During the holiday season, you want to take advantage of business and social events to maintain current relationships and to make new ones.
Here are 7 tips for success from Barbara Pachter, author of GREET! EAT! TWEET!
1. Make sure you attend. Attendance at the company holiday party isn’t optional. Your absence will be noticed, and most likely noted, by your boss and other higher-ups. Business social events are opportunities to get to know people outside of the office environment.
2. Keep your body language relaxed and open. At business social events, you don’t want to look nervous. Smile and wear a pleasant facial expression. You want to look approachable.
3. Dress appropriately. If you are unsure of what to wear, ask the host or event planner. And remember it is still a business event. Nothing too low, too tight or too anything!
4. Don’t drink too much at your office holiday party! You can lose control. You don’t want to be the person that everyone talks about the next day. Stay sober!
5. Move out of your safety zone. Talk to people you don’t know as well as to those you know. Don’t interact only with your group. Go up to people, say hello, introduce yourself, and shake hands. The person you meet at a holiday event may turn out to be the person who interviews you for a future promotion.
6. Don’t sit with people without introducing yourself. Turn to the people on either side of you, say hello, and introduce yourself. If you can, say hello to everyone at the table.
7. Bring a hostess gift, if attending a party at someone’s home. A box of chocolates, a set of coasters, or a gift set of assorted coffees would be appropriate. If you give flowers, send them ahead of time so the hostess doesn’t have to deal with them when you arrive.
Barbara Pachter is an internationally renowned business communications expert and the author of 9 books including When The Little Things Count and GREET! EAT! TWEET! She has given more than 2,100 presentations throughout the world. (856.751.6141, bpachter@pachter.com, www.pachter.com)
