Do you get irritated reading poorly written e-mails and documents sent by colleagues? I have experienced that, while most professionals are experts in subject matter when it comes to their fields, they rely on methods learnt at school when it comes to writing business messages.

As a result, they mistake verbosity for intellect, and quantity for quality. They also ignore the fact that customers and employees today simply do not have time to read poor documents. Here are some simple tips to inject life into your daily business communication:

Five quick team-building icebreakers

By Sunder Ramachandran

Originally publishd in Rediff.com

Are your team meetings becoming boring and mundane with the same agendas and targets repeated every time?

Here are five activities that can be used as icebreakers during your next meeting. They are fairly simple, involve zero investment and will inject much needed fun and enthusiasm in your teams.

We all know that businesses thrive on strong relationships, so we try hard to impress our clients and external stakeholders. However, most of us pay little or no attention to our relationships with our peers, bosses and coworkers.

The go-to person in the workplace is the individual everyone appreciates and turns to for advice. Here’s what you should do to get noticed at work. To read the complete article:

Soft or Essential Skills?
By Sunder Ramachandran

Originally published in Economic Times on March 15th 2007 (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune edition)

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=
RVRILzIwMDcvMDMvMTUjQXIwMjQwMg==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

MBA students today know they have to invest in overall personal development initiatives in order to survive and excel in organisations with a global footprint.

6 ways to celebrate your work

By Sunder Ramachandran

Originally published in Rediff.com

http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2007/mar/15fun.htm

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Most young professionals tend to forget this adage, as they chase their career aspirations.

While most organisations are realising the importance of making the workplace more fun, every professional should also try to nurture a positive and stress-free work environment.

The Journal of Business Communication published a recent study disclosing that good listeners hold higher-level positions and are promoted more often than those with less effective listening skills. Many executives believe listening skills are vital to the success of an organisation. Lee Iacocca, CEO of Chrysler, said that listening could make 'the difference between a mediocre company and a great company.'

It's performance appraisal time again, and your ability to showcase your strengths during your appraisal could help you get that promotion at work.

However, most of us find it challenging to articulate our accomplishments in a few paragraphs.

Having been the appraiser as well as the appraised, here are some lessons I have learnt. Click on the links to read the complete article

Part 1 - Appraisal tips to boost your chances

Common mistakes while sending a proposal to a client

By Deeksha Singh

Originally published in Rediff.com:

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/feb/01client.htm

I recently spread the word around in my network about the requirement for a technology consultant who can take care of all the backend IT work for my company. I even posted the requirement on a couple of business networking sites.

5 questions you must ask your future boss

By Sunder Ramachandran

Originally published in Rediff.com - http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/feb/02boss.htm

'People don't leave organisations; they leave their bosses.' This is an old cliche. According to a survey by badbossology.com, almost 71 per cent of employees look for new jobs because of problems with their bosses. A recent Gallup survey of over 1,000,000 employees found that, if a company was losing good people, the biggest reason was their immediate supervisors.

I recently interviewed Alok Mittal, the interview was first published at Rediff ( give the link ). Am reproducing here for the benefit of ITVidya members and readers. After attending the summit for young entrepreneurs at IILM, Gurgaon, last week, I caught up with venture capitalist Alok Mittal, a chairperson at the event. Alok works as partner and executive director with Cannan Partners, which invests in early stage technology companies.