This is an old post...but since we're on the subject of Thank You Notes. I thought I would resurrect it. Scott Baio was interviewed on national television last fall about his reality show Scott Baio is 45 and Single. I didn't see the interview but I did catch the talk show host mentioning it in a following program. The host read some positive letters about Baio and added he had received a thank you note from him. "I don't get many thank you notes from guests," said the host. "He's a classy guy."

Baio won't have a problem getting another guest appearance on that particular show and it only cost him a stamp to get positive national press. Everyone's time is valuable and we don't show enough appreciation for the time people give us. We shouldn't wait for the traditional reasons to send a note; gifts, parties etc. Has someone spent some of their time with you to mentor, guide or add to your life in anyway? What better way to acknowledge it than taking a bit of your time and putting some heartfelt words of gratitude to paper?

Small Talk and Meeting Etiquette

Q. I don’t believe I’m good at making small talk. I’m shy and my tongue gets tied when I’m face to face with co-workers and there’s no business to discuss. For instance, when I meet people at the elevator or in the coffee room, I don’t know what to say other than good morning or have a nice day. I’d like to be the kind of person who can chat about things other than work, but I’m so worried about saying something inappropriate. Can you give me some pointers so I can begin to make some friendships?


A. Recognizing the importance of small talk in your career is a big step in the right direction. It may sound trivial, but small talk is the basis for establishing relationships in an organization, is an effective ice breaker between strangers and lets others know you are not a complete bore. It’s a necessary skill for effective communication between you and your colleagues, staff, supervisors and clients.

You can learn how to make small talk. What’s holding you back is your focus on yourself. As long as you continue to dwell on your own inadequacies and imagining the worst, you can’t move forward.

The first step is to develop an interest in other people. After saying hello to your co-worker, ask how she is, then look into her eyes and listen to the answer. She may tell you something which will lead you into a conversation. When you see her again, ask her about the thing she shared with you.

Know what's going on in the world. Make a habit of reading a local and national newspaper every day, or sign online to check the daily news. You can always talk about the weather, sports, the latest bestsellers or movies. Don’t talk about religion, politics, the prices of things or your own hard luck. Also, stay clear of office gossip. If you have a beef, take it up with the appropriate person.

Chat when you won't be interrupting anyone's work. Typically small talk occurs when you're in the snack room, arriving or departing from work or before a meeting. Small talk is also short talk. Limit it to about 5 minutes and then get back to work.

Q. We have a meeting etiquette problem in my organization. Meetings are scheduled, a number of people are told to attend and then at the scheduled time, everyone is not present, including the planner. I, along with others, lose work time waiting for everyone to arrive, and when the meeting finally does begin, attendees take phone calls; there is no agenda and no ending time. I’m in a low level position with no authority. What can I do?

A. I have a couple of suggestions for you.

First, when you are asked to attend a meeting and you don’t know why, call the meeting planner and ask what the meeting's objective is and determine if your presence is needed. If you feel you must go, be on time and bring some work of your own to make use of the waiting time.

Second, if you recognize the problem, chances are others do too. There are ways to run effective meetings but it sounds like your managers don’t know how. Educate them. This is a great opportunity for you to shine. You can find the information you need about planning effective meetings in your library, bookstore on the internet. Write a report on valuable work time lost in unproductive and poorly planned meetings. In your report, suggest ways to run an effective meeting such as:
The importance of an objective.
Distributing agendas prior to the meeting.
Arriving on time.
Staying focused on topic.
Ending on time.
Once your managers see it on paper, and equate time lost with dollars and cents, they may become more concerned with their meeting manners.