AAIPS Blog

Tweet“Life without goal is like cricket without wicket.”

To understand this saying, we must understand the meaning of GOAL first. As per the dictionary, a goal is the end result or achievement, in which effort is directed. However, in actual life, goal is that the first step in making your dreams a reality. A dream can also be you r goal but to make a dream as your goal, you must actively pursue it, work for it. You must take steps to reach to it.

In most organisations, in the process of goal setting, the word SMART goal is used quite often. SMART goals prove to be a way to not just decide what to do, but how to do it in a way to determine whether or not progress is made. It also helps in affirming when the goal is achieved. Thus SMART goal stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timed goal.

Specific means well defined and this type of goal has a greater chance of accomplishment than a general goal. This should be easily understandable to make it easier to achieve the goal. Goals are misunderstood when they are not clear and thus we fail to accomplish them. Specific goals give us the detail of what has to be done and so we can take appropriate actions.

A specific goal should give answers to the questions like:

 Who (who all are involved), what (what is to be accomplished), where (location), when (time frame), which (requirements) and why (purpose of the goal).

For example: A general goal may to be to “become a public speaker” but a specific goal would be “join a public speaking and personality development course and become a public speaker in 2years”.

Measurable means having the knowledge if the goal is obtainable. Set quantifiable term in order to compare where we are and how far we have to go to reach the desired target. By using a tracking method we can know how much will be gained by achieving the goal and encourages persistent improvement. A goal is measurable when it answers the questions like how much, how many, how I will know if it is accomplished?

Attainable means the goals should be within the ability and capability of those involved. They should extend their capabilities a little bit so as to reach to the desired target. It should be challenging but still within the reach of the people. When you identify your goals you develop abilities, skills and attitude to attain them. Your personality development helps you to get closer to them. Plan your steps carefully to rise up. Goals would seem to get closer to you because of your urge to reach to them.

Relevant indicates the goal must be set with a purpose. The person must know its influence and how it affects him. A relevant goal increases commitment and the person has a high motivational level towards meeting such a goal.

Timed goals have a certain time frame for their attainment. There should be deadline for the accomplishment of the target goal. A time based goal helps in monitoring the progress and making the necessary adjustment for meeting the goal. With no deadline, there would be no urgency to achieve the goal and thus it may never be achieved. For example: “I want to be the best in public speaking someday”. This someday will never come. Rather you should set your goal as “I want to be the best in public speaking by 20^th May 2013”. After you have fixed this time frame, you will try all the means to be the best public speaker by then.

Goal setting is also a personality indicator. In the course of personality development, your appearance is not the only point that is counted. Your personality is also judged by the clarity or your thoughts, your ambition and your goals. So set SMART goal to reflect a positive personality.

 http://www.anuragaggarwal.com

TweetPersonality actually means the qualities or traits of an individual.

It’s your personality that leaves an impression on the stranger and as it is “first impression is the last impression”. Therefore it is very important to have a strong personality. Personality is depicted not only by your way of dressing but also by your way of speaking. Many people don’t feel confident to speak before huge gathering and thus they prove to have a weak personality. A person having a good personality has good command over his language and is confident speaking before the public.

If you want to give a good impression to others, personality development is of utmost importance.

Here are some tips on personality development: 

1. Read more as this would help you in gaining knowledge and would also expand the areas of your interest.
2. Be a good listener because this will make people feel comfortable while interacting with you. There is nothing more appealing than having someone listen to you intently making you feel like you’re the only person in the world.
3. Be a good communicator and talk what people want to hear. People love to talk about themselves, about their interests and so go ahead talk about all these. Show interest in their talks.
4. Meet new people. This will help you in developing confidence and will broaden your horizon.
5. Have a positive attitude because nobody wants to be in company of negative people or those who keep complaining. So be a person who can light up the room with his energy. Keep a smile on your face and the world will smile with you.
6. Be humorous because people want to be with someone who would make them laugh, who is chirpy and can find out fun in all situations.
7. Give respect to others as this is the most important thing for every person on this earth. If you will respect others, they will certainly respect you in return.

These are just few tips that will help you in developing your personality. Not only this, but for developing your personality it is very important to be a good speaker also. You must get a platform where you can speak before the public. Join some institute or a group that gives you this opportunity.

ANURAG AGGARWAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING offers public speaking and personality development course which helps you in GDs, power point presentations, debates, roles plays, speeches and much more which helps to build up your confidence. It is located inDelhi (north, south, west, east, central), Noida, and Gurgaon.

So to have a good personality, become a good speaker and feel confident by joining the course. For more details, visit http://www.anuragaggarwal.com or call Shivangi: 91-9999996242. We would be happy to help you.

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Every gesture we make, it tells something or the other about our personality. A handshake is also one of these gestures that depict your personality and attitude. Thus, it is important for our personality development that we should choose the right kind of hand shake. There are many opinions on what a hand shake can tell you about someone.

Some people are of the opinion that handshakes are done only the way we learn it and thus they do not give the true picture of the personality of a person. But then, if this is so, then why do we learn about the body language?

The point here is that handshakes do help in knowing the characteristics of a person.

Handshake forms the most important part of greeting a new person. People can judge a lot from handshakes. A handshake conveys power, confidence and professionalism. This little gesture provides major clues that can help you to identify the person whom you are communicating with. If you are unable to perform a perfect handshake, it may create undesirable impressions on the other person. Thus, it is very necessary to put the best hand forward and follow the etiquette of handshaking to be in the good books of the other person. 

Here are some basic types of handshakes understanding which will help you to depict a good personality to others:

The Standard Hand Shake In this, hands are engaged and people maintain eye contact, exchange smiles and shake hands two to four times.

Palm Up This type of hand shake means “I am here to serve you”.

Palm Down This type of hand shake is an authoritative one. It shows an authoritative, superior or controlling personality of the person. It says that you are there to take the lead, to take care of things, to get the job done.

Arrogant Shake It is made intentionally to demoralize your sense of security. In this the person offers a flat hand with the palm facing down to indicate that he is the boss. The best way to answer such a hand shake is by giving a hand with palm facing upwards.

Hand in Hand The greeter will offer a hand with the palm facing up and before you both start shaking your hands, he would sandwich your hand with his other hand. This is sometimes done to show care or concern or familiarity or to empathize for the loss of a closed one. If this type of hand shake is done even when the two of you are not good friends, then this is a form of false sincerity.

Palm Vertical The person extends his hand forward with his palm exactly vertical to the ground. It sends a message of equality and greetings.

Finger Vice When somebody grabs just your fingers and not the entire hand it means he wants to maintain a distance. These people are often insecure.

Bone-Crushing Shake A person making a hard, stiff handshake pretends to break your fingers and tries to prove that he is stronger than you and wants to control you. The message of squeezing your hand clearly indicates that the person is trying to intimidate you. People who make such a handshake are confident, but they also have a tinge of aggressiveness in them. So just remember that while facing such people, smile broadly and offer a firm-handed shake.

Condolence Handshake The person will pretend to be too familiar to you by clasping your right hand or arm with an attempt to hug you. This behavior may be accepted during a funeral, but it comes out as a inappropriate act otherwise.

Using Good Form

1. Raise your hand and extend until webs of both hands meet. Grasp across the palm wrapping fingers around the opposite side from the thumb.
2. Hold firmly.
3. Shake a few times or for about three or four seconds.
4. If your hands are full then give a polite nod rather than dropping everything. If the other person’s hands are full, be understanding and don’t offer a hand shake. Your gesture would be appreciated.
5. If wearing gloves, remove them.
6. Maintain eye contact while engaging in yourself in a handshake. This will surely communicate self confidence and sincerity.
7. The pressure applied in a handshake is relative to the culture you are in. For example, in North America, a firm hand shake is appropriate. Making it stronger or weaker than a basic firm grasp will only leave a negative impression.

 Choose the most appropriate handshake and remember these tips to prove your good personality. help yourself in personality development. Anurag Aggarwal Institute of Public Speaking offers you a public speaking and personality development course which would enhance your personality. For details on the public speaking and personality development course, visit http://www.anuragaggarwal.com

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Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Men are respectable only as they respect”.

To be respected, you should first respect others. Treat others, as you want them to treat you. Respect for others comes only when you also respect yourself. Calling a person by his/her name or Sir or Madam does not mean you respect or disrespect a person. Saying few words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ doesn’t mean that you are being respectful. Respect for others comes naturally from heart and in no circumstances be forced. Respecting others helps in building up relationships. Respect comes when you try to empathize with others, when you keep yourself in their shoes. Although respect is hard to earn, but once earned people makes the life well lived.

Tips on how to show respect to others:

1. Be a good listener. We love people who listen to us and so assume the same for others. Though it is not always important to agree with what others say but at the same time it is very important to listen to them carefully and then give your reason for agreement or disagreement. You should show interest in what the other person is talking about. Not showing attention makes the other person feel that you are not taking him or her seriously.
2. Make an eye contact. This is possibly the best way to show your interest while listening to others and showing them that you respect what they are saying.
3. Understand the likes and dislikes of other people. Respect their choice. Don’t pressurize anyone to do something which he or she is not willing to do. When you give priority to someone’s right to choose, you show him or her respect.
4. Never make fun of others on the basis of their background, appearance, religion, status and other similar issues. This shows disrespect for others.
5. Preserve dignity. When wronged, mistreated, or otherwise upset in some way handle the dispute by approaching the person in such a way as to preserve their dignity. The best way to handle it is via a calm and private conversation.
6. Keep your promise. By keeping your promise to someone, you not only establish yourself as a person of integrity, but make the other person feel that you value them.
7. Put other person’s need before yours. This would show that you consider them before yourself.
8. Give the other person time to speak. Interrupting the other person while he still hasn’t completed is the worst thing you can do to disrespect the other person. Let the other person complete before you start giving you views.
9. Do not indulge yourself into mocking, teasing or backbiting others. Once you are out of all this, you will find yourself respecting everyone.
10. Apologize for your mistake. When you apologize for a mistake, it conveys your sincere regret and the person will appreciate your sense of love and respect for him or her.
11. Encourage others. Boost up the confidence of others by whatever means you can. This gesture will show your respect towards them.

There are dozens of other ways to show respect to others. However, the key to showing someone respect is to make them feel that they are valuable.

“Treat others as you want them to treat you because what goes around comes around”

TweetMany Job Seekers are concerned with what to wear to a job interview and how to make a professional first impression. Does it really make a difference how you dress for an interview? In many cases, it does. Being called for an interview can prove to be a turning point in your life. But for this turning point you must be well prepared beforehand. This preparation includes thorough knowledge for the company and about yourself. This first that leaves an impression on the mind of the interviewer is your looks. You must pay attention on your dressing so as to be in the good books of the interviewer. It does make sense to dress your best for the interview, regardless of the dress code at the organization (although, if you are aware of the dress code of the organization, then dress as per the norms).

Here are some tips on how to dress up for an interview:

GENERAL:

Basic hygiene is not something anyone should have to justify but when preparing for a job interview you must pay attention on the same.

• Your nails are trimmed and neatly manicured.
• Your hands should also be washed and unmarked.
• Hair should be pulled back neatly.
• If your hair is cut in a short style, get them trimmed (if need be) before going for the interview.
• Put some good deodorant or perfume so as to smell good but do not overdo it. Someone may be allergic to it.
• Keep your pockets empty. No bulges of wallet or mobile or tinkling coins.
• Do not have any gum, candy or cigarettes.
• Wear neat and clean, polished conservative shoes.
• Do not show off your body piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.).
• Do not wear anything too tight that it makes you uncomfortable.

   INTERVIEW DRESS FOR MEN

• Wear dark coloured polished shoes, preferably black shoes with laces.
• Socks should also be dark coloured, again preferably black or matching with the trousers.
• Belt should also be matching with the trousers.
• Solid color, conservative suit.
• Bottom of the trousers should be 17.5″ to 18″
• Wear silk tie with conservative pattern
• White full sleeves shirt which must be well ironed.
• Avoid having a moustache and beard while going for an interview and if it is a must then it should be neatly trimmed.
•  Neat professional hair cut (should be short).
• Use a good fragrance aftershave.
•  Jewelry should be bare minimum or no jewelry at all if possible.
• Carry a brief case or a portfolio.

INTERVIEW DRESS FOR WOMEN

• Wear a solid color suit with jacket. Do not wear a dress for an interview.
• Wear limited jewelry. Too much of it may be a negative point.
• Make-up and perfume should be used but keep them minimum.
• Wear shoes with moderate heels of 1” to 2”. No platform heels.
• Wear only one pair of earrings.
• Do not wear more than one ring in your hands.
• Wear a sober colored nail polish.
• Carry a brief case or portfolio instead of carrying a purse.
• Have a neat professional hair style.

This video on Dress Code for an Interview will also give you some similar ideas.

The dress you wear reflects your personality and thus it becomes a very important part of your personality. You may seek guidance from others for your personality development.

Anurag Aggarwal Institute of Public Speaking offers you public speaking and personlity development training. This public speaking and personality developmnet course is held in Delhi (North, South, East, West and Cental), Gurgaon and Noida. For more details, visit http://anuragaggarwal.com/courses.php 

Tweet“Clean Out Your Ears!” At one time or another, someone has probably said this to you. Likely it was intended as a good-natured job after you were caught daydreaming or only half-listening to a friend or Boss. Listening seems like a simple thing to learn. But as we try to develop our listening skills many of us develop selective hearing as well.

Being a good listener is very important. It keeps us out of trouble and lets us know when we have done a good job. If we are a good listener, we would be able to connect to the surrounding in a better way. Also, listening is one of the most important skills in any relationship, that be an employee- boss, husband-wife, brother-sister, student-teacher, girlfriend-boyfriend or any other relationship. And with listening, you must clearly understand what you have listened.

Have you ever stopped to think that by taking this harmless piece of advice to heart you could actually become a better public speaker? It’s true: at the core of every successful public speaker there is an excellent listener.

Think about it. When you stand up in front of an audience for public speaking and begin to give a speech, you want every person in that room to be listening to you. And not just listening, but hearing you. You want them to understand what you’re describing, side with you on your opinions, and appreciate your unique viewpoint. That’s a lot to ask of a room full of total strangers!

By growing your own listening skills and learning what it is, that makes people to listen to you and pay attention what you are saying. To do this, one should be aware of five main types of listening. They are:-

Appreciative Listening

An appreciative listener is one who listens primarily to entertain himself. The interest in the speech does not come from the topic but from some other aspect. Appreciative listening includes listening to music for enjoyment, to speakers because you like their style, to your choices in theater, television, radio, or film. Either the speaker is a famous author or role model whom the listener respects or that speech holds an interest for the listener.

The appreciative listener doesn’t care about the subject of speech, he is more concerned in delivery of speech, effectiveness and how well the speaker responded to questions from audience.
Appreciative listening depends mainly on the presentation, your perception and your previous experiences.

Discriminative Listening

Discriminative listeners are looking for the meaning behind the message. They will draw their conclusions not on what one says but how one says it. For them “It doesn’t matter what you say but how you say it is that matters.”
The discriminative listener is not looking for well-balanced presentation but a deeper understanding of what speaker believes and why.

Therapeutic Listening

Therapeutic listening is usually intended to be more for the emotional well-being of the speaker rather than those listening. In this type of listening, the listener has a purpose of not only empathizing with the speaker but also to use this deep connection in order to help the speaker understand, change or develop in some way.
Not only a therapist but family and friends can also help in this. At workplace, managers, HR people, trainers and coaches seek to help employees learn and develop.

Comprehensive Listening

Comprehensive listening is the most common form of listening. Its purpose is to teach something, to give information that could be remembered and carried for a length of time. E.g. classroom, seminars, business meeting, news bulletin.

Comprehension listening is also known as content listening, informative listening and full listening.

Critical Listening

Critical listening is listening in order to evaluate and judge, forming opinion about what is being said. Judgment includes assessing strengths and weaknesses, agreement and approval.

When one listens critically he does both interpretation and evaluation of the message.You listen critically when you hear a radio advertisement for a new product. In your mind, you hear and process the radio announcer’s reasons why this product is worth buying. Critical listening is used in public speaking in debate situations. The audience members are critical listeners in this case. When someone from the audience asks a question at the end of the speech that requires speaker to clarify the point and speaker deals with critical thinker!

Public speaking requires you to be a good listener also. Understanding the five types of listening and the ways in which a speech can be tailored to address those listening techniques will take you a long way on your journey to becoming a more effective public speaker.

- By Mohd. Arshad (AAIPSian- Noida Batch)

TweetTraits of a leader – Do you have them in you?

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

Leaders amaze me. They amaze you too. In fact, they amaze all of us with their internal strength and the manner in which they withstand all surrounding pressure while still continuing to stay with their people. They have some kind of charismatic influence that inspires everyone with them to keep working. They strive to work against the tide and then to make it flow in their own direction.

Also, it is important to know that there are different types of leaders like the transformational leaders, the visionaries, the administrators, etc. and each demands a different personality traits. This makes it almost impossible to enlist all the traits of a leader. However, there are a few basic character elements demanded by all types, which are put down here:

Proactivity: It means tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events. This always has to be the first quality which makes the person a leader. Even Stephen Covey, the world-renowned trainer and writer, puts it as the first habit towards self-mastery. And when you can’t master your own self, how do you think of leading somebody else. Leaders must take full responsibility, first of their own selves and then of the group they lead. They must stop blaming their fate, or anybody else for any unwanted result.

Strong character: Leaders are men of strong character. A person’s observable behavior indicates his or her character. Though we can’t be sure when our character develops, we can definitely claim it doesn’t change easily. And leaders still don’t allow change if they know it’s right and for the betterment of their group.

Mind you, strong character could be good or bad, right or wrong. Gangs and terrorist groups too have leaders, though we find their beliefs detrimental for our society. As Woodrow Wilson says, “Absolute identity with one’s cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership.” And this stands no matter what the cause may be.

Courage: Whenever any tough situation arises, it is the battle on the inside that leaders have to fight. It is a battle with personal fears and insecurities that frightens anyone at the start. Only then do we have to face the fears of the outside world. And that takes courage. And this courage must be shown by a leader or the person can never be a leader.

Integrity: “Walk your talk” – that’s what integrity is all about. And this is what helps them display the confidence they have. All great leaders from Hitler to Mahatma Gandhi had a firm belief in their words, and they did what they believed in. Only then were they able to drive the whole country with them. They have an unbelievable ability to put words into action.

Self-motivated:  A true leader can’t let himself cover his face and get bogged down when things don’t turn their way. Yes, it’s normal for things to go against plan and then to be a little bit carried away. But they can’t wait for somebody to come, hold their hands and uplift their spirits. Rather they should be so self-motivated that they can uplift someone else’s hand.

Yes, it’s a leader’s job! You are the one who must remain self-motivated all the time so that you can also put your team into high spirits.

Risk taking: Whenever we are trying a new plan, we are taking risk. We are not sure it’ll work or not. But we’ve to do it. Growth comes from that only. Most people avoid risks but not leaders. They have the ability to calculate the risk benefits and then to make decisions with confidence. Only then can the team expect to get into a better tomorrow. Something it didn’t have today!

“There is no such thing as a perfect leader, either in the past or present, in China or elsewhere. If there is one, he is only pretending, like a pig inverting spring onions into his nose in an effort to look like an elephant.” —Liu Shao-Chi —which means we must consistently strive to improve ourselves. And he is the actual leader who knows that he is not perfect. And can never be! Still, he/she ceaselessly tries to remove the imperfection.

- BY SUNNY SUMAN (KAMLA NAGAR BATCH)

TweetIn today’s time and environment in order to achieve success, weather in business, social cause, political cause or sports or any other field, one of the important factor is having a good or great team in place and that team should be effective and good at their work.

There are no set formula to make a great team over night and after serious and long efforts once a great team is in place it need more efforts to retain the effectiveness of that team.

Building a great team is not easy and one challenge and keeping that great team as great team for longer period is another challenge.

Below are the few points based on my experience, which are essential and required to build a great team?

1- Every one in the team should be aware of the team objectives and carry the same vision.

2- Each member of the team should be aware of their responsibilities and accountabilities.

3- Team member or team leader should be aware of each team member’s own aspirations so that they can think and make the team members understand that how through the team objectives their own aspirations will be fulfilled.

4- There should be free flow of information and idea among the team.

5- Reward and awards should be in public and grilling and individual feedback sessions should be in private.

6- There should be no additional favors to any team members and each one should be equal and treated equally.

7- After being included in to the team no members should be given the feeling of insecurity.

8- Team members should receive periodic feed back so that corrective measures can be taken if required.

9- Regular skills enhancement of the team members are required and each one of them should be aware that how these new skills will help them to achieve team’s objectives and their own aspirations.

10- There should not be any bureaucratic or aristocratic fashion of managing the team.

11- Team member should be pushed toward their best but should not be compared directly with any other team members.

12- There should be some time given to the team to develop bond among them so they can connect with each other.

13- The team members need to know how they fit into the picture. They should be aware how the team is constructed and clearly identify where they fall into the structure.

14- The team members must realize that the mission is important; otherwise they would not be committed towards it.

Each team is different and has different demographic and social and individual traits, so along with keeping above points in mind, these demographic/social or individual traits are also important in the process of building a great team.

-By Santosh (AAIPSian- AMDA batch)

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Using humour is an excellent way to win over your audience. It is very natural to like a person immediately who can make us laugh. If audience likes the speaker, they will trust and will want to learn from the speaker. The funny thing about humor is that it does a lot more than make people laugh. It helps people to get acquainted, groups to bond into teams and strangers to feel welcome. If we know how to use it correctly, it can improve performance, promote creativity, energize meetings and encourage positive thinking. Right!

Presenters and trainers especially use humor because in addition to the above, it helps their audiences to remember the main points, see the big picture and retain information longer. It helps to interact with members of their audience, address a sensitive idea or topic without causing offense and encourage members of the audience to feel free to express themselves.
It is very important to use humour as humour only because it has potential to backfire in a big way. Making the decision to use humour in speech should not be done lightly. There are several issues to take into consideration before one decides to break out Santa-Banta jokes and comic incidences.

Stay Relevant
Whatever a speaker does, the important aspect is that one must stay relevant to central idea; because that’s the reason there to stand after all. It’s wonderful to get a laugh but if one stray too far from the central point of speech it will be very difficult for a beginner to bring audience back again to topic.

There is also possibility that joke may fall flat. If one is expecting laughter and in return find stunned silence then it can shake confidence to the core and cause lose of thought process. The rest of the speech will not work and audience’s interest will start to fade.

And what if the opposite happens? That is, what if audience laughs when speaker isn’t trying to be funny at all?

Before one decides to include a joke or funny story it’s best to practice it out loud a few times so that one can get his comedic timing right. This way speaker will be able to deliver the story in a natural, conversational tone that allows the joke to be delicately layered into the speech. It’s always advisable to test the joke or story out on friends beforehand to see if they laugh or if they even “get” the joke. One can also do video recording or audio record of himself to hear vocal inflictions.

Be Appropriate
The intention to entertain can also go horribly awry if story is thought to be inappropriate or offensive. Knowing your audience is essential – one need to go into speech knowing what may or may not offend them. Never tell an ethnic or racist joke or a joke that disparages members of a particular profession, faith or socio-economic background. Stick to stories that are safe; for example cute stories about children or animals will usually go over well. Audience will relate them to their own children or pets and there is very little room to offend in these subject areas. If you choose to tell a story about a business experience you’ve had to be diplomatic in describing colleagues or clients. Don’t use people’s real names.

Credit Your Sources
If one wants to use an anecdote but doesn’t have from his own life to share then search the Internet for anecdotes and humorous stories. Just be sure that if one borrows a story from another source, credit it properly. Never claim something happened to you when it didn’t. The point of telling a funny story is to help in credibility not to hurt it. People will trust the speaker if he is giving them a reason to enjoy themselves, but if they recognise that the story doesn’t belong to speaker then speaker will be undermining himself right out of the gate.

The important thing to remember is that there is a time and a place for everything, and not every speech should include a joke. By making yourself aware of the potential pitfalls, you’ll be better prepared to make the right decision about using humour at all.

- By Mohd. Arshad (AAIPSian- Noida Batch)

TweetEvery technology has its own merits and demerits. If we make proper use of it, it’s definitely beneficial but if used callously it may be quite nerve – wrecking too.

Now look how wonderful the mobile phone technology is. You can reach your loved ones thousands of miles away with the press of a button. It can help you book movie tickets, pay your bills, order your favourite pasta or even help remind you of your favourite TV show or some occasions. But it can become a necessary evil if not used judiciously.

The following etiquettes must be followed for proper use of mobile phones.

1)      Before making a call

• Think whether it is the appropriate time to call. The receiver may not be liked to be disturbed in the middle of his meal.
• Don’t call early morning unless it’s an emergency. The poor guy is already getting late for work.
• Avoid calling late at night as well, it affect his schedule in the morning if he goes to bed late.
• If it is not an appropriate time to call and it is necessary for you to talk, send a text.

2)      While Talking

• Talk in a legitimate tone. Avoid shouting while stressing a point.
• Don’t walk while you talk.It may divert your colleagues from their work.
• Don’t make gestures or crack jokes to impress your colleagues.

3)      During the meeting

• Keep your phone off on silent mode.
• If you receive an urgent call, slither out of the meeting room and attend the call.
• Keep your phone on such a mode that it automatically sends a text like –“I am in a meeting, will call later” if you cannot receive the call.

4)      Setting the ringtone

• The volume should be at such a level so that it doesn’t affect others
• The ringtone should not be such which disturbs the decorum of the place.
• If you are charging your phone keep it in silent mode.
• Don’t leave your phone unattended.

5)      Right time to talk

• It’s rude to take a cell phone call on a date or during a social engagement with others. It’s also inconsiderate to take a call in the middle of a conversation. Let the call roll to voice mail and return it later.
• Keep public conversations brief and get back to the caller when you’re not in a public place.
• It’s unethical to talk in a movie hall, theatrical shows observatories or any other public place that creates an atmosphere to transport the imagination of the audience. People pay money for entertainment and not listen to your personal talks.

Hope by following the above points you can make Mobile Phone a wonderfully invented technology & people will receive your calls gracefully.

-By Sunil Katyal (AAIPSian- Gurgaon Batch)

TweetHow many times have you received an email by which you were a little put off even though it was from a good friend? Have you ever sent an email that has upset or confused someone? What was it like to be in that situation? What did you do to clear up the misunderstanding? Indeed, you would have done too much too sort out a little misunderstanding due to your e-mail. It is because of these uncomfortable situations that some ground rules on email etiquette were established and why email writers should be keep these rules in mind while e-mailing.

Ground Rules

• Email Introduction: Add a salutation for each new subject while you start writing the body of the e-mail. “Dear,” “Hello,” and “Hi” are all acceptable greetings. If a writer is replying someone on the same subject, then it is also acceptable to just begin the email with the first sentence.

• Length: As for the length, some people say that it does not matter and others say that an email should be as long as the text box without scrolling. Both perspectives appear to be correct. In general emails should be short and to the point. . If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation, chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!However, since many companies are moving to paperless memos and other written transactions, thereby requiring emails to be longer.

• Use Correct Grammar, Spellings and Punctuation: This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. Text having improper punctuation may be misinterpreted. The writer must read the e-mail again before sending to check any grammatical mistake.

• Keep your language gender neutral: In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: ‘The user should add a signature by configuring his email program’. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutral gender: ”The user should add a signature by configuring the email program’.

• Avoid long sentences: Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters.

• Do not forward chain letters: We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just delete the letters as soon as you receive them. • Plain Text vs. HTML: Not all emails are formatted to read html. It is best to send everything in plain text unless the writer knows for certain that the person he or she is writing can read html.

• “To” & “CC” list: Include those in “TO” list from whom you are expecting an action and Include those in “CC” list to whom the email is sent for information.

• Time: It is considered rude not to respond to an email as soon as possible. Writers should strive to respond to emails as quickly as they would a phone message, which tends to be immediately. If the email requires a longer message than the writer is able to provide at that moment, it is considered proper etiquette to let the sender know that the message was received and that the writer is planning to respond as soon as time permits.

• DO NOT write all in capitals.

• High urgency mails – Plan and flag in advance

• Use your signature as appropriate.

• Do NOT write personal quote /remarks on official mails

• Try to keep your line length at 80 characters or less.

• Don’t forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.

• DO NOT discuss multiple subjects in a single e-mail.

• Lists and Bullets: When you are writing directions or want to emphasize important points, number your directions or bullet your main points. It’s an effective way to make the information flow more logically and it helps the reader to know the proper order of the information in the email in a very clear and concise way.

• Tone: These are ways to create a document that sounds friendly and “nonverbally” open. While it is important to follow rules of punctuation and grammar in email, using contractions can create a conversational style that isn’t intimidating. Use contractions to add a friendly tone. (don’t, won’t, can’t). An email to a co-worker might have a substantially different tone than email to a boss. Write in a positive tone i.e. “When you complete the report.” instead of “If you complete the report.” Avoid negative words that begin with “un, non, ex” or that end with “less” e.g. useless, non-existent, undecided. Use smiles, winks and other graphical symbols only when appropriate.

Readers assign meaning to everything that people write. It is easy for emails to be misinterpreted because people write as though they are having a conversation; however, the receiver does not read that way. Thus it is important to follow the ground rules!

TweetMaking your boss happy is I think most difficult but very important task. What does a boss want from you? Working hard, working efficiently and good performance are surely the keys of keeping your boss happy but there are some more points to keep your boss happier.

Status reporting - Your boss must be aware of the status of your work progress. In my opinion, timely reporting always satisfy the ego of your boss. Timely reporting keeps a boss happy, so why not do it. It will be good for you too as he won’t get on head to ask your work status again & again.

Estimates – Always give right estimate about your assigned work .And always complete assignment within deadline.

You might take some extra time as buffer and give target date 2-3 days later but once you have committed then you must stick to it. Based on the time and dates given by you, your boss might be answerable to his seniors.

Share and discuss in one to one meeting with boss - If you have any problem within team, with your colleague or with company’s policies then don’t hesitate to discuss with your Boss rather than discussing with other persons who can’t solve them. Your boss is there to help you out. In many cases, the boss feels happy that you are discussing your problems with him.

Dress Code- Behave and dress professionally all the time. Your sense of dressing leaves an impression on your boss’s mind.

Say NO when required - If you are overloaded with work, and your boss is assigning a new work to you, you can always say no rather than taking responsibility and missing the target date of the previous task. Prioritize your assignments after discussing with your boss and do critical task first.

Be Punctual- Always arrive at your office on time. Never be late for a meeting. Impress your boss by reaching a couple of minutes early may be to have a cup of coffee with your boss. Maintain a Positive Attitude- While entering the office gate, relax your mind and enter with a fresh, calm, composed and positive mind. Leave all your negativity outside the office gate. Start your day with freshness.

Leaves- Always take planned leaves. Try to inform your boss at least a week before. This would make it easier and convenient for your Boss to schedule the assignments accordingly. Otherwise, if his (Boss’s) target is missed because of your uncertain leaves, he would not be happy with you.

And if in case you are bound to take an unplanned leave (may be because of an urgent work or you are not feeling well), there are some certain DON’Ts you must follow.

1. Don’t write mail in morning that you are not coming.

2. Don’t send message (SMS) that you are not feeling well.

3. Don’t call your friend/colleague to inform your boss that you are on leave. It shows that you really don’t care about your Boss.

You must make a call to your Boss and explain him your reason for not coming.

There are of course many more ways on how to keep your boss happy, these are some you can use today.

-By Rajeev Tiwari (Noida Batch)