The Rules of Netiquette

Cyberspace, like the real world, is governed by social etiquette rules, also known as "Netiquette". As a business person, knowing and following these rules can help you create a professional impression in your on-line communications with customers, suppliers and associates.
Netiquette expert Virginia Shea has one basic rule she calls "remembering the human". Try to see your message through the reader's eye. In other words, ask yourself, "How would I feel if I received this message?"
Here are a few rules of Netiquette:
Avoid using caps. Anything typed in capital letters in an e-mail or chat room is understood as SHOUTING and is generally considered bad form. Be careful not to go overboard on exclamation points (or "bangs"), either. If you need to emphasize something, try *asterisks*.
Stay away from SPAM. Sending unsolicited mass e-mail is a practice that is not welcomed. If you're planning to send out an e-mail promotion, always get the recipient's permission first.
Respect the recipient's time. Keep e-mail messages brief and to the point, and when replying, only include as much of the original message as necessary. Also, keep file attachments to a minimum. File attachments can increase download time.
Don't forget the Subject and Signature. Every e-mail should include a short description of the message in the Subject line. End the note with your name, e-mail address and phone number. Most standard e-mail programs will allow you to set a "Signature file" that will handle this automatically. The Signature can also be a good place to include your company slogan or a brief promotional statement. Remember to keep the entire piece under three lines in length.

SPRING AT LAST (We hope)
Is it me or does this winter seem longer than usual? The past three months have found us busier than normal despite the fact that our two main principals had bouts of surgery. Everyone is fully recovered and ready to charge forward.
Speaking engagements and workshops continue in full force, including sessions scheduled at Illinois Benedictine University, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Rehab Council and Northern Illinois Business Roundtable. New clients include Smith Consulting Group, Northbrook Consulting Group, and eResearch.net.
Hopefully, you saw Elliott's article in the January Crain's Chicago Business. A lot of nice comments were received.

Ask Open Questions
It's the only way to get complete information

The interviewer was confronted with a relatively quiet applicant. He asked the following questions:
Do you have a master's degree?
Are you currently working?
Have you worked with computers?
Will you relocate?
Do you mind working second shift?
In response to these questions, the answers he received were three "yes's" and two "no's".
At a performance evaluation interview, a manager asked:
Do you like the work you're now doing?
Do you feel you need to take more courses to keep up with your field?
Are you looking for increased responsibilities at this time?
Will you agree with the review as it is written?
Is there any additional work you'd like to be exposed to?
The employee said "no" to all of the above. The manager was baffled.
The leader of a meeting asked:
Do any of you know reasons why we shouldn't proceed?
Does anyone disagree with the report?
Are there any questions?
All of the questions were greeted with an overpowering silence.
Though the situations above are obviously exaggerated, they demonstrate the point that the way questions are phrased can determine the kinds of answers that are received.
Closed questions, can and often will be answered merely by "yes" or "no". They usually begin with words such as:
Is - Do - Can - Will - Shall - Have - Has
In order to give an explanation in answer to a closed questions, the person to whom it is addressed must break through the "Yes" or "No" requirement, either by saying something like "Yes, but…" or by sidestepping and offering a narrative instead. Often, it's easier to just give the short response. Unless such a short answer is desired, the effective manager will eliminate closed questions from his/her vocabulary.
Open questions demand an explanation. They can't be answered by just "Yes" or "No". Open questions begin with such words as:
How - Where - Why - When - What
Practice turning closed into open questions. Asking open questions is a learned skill. It requires concentration to resist the natural tendency to ask closed questions. First, try to substitute the beginning words above. Second, whenever you find yourself beginning to ask a closed question, substitute phrases like, "To what extent…" or "In what way…". Thus, the closed questions, "Are you satisfied with your job" becomes the open "To what extent are you satisfied…?" The simple question, "Can I help?" becomes "How can I help?" or "In what way can I help?"
Substitute information requests for closed questions. Another method of stimulating conversation is to not ask a question at all, but to request information by saying: "Tell me about your current job." or "Describe your relationships with your employees."
Practice, practice, practice. First, as a quick test, go back to the closed questions asked by the interviewer, the manager and the meeting leader at the beginning of this article. See if you can turn them all into open questions, or information requests, within one minute. Second, start counting the closed questions you receive when someone else talks with you. You'll probably be surprised at the frequency with which the opportunity to ask open questions is ignored. Third, start becoming conscious of your own closed questions. Learn to identify them as they roll off your tongue. Soon you'll be stopping them before they start.
The final word: A manager needs information from others: bosses, coworkers, subordinates, suppliers and customers. By simply changing the methods by which information is solicited, through the use of open questions, the amount of information that is received in return is significantly increased.

...By Carter Johnson:
Buying Time Seminars
630-910-1927

DID YOU KNOW
82% of all US households own at least one broom

74% own at lease one kitchen tool or gadget

73% own at least one piece of oven bakeware

70% own at least one piece of stovetop cookware

69% own a cutting board

69% own at least one brush

Very few households own an electric wet scrubber or a cordless stick vacuum cleaner

Households with children purchase more electric household cleaning appliances, bakeware and humidifiers than any other household type.

18% of the households who own fondue pots acquired a new one this past year.

Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes softly and sits on your shoulder.

8 Ways to Achieve More -
in Less Time

CLEAR YOUR DESK - The result of a cluttered desk is that you don't work as effectively. The brain uses up precious energy in trying to keep track of the things it can see on your desk. Give yourself a chance to think more clearly by clearing your desk!
KEEP A WEEKLY TIME LOG FOR YOUR FIRST WEEK AND INTERMITTENTLY THEREAFTER. - We often think that we are being better managers of time than we really are. In reality, we don't manage time at all, we manage ourselves. Create an awareness as to where your time goes by keeping a time log for the week, broken down into 15 minute slots. Do not be judgmental. Review the log objectively at the end of a week. Did you spend time catching up on the office gossip? Were you interrupted frequently? Did it make sense to write up client meeting notes two days after the meeting rather than immediately afterwards?
CATEGORIZE YOUR TO-DO LIST - The sheer size of your to-do list can send your brain into a frenzy. Our brains can only cope with about 5 to 7 chunks of information at any one time, so categorize items into 5 to 7 blocks. For example, marketing the business, maintaining client relationships, managing developing staff, etc.
ASK YOURSELF EMPOWERING QUESTIONS - Make it easier to prioritize your tasks effectively. Describe the purpose or outcome for each of the categories on your to-do list and why it is important. Ask yourself, "Which is more important for me to do right now? Maintaining client relationships or marketing the business?"

FOCUS WITH PASSION - You can only address one item at a time on your to-do list So focus on that one task with passion. Schedule uninterrupted time each day for the task at hand. Don't let yourself get distracted by emails, telephone calls, etc.
TRAIN TO DELEGATE, THEN DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY - Invest time now to train someone properly to do the tasks to your standards, thus freeing your time for jobs which have a higher pay-off. When you delegate be sure the person understands the task and the results expected.
REMEMBER THE 80:20 RULE - Doing the right 20% of all the things you need to do will give you 80% of the returns. Ask yourself, "What could I do now that would give me the highest pay-off?" Then, do it.
A MUST-DO TIP - Relax! Make the time to relax. Take 15 minutes out of every day for quiet time, or meditation to blank out your mind and let it learn to slow down. This revitalizes and re-energizes you so you are more effective, and allows your brain to rest and move from being reactive to being creative.

...Veronica Lim, a Personal and Corporate Success Coach
http://www.veronicalim.com

Use these four guidelines to get the most out of meetings.

Meetings have a bad reputation as being ineffective and a waste of time. They don't have to be, if you follow these simple guidelines:

Don't call a meeting to ask your staff's opinion if the decision has already been made. If their recommendation is different from what is going to happen, they will feel more resentment and anger than if they had never been asked in the first place. If you want to announce a decision, send a memo. Meetings should be dialogues. If they turn into monologues, eyes will quickly glaze over.

Head off interruptions. Be sure that the room will be free for the duration of the meeting. If there is a phone in the meeting room, it should be unplugged, or messages should be forwarded.

Do the brainstorming first. Don't waste meeting time. Brainstorm through e-mail before the meeting to develop approaches to the issue at hand.

Establish a clear time frame for meetings - and keep them short! Meetings show diminishing returns after the first half hour, and little good can be expected to come after the first hour of the meeting. Establish a clear time frame for the meeting.

Use these four guidelines to get the most out of meetings.

Meetings have a bad reputation as being ineffective and a waste of time. They don't have to be, if you follow these simple guidelines:

Don't call a meeting to ask your staff's opinion if the decision has already been made. If their recommendation is different from what is going to happen, they will feel more resentment and anger than if they had never been asked in the first place. If you want to announce a decision, send a memo. Meetings should be dialogues. If they turn into monologues, eyes will quickly glaze over.

Head off interruptions. Be sure that the room will be free for the duration of the meeting. If there is a phone in the meeting room, it should be unplugged, or messages should be forwarded.

Do the brainstorming first. Don't waste meeting time. Brainstorm through e-mail before the meeting to develop approaches to the issue at hand.

Establish a clear time frame for meetings - and keep them short! Meetings show diminishing returns after the first half hour, and little good can be expected to come after the first hour of the meeting. Establish a clear time frame for the meeting. To encourage quick decisions, meet in a room without chairs.

e.business
e.business2business
e.commerce

embainc.com

everything for marketing your
product or services, on-line and
off-line

e has always been our first name.

elliott m. black & associates, inc.
e-mail: eblack@embainc.com
website: www.embainc.com

From the Editor's Desk

Ahhh, Spring. We knew there would again be green grasses under all that snow. Are you thinking "golf", or are you thinking about "spring cleaning" your business. Spring is for fresh starts. Let us help you design a marketing plan to grow your business. You'll be glad you did!

MAXINE, Newsletter Editor c/o EMBA
2511 Windsor Lane
Northbrook, IL 60062
Tel. No. 847-272-2884
Fax No. 847-272-3551
E-mail: eblack@embainc.com
www.embainc.com

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