How to guides Archives - Page 17 of 29 - Soft Skills

5 Tips to Run a Successful Meeting

by Lei Han

Meetings are an essential part of every organization. Yet, at least 50% of meetings today are ineffective. This cartoon on the left may seem silly but is not far from the truth in describing bad meetings. It is essential to your success to learn how to run a successful meeting. Effective meeting management skills will help you successfully share your ideas and thoughts with your audience. It will also help you stand out in your job and build your work reputation. ... read more

5 Success Tips for College Graduates – What I Wish I Knew

by Lei Han

Just graduated from college? Congratulations and welcome to the workforce! Do these words excite you or scare you to death? If you are anything like me when I graduated from college, it’s probably both.

Transitioning from college to work can be a huge change. It’s okay to feel exhilarated and nervous. I still remember how much I looked forward to starting my first full time job. I was excited to finally make money and be part of the “real world”, but I also clearly remember my anxieties. ... read more

How to Network with Senior Executives – 5 Tips

by Lei Han

I consider myself to be fairly competent at networking. Even so, I still got intimidated when I thought about how to network with senior executives at my company. I probably experienced some of the same self-doubt you have gone through:

Why would they want to build a relationship with me? I don’t work with them day to day
They are probably too busy to connect with me.
I don’t want to come across like I’m “kissing up.”
How do I ask for a meeting?

In the last few months, I learned five great tips on networking with senior executives. They have helped me authentically connect with three senior folks at my company. Conversations with them have helped build my work brand and made me appreciate how much I can learn from each of them. Here are the five tips. I hope they can help you in your career. ... read more

How to Tell a Story in a Presentation – 4 Simple Steps

by Lei Han

Storytelling is vital to a professional presentation. Once you learn how to tell a story in a presentation, you can build your reputation significantly. Storytelling can help you connect personally with your audience and make your presentation more memorable.

Many people hesitate to tell personal stories. Common self-doubt include ... read more

In a Tough Situation? Read this Poem and Ask Yourself 3 Questions

by Lei Han

I just randomly came across this poem by Charles Swindoll, called Attitude, posted on a store window. I had to take a picture of it. In a few short sentences he tells us the secret to achieving happiness. No matter, what is happening in our lives and career, we can always rely on our choice in attitude to shift our perspective. ... read more

Negotiating Job Offer – What 70% of People Fail to Do

by Lei Han

In part 1 of our talk with Executive Author, Jane Lin, we discussed the Best Secret to Finding Your Dream Job. Assuming you have a job offer, now what? Should you negotiate?

We will have on average seven jobs in our life time. Knowing how to negotiate job offers and initial salary at each new job can means the difference in ten of thousands of dollars in pay and give you a chance to impress our employer before we even start! ... read more

Communicating Emotions at Work – 3 Tips

by Lei Han

When my kids were in daycare, they were gently cared for. They were nurtured. They had great snacks and long naps. And they were taught about communicating emotions.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard my daughter say, “Mommy, I don’t like that you said that. When you say that it makes me feel sad.” Really? Yeesh. But you know what? I quickly grew to love and appreciate this communication skill. My daughter was able to clearly express her feelings and I was then able to respond to meet her need. Of course, sometimes it was just to say, “I understand that you feel sad. You can have a cookie AFTER dinner.” ... read more