This is a list of my not so favorite workshop distractions:

• The attendee who wishes you would finish before you start by looking at their watch 10 minutes into the presentation

• The poker/frowning face

• The chatter box who constantly talks to the person next to them

• The arms crossed over the body, totally closed to listening to any observations

• The naysayer who will challenge whatever I might say with another point of view

• The note taker who never looks up

If you happen to have any one of these folks in your class, never look at them. Focus on a friendly face and you will have a positive experience.

Simon O. Sinek is an author best known for popularizing the concept of “The Golden Circle” and to “Start With Why”, described by TED as “a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership” It offers these seven tips to ensure you will have a dynamic presentation:

1. Do not talk right away, wait until the audience gives you their attention

2. It is about what you can give the audience

3. Have a compelling personal story

4. Focus on a friendly face

5. Don’t listen or look at naysayers

6. Talk much slower than you normally do

7. Always thank the audience

Task persons are individuals who are great at getting the job done. The areas where they need to pay attention are being more sensitive to the nuances of building relationships such as developing small talk as well as appropriate facial expressions and body language. These silent messages are critical to understanding and connecting to people.

Then, there are the people persons who are great at building relationships and connecting to the audience. Those folks never lack in the area of people skills but lack the skills to get the job done.

To help fully develop skills spend time with and observe those who are the opposite of you. You will learn to pick the skills you need to grow in a very balanced way.

Often, I am asked to work with folks who tend to ramble and say more than they should. The more they ramble, the less impact their message has.

A great example of this occurred today. A top candidate for a new role in a new company kept going on and on. I even interviewed him the day before and mentioned to him that he tends to go on too long, rambles and talks in circles.

He is a very qualified candidate and frankly, is the candidate of choice. In the interview, he was told what held him back was his rambling. The advice we gave him was to answer a question with a five or ten word description and then stop. Rambling indicates nervousness, lack of confidence and even a possible lack of knowledge.

If you tend to ramble, it is because you have not practiced your answers. A good way to practice is to write the answer on paper and edit it with three bullet points. This will definitely help curb your rambling.

A 20% tip is a normal when I dine because I do not drink and am very light eater. Usually I have an appetizer, nonalcoholic drink and dessert. For a cab or car service, 20% is still standard for me. In New York, my friends recommend a dollar for every $6.00 charge which comes out to be 15%.

When traveling in Japan and China, tipping is considered rude so I do not tip. On a cruise, the tip is included and in some cases, we have tipped for special circumstances. In Europe, most restaurants have a service charge of 15% which is your tip. On bus tours, it is generally acceptable to provide a tip to the driver and the tour guide. The amount is up to you.

We hear and read all the time of how important it is to have a social media presence. Using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will help give you more exposure. However, in the August 25th Chicago Tribune business section, columnist Rex Huppke of “I just Work Here”, writes about venting on anonymous websites. I agree and suggest taking it another step for Facebook which many folks, especially potential employers, read.

Below are what we might want to avoid doing on Facebook. Do not:

• Post too much personal stuff – it gives the impression you have a tremendous amount of free time – while at the office

• Post too revealing a personal picture, low cut tops or for men, hairy chests in skinny swim trunks (These belong on private sites or in People magazine.)

• Constantly brag about your business achievements

• Offer condescending advice

• Make fun of someone or something – leave that to Vanity Fair.com or People magazine

• Post negative comments in general

Keep your remarks positive and you will create engagement while providing a human touch which is what we want.

In today’s busy and virtual world, conference calls have become a must versus face to face meetings. I just completed a call that went 60 minutes (originally scheduled for 30 minutes) mainly because the group was not prepared.

They had not fully read the material and the leader had not set an agenda. Each of the participants (4) had their own set of questions and they spoke over one another. Poor reception was also a factor. (Two of the participants were in a car.)

• Always let the participants know if you are going to be in a car driving (which is a real no-no).

• If possible, be the only person on the call in your office.

• Always say your name before you speak.

• Always, after you speak, confirm everyone has heard you.

• Always agree to disagree.

• Always thank everyone when the call is finished.

• Always let everyone know your time constraints.

True etiquette is making the other person comfortable and allowing them to showcase their best.

A recent Facebook posting showed a woman having one foot up on the arm of the seat in front of her. Please! But maybe the women had a leg problem. I would have asked the flight attendant to move her to a row where there was an empty seat so she could put her foot up.

This brings me to men who take off their shoes and have a pronounced odor coming from their feet. I get it if is a long flight but ask for a pair of slippers or bring a pair with you.

Food smells are another problem. If you are going to bring food on the plane to eat choose items that do not have a strong odors. Be a good airline travel pal.

Recently, I worked with a middle manager who wanted to be considered the next Director in her group. However, she has a challenging time when receiving or giving critical feed because she cries easily.

A tip that helped her was taking a deep breath when she felt the urge to cry coming on. She partnered with a colleague to practice this technique which has helped her tremendously. Within six weeks of three times a week practice, she got dramatically better at managing tearing up during difficult conversations.

I help clients prepare for “the interview” for a promotion or just a “look see” in some cases. Basic critical elements for the interviewee are dress, behavior (body language, facial expressions) and projecting confidence. However, the talking points and engaging the interviewer so they want to help you get promoted is just as, if not more so, important. You want to create a winning interview so you will be recommended, or at least be considered, for the next position. Also, ask probing questions. This way, for the second interview, you will be able to provide your insights on issues that are not common knowledge for the role.