Recently in workshop for a Fortune 100 client, the questions came up on how people stay engaged when working from a home office, especially for months on end.

1.Dress as if you are going to the office in business casual attire. Not in pajamas or clothes you would clean the garage in. Dressing up will make you feel professional especially in an isolated setting. Ugly is working in your pajamas. It starts out feeling good but ends up making you feel unaccountable.

2.Do not eat lunch in your home office. Dining out keeps your socialization skills active.

3.Talk to folks in the office. Use FaceTime or Skype so you are on decision makers minds for any projects that may be good for your career mobility.

4.Take on special projects that will keep you visible with leadership.

Working with a client to help him strengthen how he communicated with senior management, we decided to have another member of his firm sit in to give some feedback. Every time we started, his colleague interrupted to share his point of view how my client could do it better.

This went on for about 40 minutes when I finally asked all feedback be given after the taping was over. The rules were that he could only use this phrase “This is how you can strengthen” not, “This is not the way to do it”.

The reality is that when you are inclusive, it empowers the person being coached. It does not take them down. Empowering boosts confidence and confidence encourages folks to try new methods of action and thought.

Often, clients fight that perception is reality. They don’t understand what their brand is and most importantly how their brand is perceived and the fact that what is really important is what is perceived.

Perception has a life of its own. Recently, in speaking with a client about a potential hire for her team, all she could remember was that this person was wearing ridiculously high heels! She felt this individual was only interested in fashion and not truly a business person. Changing the perception of the potential hire from a not-so-serious business person to a professional who took herself seriously, necessitated quite a mind shift in the interview.

The most important asset of your body language is the facial expression. So many times I have been asked to work with clients who have a poker face. The reason the poker face is such a negative part of body language, is that it puts up a wall to communicating. People cannot read or connect with you when there is no expression on your face. When there is a lack of emotions, there is no communications. A true leader must be able to communicate.

Recently I have been interviewing folks on the phone for a special project for a client. Here are a few do’s for interviewees:

• Do give a mobile phone number that has good voice clarity

• Do give hours that you are available for an interview

• Do be able to answer questions like why we should engage you for the project

• Do apply for the role only if you have a current background in the field

• Do give a snapshot of your background in less than three minutes

• Do include impact statements (how your actions have positively affected a situation) in your background snapshot

Use these 6 do’s in your phone interview and you will have a very good chance of landing the role you want.

It is important to tip the appropriate percentage of the full price of the service. With so many specials for massages, facials and food at discounted prices, the person providing the service still needs be paid a gratuity as if the item was full price. This also means that if you are treated by the owner of a restaurant, offer a proper token of your appreciation.

I feel strongly that it is important to show thanks to those who serve us. In some cases, it is a monetary gift for the mail person, the person who delivers your paper or the hair designer. For other folks that help you manage your business, it can be fruit or candy.

For my business clients who have families, Harry and David’s pears are always a hit. For travelers, a book on exotic places or the latest tome about leadership continue to be favorites. And for some, a hand signed holiday card with a note of thanks is always appreciated. Whatever method you select, giving thanks shows you care.

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.

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.