the process of making our own wine for weeks. ..I keep getting asked if we stomped grapes. Hah! No way. But I immediately think of this I Love Lucy episode when I hear that:

"Lucy's Italian Movie" Photo Credit: www.lucyfan.com

Our green apple riesling was just a kit - we just dumped the ingredients into a 6-gallon carboy, stored it for 5 weeks, and let the wine do it's thing! The hardest part of our job was drinking/collecting 30 bottles to bottle it.

But alas, yesterday was the day! We had a little get together with homemade pizza, wine, and brownies.. Can life get any better than that?

That was my weekend excitement! And after bottling (and sampling our fair share) today is an extra lazy Sunday :) 

So how do you appreciate your Sundays? Time by the pool, a Netflix binge, or maybe lounging on the couch? Those are all great options if you ask me! 

PTT: Think about the PLOT

Professional Tip Tuesday:

How do you PLOT your words to effectively communicate?

Yesterday during training at work we had a "Consultative Partnering" session. It was an workshop all about effective communication - my bread and butter. I loved it! One of the things we learned about was PLOT.. which is what I want to offer up today for a Professional Tip Tuesday.

PLOT is all about knowing your audience and making your communication efforts count. In my internship last year, someone described the role of a communicator as an interpreter. Basically, anyone utilizing their communication skills is trying to convey an idea from one person to another.

I don't know about you, but interpreter makes a lot more sense to me when I think about the purpose of communication. It's not necessarily all about leveraging my personal communication style to woo the person receiving the message. It is more about understanding how to cater that message and help the receiver make sense of it. 

And voila! Along comes the PLOT idea: A simple acronym that helps you figure out how to best deliver a message to a particular person. As you look at the example below, think about someone you know well and fill in their traits. Here is the breakdown:

PLOT: 

• P - Personality 
• How would you describe the person and their personality?
• i.e. Pragmatic and always multi-tasking
• L - Language 
• How does the person communicate? 
• i.e. Short and to the point
• O - Opinion or Frame of Reference
• How do they generally seem to view life?
• i.e. Realistic
• T - Task 
• How do they approach a task?
• i.e. Very structured, step-by-step, lots of details

The whole idea with PLOT is that it gives you the opportunity to quickly assess what your audience needs. It can make a world of difference when you are deciding how to deliver a message. 

For example, I am generally a relational gal. My communication style is full of rapport. But if I were talking to the person I used as an example above, they may hate that fluff. By mapping out their PLOT, I figured out I had better use more succinct and to the point communication with that person. 

If I were to ask this person to do something, I would want to think about the PLOT and how it comes into play. I would not spend as much time on the big picture - I would focus more on the details and the importance of their particular part. I would explain to them exactly what I need them to do and the significance to the project. 

So that is my example of PLOT. Use this next time you are trying to communicate an idea! Whether it's your roommate or a coworker, PLOT can help you establish a communication style that works on the individual level. 

It's also really interesting to PLOT yourself! It helps you breakdown your communication style in a whole new way. So what's yours? Comment below and tell me about it. 

PTT: An Open Forum on Work-Life Balance

My mom has a teenager and a postgrad.
The amount she does in a day is impressive.

Professional Tip Tuesday: 

Work-life balance is a huge topic right now. Especially for women because of all that ends up falling on their plates!

As a girl that has no responsibilities other than my job and my social calendar, this post is in honor of all those workin' mamas out there! I have gained an incredible amount of respect for all you do since I started my 40+ hours a week.

How my dear mother worked a full-time job, shopped for groceries, ran errands, and appeased the wants and wishes of two needy daughters - I don't know. She's a miracle worker, that's for sure.

Today's Professional Tip Tuesday short and sweet. I am doing it a little differently because I want to do some more research before I offer up any particular advice. But the topic is:

How to take control of your workday and embracing your personal time.

This is something I find really interesting. I will definitely post more on it soon. For now I just wanted to share this article posted on Inc.com that got me thinking about the subject. It's called "How to Work Less and Do More" and it's even written from the perspective of a female CEO!

It reminded me that "work-life balance" is a buzzword in our culture and we are figuring out what it all means slowly but surely. I am looking forward to seeing what research and studies comes out of this topic. How are we going to create that sense of balance? How do we get the most out of work and enjoy our personal lives?

This article is a quick read and is good for anyone - not just the ladies out there. The takeaway is: don't let other people run your workday! For example, I love the idea of only checking your email 2-3 times to try and keep other people from eating up your productivity. With emails coming at you nonstop, it's so easy for that to happen!

I wanted to open this week up to you all.. How do you best manage your daily tasks and still take advantage of personal time? Comment below with any feedback you have.

Speaking on behalf of my mom - I'd say she manages a busy workday with a positive attitude and at least one pot of coffee :)