It’s that time of year again!  Be prepared for your holiday office party by reading the following body language tips from speaker, Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.    Carol is an executive coach, change-management consultant, and author of “THE SILENT LANGUAGE OF LEADERS:  How Body Language Can help – or Hurt – How You Lead.” 

Keynote Speaker, Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.

Jessica had a crush on her manager, but she’d managed to keep it under wraps.  That is, until the office party…and several glasses of Merlot.  Suddenly, it seemed like the perfect time to unburden her tortured soul.  And unburden she did, to everyone in the room, including the man’s wife.  Not surprisingly, this turned a professional holiday gathering into an excrutiating and career-limiting event. 

The desire to relax and have fun can be a highly anticipated, positive antidote to workplace stress.  But when you combine the need to let your hair down with too many cocktails, it can cause trouble.  You may forget that this is not the time to rant about the depreciated value of your 401K, tell an off-color joke, or do your wicked impression of the CEO, even if you’ve totally nailed his southern drawl.  In fact, those kinds of inappropriate comments (as well as confessing innermost secrets as Jessica did) may not only cost you a promotion, but quite possibly a job.

Watching what you say is only part of the challenge.  Another personal dynamic is the impact of your body language.  In all workplace situations, your nonverbal behavior speaks volumes.  The trick is to physically embody the messages that you want delivered.  Here are some body language tips that will help your holiday office party be a personal and professional success for you:

- Develop an inclusive, welcoming attitude.  Pretend that you are the party’s host or hostess, and that your job is to make others feel welcome and at ease.  Approaching people with this attitude will immediately resonate in a positive way.

- Stand tall.  Your mother was right when she told you to stand up straight.  As you pull your shoulders back and hold your head high, you assume a posture of confidence and self-esteem.

- Shake hands – but don’t go overboard.  The way you greet your fellow party-goers can have a huge impact on their perception of you.  A firm handshake is a business skill worth developing, and a light touch on the arm or shoulder can create an instant bond.  But if you hang on people or touch them too frequently, you send unintended signals of neediness or flirtation.

- Let your body show that you are at ease.  If you want people to see you as comfortable and approachable, assume an open position with your legs about shoulder width apart and your arms loosely at your side.  Don’t cross your arms and legs or use objects (your drink or plate of food) as a barrier. It looks as if you are closed off or resistant.

- Mirror the other person’s gestures and expressions.  When we meet others for the first time, subconsciously we scan the other person’s body to see if they move or gesture in a similar way to us.  When you subtly mimic the person you are speaking to, it is a way of silently saying, “We are alike.  We feel the same and have the same attitudes.”

- Smile.  A smile is an invitation, a sign of welcome.  Smiling directly influences how other people respond to you.  The human brain prefers happy faces, recognizing them more quickly than those with negative expressions.  In fact, research shows that if you smile at someone, it activates the “reward center” in that person’s brain.  It is also a natural response for the other person to smile back at you.

- Make positive eye contact.  Looking at someone’s eyes transmits energy and indicates interest and openness. (To improve your eye contact, make a practice of noticing the eye color of those you speak with at the party.)

- Lean in slightly.  Leaning forward shows you’re engaged and interested, but also be respectful of other people’s space.  Although this varies by culture, in North American business situations, even in a party setting, that means staying at least 18 inches away.

- Use open arm movements and show the palms of your hands.  Those gestures are subconsciously evaluated as positive, candid and persuasive.  But keep your gestures below shoulder level.  Flailing your arms in the air will not look enthusiastic, only erratic.

By all means, attend the holiday office gathering and have a good time.  Just remember, you’re at a work-related event that is just as important as any other business function.  Which brings me to my last point: Don’t wear your “club appropriate attire” to the office party.  Women especially should take note and save their see-through tops and micro-mini skirts for socializing with friends.  Keep these tips in mind and use the office party to make a good impression and advance — not derail — your career!

-Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.

To book Carol Kinsey Goman for your event, contact Liz Piacentini at 800-875-2893.  Or, click here for Carol’s biography, speech topics, and a sample video clip.

“GSB tec-talk”  …Ya know I was hoping for a more sexy name, but “tec-talk” does keep it simple, so why not? …why now? What is it?  It’s a path to communicate and talk technology, trends, change …our way to share what we do, what you are doing and how we can work better together. Technology, yes …still can be confusing despite its simplicity. Information, absolutely!   Knowledge, certainly this as part of the communication expectation, let’s share.

Why?  Because our industry has changed rapidly.  Just in the last five years we have experienced many changes just in videos: how you prepare them, package them, send them, invest in them, inventory them, distribute them and so on.

So with this nano-intro(like that?), I am excited to have created a new vehicle of communication to improve what we do.  I will begin to follow up with many blogs regarding our videos and and what bureaus like us need from our speakers.

Greg Fortin – CIO Goodman Speakers Bureau Inc.

Recently, one of our motivational speakers, Connie Podesta, was in town speaking to a group of 600 at The Connecticut Women’s Forum.  While she was here, we hosted one of our popular “Meet and Greet” events at the downtown Hartford Marriott.  We sipped pumpkin martinis and enjoyed dipping strawberries into the chocolate fountain – then Connie took center stage.  Everyone got to see first-hand her warm personality, engaging sense of humor, and high-energy delivery of messages on leadership, sales, team building, change and productivity, and life balance, (despite having to deal with “certain” people).

As she does at many of her speeches, Connie asked our guests, “Do you want to watch a PowerPoint presentation? Or, would you prefer a few minutes of therapy?”  As a licensed psychotherapist, she’s probably one of the only motivational speakers/comedians who can make such an offer.  I bet you can guess what the answer was!

Everyone experienced how this human resource professional, expert in the psychology of human behavior, and author of 10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd can easily captivate an audience.   Connie has encouraged millions of people to achieve the success they desire, the happiness they seek, and the personal and professional life they deserve.

If you missed this wonderful evening, you can still enjoy a video clip of Connie by clicking here.     For booking information, contact Diane Goodman at 800-875-2893, diane@goodmanspeakersbureau.com, or click here for Connie’s bio and sample topics.  We hope to see you at our next “Meet and Greet” event!

Area meeting planners recently attended Goodman Speakers Bureau’s Meet and Greet reception with generational expert, Cheryl Cran.   Cheryl strongly believes that harnessing generational intelligence in the workplace is the bright future of business.   Cheryl draws on her years of unique corporate and entrepreneurial success to help leaders and their teams create outstanding results. 

Guests witnessed her enthusiastic and direct approach as she discussed today’s challenge of bridging work ethic differences and how each generation embraces technology.  In her typical style, she easily connected with the audience, understood their challenges, and discussed communication tips for increasing productivity.   As a speaker, her presentations on leading the generations and corporate culture include real-life examples, case studies, and practical solutions.   During the event, Cheryl shared a real-life example from her early career in banking about her unique ability to handle bank robberies!  

Cheryl is also the author of four books.  Her most recent is, 101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work.   Just what is a Zoomer?  Well, according to Moses Znaimer, it’s a Baby Boomer who refuses to age!  In the book, she addresses the future trends of work and how the different values of each generation influence and shape today’s work place.  

Cheryl is also the author of:

• The Control Freak Revolution shows leaders and their teams how to create better results by focusing on what they can control.  It’s okay to be a positive control freak!
• 50 Ways to Lead & Love It provides fast and easy tips on leadership for leaders and managers.
• Say What You Mean – Mean What You Say is an excellent foundational book on communication in the workplace.

“We are living in a time of transformation and we are the transformers.” – Cheryl Cran

For more information on booking Cheryl Cran, call 800-875-2893!   For a video clip, click here. 

We are so excited (and fortunate) to welcome Elizabeth (Liz) Piacentini, CMP, as our new Director of Sales and Marketing at the Goodman Speakers Bureau.  Liz will oversee our electronic marketing efforts (including this blog), along with our other sales and marketing campaigns.

Many in the meetings industry know Liz from her days as the Crowne Meetings Director (CMD) at the Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown, where she worked directly with meeting planners on their convention services needs.  For much of that time, she served on the CMD Advisory Board for InterContinental Hotels Group.  As an Advisory Board member, Liz wrote several training modules to develop the skills of other CMDs and received the “Crowne Meetings Director Best-of-the-Best Award” in 2007.   

Others may know Liz from when she was Director of Catering for Abigail Kirsch at The New York Botanical Garden, or from when she was General Manager of Historic Johnsonville in Moodus, Conn.  Liz was instrumental in the start-up phase at both of these catering facilities – providing valuable insights to the catering industry and event planners.  These professional roles, combined with the two years she spent as Director of Hotel Services and Shipboard Personnel in the cruise line industry, have given Liz well-rounded experiences in the overall meeting industry – great skills to put to use for the clients at Goodman Speakers Bureau!

Liz has consistently worked on her professional development, building an expertise in the field of meetings and conference planning.  In 2002, she joined MPI and has been a member ever since,  receiving the “Supplier of the Year” award in 2007.  In 2004, she obtained her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.   A year later, she became a CMP Study Group Leader and continues to coordinate a 10-week annual review course for the Connecticut River Valley Chapter of Meeting Professionals International. 

As I say, we are fortunate to have her talents here at the Goodman Speakers Bureau!