Successful Meetings - December 2008 - (Page 20)

Planner’s Workshop > Professional Development 8 Ways to Stay Positive in Tough Times By Barbara Pachter The economy has tanked. Sales are down. You’re disappointed that you didn’t get your promotion, you’re angry at your colleague for missing a deadline, or you’re bummed that you blew the Inside presentation. It is easy at times to let negative events affect you > Tools of the Trade Good wine at and influence how you appear to a good price; take-along airline pillowslips. PAGE 22 others. Many people don’t realize that > On Site Creating a slideshow they have a pessimistic communithat connects with the audience. cation style and that they express PAGE 22 themselves negatively. Yet in work, > On Site 12 tips for thriving on a and in life, you do not want to let South African safari. your negativity come through. It PAGE 24 can affect your career if you do. Who wants to be around someone who complains to others, puts people down, disagrees with you, or generally talks about downbeat topics? The answer is simple: No one does. These Negative Nellies or Neds view the glass, as the saying goes, half empty. To start viewing the glass half full, practice these eight behaviors: AVOID DOWNBEAT TOPICS. Don’t keep discussing negative things. You do not want to keep talking about how you lost the contract, or how bad the economy is. People will steer clear of you to avoid listening to your negative comments. 1 REMIND YOURSELF TO BE POSITIVE. One man I coached put up a small sign by his desk with the initials KIP (Keep It Positive). Another man had a boss who would pass him a note that had B+ (be positive) on it if he started being negative in meetings. 2 TAKE ACTION. Don’t let a bad situation paralyze you. Explore different options. Take a class, sign up for training. Keep your resume up-to-date; don’t put your job search on hold. The more action you take, the more likely the issue will be resolved. STOP COMPLAINING. Complaining is draining. People get tired of listening to the same negative comments about someone over and over again. If you have an issue with someone, talk to him or her, don’t complain to DECEMBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 3 4 20 successfulmeetings.com http://www.successfulmeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2008

Successful Meetings - December 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Corporate Events
On the Record
Calendar
Research
Planner Spotlight
Personal Success
Technology Talk
Food & Beverage
Professional Development
Quick Tip
Tools of the Trade
On Site: Retire Those Tired Power-Point Slides
On Site: 12 Tips for Thriving on a South African Safari
Deep Impact
Recession-Friendly Speakers
Showing Off
Hawaii Insert
Places & Spaces
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Fort Worth
South Florida
Beijing
Gurus

Successful Meetings - December 2008