Tag: tips

Gobble, Gobble! Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Office

Thanksgiving is a time to show thanks for what you have and for those that are part of your life.  It is also a time to show others what they mean to you and why you are thankful they are part of your life.  The same can be done at the office.

Having a “Wall of Thanks” is a great way to recognize all the individuals and their contributions to the business and to each other.  Set up a wall in a common area that everyone has access to.  You can either hang a chalkboard with chalk nearby or have a large pad of post-it notes.  Everyone can take this opportunity to write a note of thanks in appreciation of what someone has done for them.

A fun idea is to have a Thanksgiving recipe contest.  With the American culture consisting of such a mix of nationalities, many households have such a variety of takes on the basics such as stuffing, potatoes, etc.  The participants can bring in their dish along with the recipe.  I love the idea of the winner getting their Thanksgiving turkey as the prize.

Another great idea to show how thankful you are is to do a clothes drive and give back.  Set up a box in the work kitchen for the entire month of December than as a group, bring your donations to the local homeless shelter. 

Celebrate this Thanksgiving in your office by showing thanks, having fun and giving back.

Working Remotely – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

When the subject of working from the comforts of my home was suggested to me, I couldn’t be more excited.  I thought about rolling out of bed, pulling out my laptop and moving to my enclosed deck still in my pajamas with a cup of coffee in my hand.  I even thought I was going to be able to keep my favorite talk shows on in the background.  After about a week, I realized I was not productive and working remotely was not all that I expected.

Being as I am not one to fail, I changed my attitude.  I realized that the first step was to put on real clothes…maybe not the suit, but jeans and decent shirt.  This helped me get my mind in the business state of mind.  I also set up a work area designated just for use during work hours.  Besides that bottle of water that I always have at my desk, all eating and drinking is done during my break and lunch times in a different room.  Work was back on track but then came the loneliness.

I feel that it is normally much more efficient to communicate with email, but since working remotely, I have adjusted my thinking.  In most recent weeks, I have picked up the phone to have that human contact and it has made a huge difference on my mental state.  I have also organized a lunch meeting monthly or bimonthly depending on the situation.

There are plusses and minuses to working from home.  It is all what you make of it!

Tips On Choosing The Right Greeting

Although there are dozens of ways to say the same thing, not all greetings are created equal. Here are some tips on choosing the right greeting for any occasion.

Keep your audience in mind. If your business plans on sending out holiday cards, consider choosing a secular card and greeting. Keep in mind that not all of your employees may celebrate Christmas. It is best to take a “happy holidays” or “season’s greetings” approach, so all employees feel represented and included. Religious greetings, such as greetings with scriptures or references to God, should typically be limited to personal use or religious groups, like a church organization.    

Thank your employees. Another popular choice for business greetings is to take the time to acknowledge all of the hard work that your employees have done for the company. These greetings can be used for multiple occasions, including birthday, holiday, and anniversary cards. Of course, thank you cards are the perfect opportunity to show your employees that you appreciate their efforts!

Be inclusive. Greetings that include the phrasing “from all of us” give your cards a feeling of inclusion. These types of greetings are good to use if you are planning on sending a card from a group, like the management of a business, or from an entire family.

Add a graphic. If you want your card to have a cute, light-hearted feel, you can choose a greeting that also includes a graphic. A happy birthday card with a cartoon cake or a Christmas card with a happy snowman make for fun greetings. Decorative lines underneath a greeting can give your card a chic and sophisticated appearance. Along with the graphic, you can also play around with the font styles. Script fonts are typically more formal, while printed fonts are generally more informal and playful.

Although your greeting is important, don’t stress over the abundance of options! If you’re spending time agonizing over whether to wish someone “joy and happiness” vs. “good health and success” for their birthday, just remember that whoever receives your card will appreciate the gesture, no matter what wording you’ve chosen. And if you can’t decide on a greeting that encompasses everything that you’re looking for, you can always create your own! 

Should I Add A Logo To My Christmas Cards?

Adding your company’s logo to your Christmas cards is entirely up to you. This choice hinges on your business, your intended recipients, and your purpose for sending the cards. 

Having a visual representation of your company helps customers associate your logo with your business. This recognition can be especially helpful if your logo does not use your company’s name or any other identifying factors. If this is the case, it could also be helpful to add the company name to be clear. Plus, using your logo makes you look more professional and established. Additionally, if your logo represents many branches, it could help unify your location with the rest. 

There is a reason your company has developed a logo in the first place. Maybe it was to better illustrate the type of business you do, to send a subliminal message while marketing (showing compassion, modernity, etc.), or maybe your logo was created to boast a reboot/refresh (new owner or direction). Whatever it is, the point is your logo was formed with specific intentions in mind, consciously or not. Think about if using your logo in a Christmas card could better support your intentions.

Tips On Helping Empower Your Workforce

Having trouble keeping your workforce motivated, autonomous, and with high morale? The following are some quick tips on how to help empower your workforce!

Make expectations clear. When employees are given a standard with which to measure their success, they are more likely to meet or exceed that standard. Creating smaller goals along the way encourages employees to reflect on their own performances and asses if they are meeting these smaller, more attainable milestones.

Keep your employees accountable. When you properly reprimand or appropriately acknowledge poor performance, you are increasing the accountability in your workforce. You want employees to know that substandard work will not be tolerated. This keeps employees from trying to take advantage of the company and helps encourage employees keep each other on task, as there are consequences.

Give them a say. Ask for your employee’s opinions and encourage frequent feedback on every aspect of their day at work. Find ways to improve and resolve any concerns. This will make your employees feel included and will make them more likely to come to you with issues or suggestions in the future. Having an open line of communication with your employees is imperative to achieving higher levels of success.

Card Imprinting For Business Christmas Cards: Which Foil Colors Work Best?


So you went on The Gallery Collection’s website. You’ve decided which design you want for your Christmas cards this year. You found the perfect greeting that suits your company. You even crafted the perfect imprint at the bottom. And you’ve decided you want to upgrade to the foil inside your cards as opposed to ink . . . but now you’re stuck. Which foil color do I use?

If you want the elegance and sophistication that foil exudes, foil is the clear choice. But The Gallery Collection offers several foil colors to dazzle your recipients. One deciding factor between them is to look at your design. If you’ve selected a photo-mount card the border of the picture will be in silver or gold. Generally speaking, cards will look more cohesive if these foils match. Some cards have prismatic or metallic elements or specks of foil glittering on the cover. The same consideration applies with these—watch the silent videos on the website to get a better idea of how the card looks when handled and choose according to your tastes.

While some cards might not include these glitzy details, even just looking at how the colors would complement the foil is worth thinking about. Still stuck? Think about your company’s colors or logo, which could help persuade your decision. Are you doing your greeting in an ink (red, black, blue, or green)? Or maybe you’re adding signatures to your card or an ink stamp of your logo? Think about which color(s) ink you will use and how that will alter the look of your card, whether it compliments or clashes.

Another thing to keep in mind is how the foil will appear on the card stock itself. If you choose a dark-stock card, foil is your only option, so there aren’t other colors on the inside to be concerned with. Another option is to use multiple foils inside your card. For some people it is harder to see silver foil on white cards. Others find gold foil on buff appears washed out. Based on your preferences and a little fore-thought, your cards will dazzle in the foil of your choosing.

Nervous about how your card will appear? Order a proof and receive your exact card before you have hundreds produced. Not to worry, the consistent quality and excellent customer service The Gallery Collection provides will leave you satisfied every time!

Holiday Cards for the Millennials

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Millennials were raised, for the most part, fully immersed in technology. This is why people commonly assume they would be disinterested in holiday cards; people think, “they grew up in this fast-paced environment, where everything gets to them immediately. Texts, emails; everything they send or receive is delivered in mere seconds. So why would they want holiday cards, which are such a dedicated and long process of buying, signing, sending, and then waiting even more to receive?”

But that long process is exactly why millennials would cherish holiday cards.

Millennials might be used to the world of texting and emails, but these things are very impersonal and don’t require much effort. It takes extreme effort and shows a lot of care to go out of your way to buy someone a card, make it out to them with a special, personalized message, and then going through all the effort of sending it early enough for them to receive it on a timely basis. This isn’t something most of their peers will be doing, so if you send a millennial a holiday card, you can be sure they will appreciate it twice as much as everyone else, just because of how rare it is.

In case you would like some ideas, here are some Gallery Collection cards that might really appeal to the beloved millennial in your life:

1. Show off your own technological skills with one of our digitally printed cards which allow you to even customize the front of your cards – Ribbon Tree Christmas Card

2. Make them laugh with this sweet and silly holiday card, featuring special tips for Santa Claus – Tips for Santa Christmas Card

3. Millennials will definitely be able to relate with this funny card explaining exactly what happiness during the holidays really is – Holiday Happiness Card

4. This card is a bright and vibrant card that is sure to appeal to the millennials who prefer a more contemporary card – Bright City Lights Christmas Card

5. This is another humorous card that millennials will certainly be overjoyed to receive – Dear Santa Christmas Card

Is it Okay to Send a Thank You Email After an Interview?

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You nailed your interview. You shake hands with who you hope will be your next manager. She says that they will contact you when a decision is made. What should you do now? There are points that must be addressed, before taking the next step.

Timing is crucial. When the interview is over, you have 24 hours to thank your potential employer. Research has shown that within this time frame, interviewers have solidified their opinion about you. An appropriate thank you is not only polite, but it also relays the importance that the potential job is. Most people will focus on a handwritten letter versus e-mail. Before answering this question, you must have the answer to a very important question. When is the final decision likely to be made?

This is a question that needs to be answered, before you leave that interview. That answer will direct your response type. Research has also shown that hand written thank you letters are better received than e-mailed letters. Businesses cite that they are more of a personal touch, particularly after the formal process of interviewing. The hand written thank you also conveys more effort from the interviewee. How often do we receive hand written letters in this day and age? The handwritten response can set you apart from the rest of the candidates.

But let’s say that the potential employer has told you that the final decision will be made soon. Not only is it OK to send a thank you email after your interview, but it is imperative that you do. Soon may mean that same day. Your immediate response should match the immediacy in which a decision is being made. In this case, the handwritten thank you that is sent, will be too late to impact any decision making. The correct decision to e-mail your thank you letter can be the deciding factor in getting the job.

3 Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

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Public speaking. It’s the stuff of nightmares – like visiting the dentist or never-ending group texts. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil for most of us in business or the corporate world. Preparing and conducting presentations can be a regular occurrence, so managing (and possibly overcoming) those public speaking fears is important. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

Don’t Jam in Too Much Material

The editing process is crucial. You do not want to fit in endless amounts of material within a 10-15 minute time frame. During editing, be sure to comb through all the information and cut out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

If you are using PowerPoint (or another presentation app), you should also refrain from including too much information on your slides. The audience’s eyes should be focused on you and not tuning you out as they try digesting all the information being presented on screen.

Engage With the Audience

Face it – most people dislike attending presentations almost as much as giving them. By boosting engagement, you can break up the monotony. Throw in some polls or surveys. These could lead into inviting questions. It will keep everyone attentive and make them feel as if they are part of a conversation versus attending a lecture.

Don’t Worry About Mistakes

Mistakes are going to happen. No one is perfect – except for maybe Beyoncé or Ryan Gosling, but you are neither so don’t sweat it. You alone planned the presentation. If you missed mentioning something, they will not know that – only you will. Do not get rattled by any missteps. As far as the audience is concerned, everything is going as planned. If you need to circle back to make a correction or mention something you omitted, the Q&A portion of the presentation is the time to do so.