Posted on Fri, Aug 13, 2010
Photo: Joel Klein, Chancellor of Education, New York City
credit: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Klein
posted by Jeremy Willinger
Collaboration has defined The New American Academy since its inception. The Academy’s education plan, based on a model developed at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, focuses on partnerships and innovation, allowing each student to progress individually while receiving close attention from top educators.
Says Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, “The New American Academy is an innovative, potentially very powerful way of providing education to children. It is both brilliant and scalable, and holds out the hope of changing K-12 education in major ways.”
The Academy, led by headmaster Shimon Waronker, stresses close personal mentorship. Students are paired with teachers from kindergarten through the fifth grade, and novice instructors are matched with master teachers. The pairing of those first beginning their career with seasoned professions, as cited by the New York Post, is “the first for teachers, where promotion from one title to the next is based on merit—not length of service.”
Though 60 students may seem like a large number for each classroom, four teachers are assigned to each, encouraging deep relationships between teachers and students and providing instructors the ability to target lessons to each child’s learning style. Waronker looks to open as many as 50 additional schools modeled on the New American Academy by 2012. As with the original, technology will be integrated in all components of a child’s schooling, and each student will be exposed to trilingual education—English, Spanish, and French.
Part of the continuing education program for all involved at the Academy is exposure to relevant topics of etiquette. Renowned etiquette coach Lyudmila Bloch from www.etiquetteoutreach.com will make an etiquette presentation to students on August 13th, and deliver a workshop on business skills for educators on the 28th.
These sessions illustrate both The New American Academy’s dedication to the mental and emotional development of their students and staff, and the school’s collaborative process with leaders in education beyond traditional channels. Bloch’s goal is to “Teach children new ways of thinking and interacting, by introducing behavioral skills early. Appealing to the emotional core of a child is where we need to begin when teaching age-appropriate behavior.”
By introducing this innovative, proven educational model, Waronker and his staff challenge the status quo, while spotlighting a solution that works across all demographics and conditions. The New American Academy’s program marks the beginning of a new era in learning as well as a future that is brighter than ever for New York City schoolchildren and the world they will inherit.
Photo credit: The New York Times/Shimon Waronker at JH CIS 022
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Waronker
http://www.americanacademy.org
Posted on Thu, Jul 29, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
In any environment, from school to work, you have to be your own biggest advocate. Yet, there is a difference between being a braggart and effective self-promotion.
The key is to acknowledge your role in each project to ensure you receive the accolades or simple recognition that burnishes your business reputation and makes advancement possible. Pointing out successes will highlight your ability, but it must be done in a tactful and respectful manner. Couching these accomplishments as they relate to your department, a specific marketing plan, or even company philosophy, is a helpful way to position your role—and your achievements—as integral to the organization.
In the working world, the power dynamic must also be respected and business etiquette must be followed. Acknowledging input from every hierarchical level demonstrates your capacity to go beyond selfless promotion and be a team player—something every company desires.
When your efforts are recognized, it is important to thank the person who is providing the praise and, again, highlight contributions from co-workers. Remaining deferential to superiors is also important to show that you will not let compliments inflate your ego to super-sized proportions.
While, no one wants to be seen as a braggart, everyone wants to receive a pat on the back for a job well done. In the business world, however, making sure you do so tactfully will leave the door open to future acclaim.
Posted on Mon, May 03, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
Any good relationship (or blog posting) begins with a clear introduction. When presenting yourself to a potential employer, you are likely to start with a cover letter to introduce your arsenal of excellent referrals and polished résumé. Underlying this process, of course, is knowledge of business and workplace etiquette. Just as there are rules about the etiquette of business dining, there are also guidelines for creating a good cover letter.
The number one rule for any cover letter is to show your potential employer the same courtesy that you would exhibit in the position. Misspelling the name of the company or contact person, typos, and other glaring mistakes are sure to relegate your résumé to the trash bin.
Proper business etiquette also demands that research be completed before sending off your résumé. Think of the cover letter as a handshake, elevator pitch, and initial interview, all wrapped into one— your chance to make the best impression possible. By looking into the company and referencing past and current clients, brands, or other corporate initiatives, you show the potential employer that you are aware of their endeavors and have done your due diligence. This also provides an opportunity to relate their projects to your background and skills, as each cover letter should be customized to highlight specific talents relevant to the advertised position.
When discussing your previous experience, the cover letter is not the place to outline all of it. The cover letter should be offered as a highlight reel—and a chance to spotlight how your prior work may complement this future role. Proper business etiquette also dictates that the cover letter be used to mention other facts not included on the résumé that have relevance to the position being applied for (leadership positions in volunteer organizations, for example).
Any good cover letter should be succinct and to the point. Aim for it not to exceed three to four paragraphs, the last paragraph being a wrap-up with the next steps clearly outlined -i.e.: “My résumé is included for your consideration. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.” After sending, proper business etiquette demands that you wait at least a week to follow up with a brief note indicating your desire to speak with someone about the position and the skills you can bring to the company.
Knowing how to write a cover letter that follows the rules of business etiquette and displays your talents may well be the precursor to decorating your office space, selecting a health plan, and enjoying an exciting new chapter in your life.
Posted on Wed, Apr 28, 2010
by Sara Hamdan
The first time her phone rang, a smile spread across Courtney Smith’s lips and she answered by saying “so did you tell them yet?” as she drummed a pencil against her nose and listened, wide-eyed.
The second time, she let it ring for an extra beat before picking up and saying, “Let me call you back, I’m in the middle of something.”
The third time it rang – and yes, the other patrons at the busy Starbucks were by now eyeing the popular girl with a mixture of annoyance and jealousy – she frowned and muted the phone’s ring before answering. She then pushed her brown curls away from her face, straightened her back and cleared her throat before saying a simple “hello?”
At this point, she went on to confirm that, yes, she is Courtney Smith and, yes, she was glad to hear from them. Starting off with “hello” was a safe choice, a little distant maybe, simultaneously informal yet polite.
Many languages today still use a derivative of the word “hello” specifically for the purpose of answering the phone. And even in a world of smartphones, people are still clinging to the word when there is no real, distinct use for it in the context of phone conversations. That’s a lot of weight for two short syllables.
But when the name of the person calling you is flashing on your caller ID, use of the once-standard greeting has become more of a nonsensical gateway to a conversation, one that’s beginning to fade away from a lack of necessity. Let’s face it, the word “hello” doesn’t evoke warm feelings of deep friendships and funny memories. It doesn’t say “Hi, I care about you, how are you doing?” It also doesn’t say “Look at how polished and sophisticated I am, you should hire me.” It is an impractical social convention, having persevered through technological and linguistic changes, that today actually means something like: “My time is precious: Who are you and what exactly do you want?”
Smith, a 25-year-old graduate student at Columbia’s English department, hadn’t mulled over implications of the word “hello” before today. Now, she tilts her head to one side, her blue eyes fixed on the view outside the cafe, and nods with the sudden realization.
“Now I feel totally self conscious about answering the phone,” she says. “It is kind of weird to say hello, like you’re asking a question, if you know who’s calling. But it also feels weird if someone doesn’t answer that way sometimes. Kind of abrupt. Doesn’t it?”
Maybe now. But the Oxford English Dictionary states that the word was circulating with regularity by the mid 1800’s as a way to greet people in a variety of forms – hillo, halo, hallo and the one Jay-Z still keeps popular today: holla.
People tend to stick to the word 'hello' when using the phone today. (Photo by Tala Al Ramahi and Sara Hamdan)
The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, uttered his own version of the word to greet people on his new invention in the late 1870’s: “Ahoy!” Use of this expression quickly died out and Thomas Edison made its replacement, “hello,” popular as phones became more common. It all started with a note from Edison to T.B.A. David, then president of the Central District and Printing Telegraph Company of Pittsburgh, in 1877, according to Antique Phonograph Monthly: “Friend David, I do not think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away.”
Susan Hirschhorn, a 60-year-old piano instructor in New York, grew up with the word “hello” and isn’t ready to give it up for a trendy replacement.
“People just assume everyone has caller ID and yes, I have it, but I think it shows such a level of detachment and arrogance not to say hello,” she said, her Blackberry in one hand and coffee in the other. “It makes me feel like saying – who the hell are you?”
Hirschhorn likes the structure and tradition of the word “hello,” and while she is appreciative of technological advancements, she doesn’t like to see how manners are changing, too.
“I mean, it’s like we’re headed for a total breakdown of society,” she said, her voice rising slightly. “We need that structured way to initiate a conversation.”
For others, use of the word is more a force of habit than passion. Jason Saager noticed that when he is busy thinking about something else or not really into a conversation, he sticks to reliable, old “hello.” On the other hand, when the 27-year-old is excited to talk to someone, he will say the person’s name in the greeting.
“I can say it has to do with my mood and that maybe ‘hello’ is less personal, but at the end of the day it’s habit. I mean, back in the day the word “hello” was considered informal and kind of vulgar and everyone uses it now,” said the painter, an Arizona native. “The English language is just all over the place and it’s going to keep changing.”
In the 1920s, prim and proper Emily Post, an etiquette expert who still has a following today, set the guideline in her book that “on very informal occasions, it is the present fashion to greet an intimate friend with ‘hello!’ … but remember that ‘hello’ is spoken, not called out, and never used except between intimate friends who call each other by first name.”
Etiquette experts today, like Lyudmila Bloch of Etiquette Outreach in New York, still believe the word “hello” is an essential part of phone conversations that conveys trust, openness and good manners.
“Whether you know the person or not, whether you have caller ID or not – the proper way to greet a person on the phone is simply to say hello,” said Bloch. “It’s not formal or outdated and if they don’t say it, they lack manners at the very least. When people use abbreviations like ‘hi,’ it is just inappropriate.”
True, “hello” sounds better than some other alternatives. Natalie Wilson’s grandmother, who is from the United Kingdom, is used to saying the last four digits of her phone number by way of greeting like she used to as a little girl in the countryside.
“I can’t imagine picking up the phone when my boyfriend is calling and saying 4587,” she says.
Posted on Mon, Apr 12, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
Part 2
When you're asked to assist a person with disabilities, make sure you do it graciously and without fuss.
Though you may have the best of intentions, try not to offer physical assistance without asking if you may do so. People with disabilities may depend on their arms and legs for balance, and even if your goal is to guide them up stairs or across the street, for example, your input may be inadvertently putting them at risk. If a person is in a wheelchair or using a scooter or cane, that equipment should be considered part of their personal space and should be treated accordingly.
Proper etiquette also calls for the person without a disability to be aware of their surroundings. If you are sharing space with a person in a wheelchair, let them set the pace as you move about, and, if possible, do some research beforehand so you can inform restaurants and other establishments ahead of time that a ramp or other accommodations will be needed -- and know where they are located.
Since not every disability is physical (such as a learning disability), it is important to read and understand subtle cues. Proper etiquette demands, for example, that if a person asks to have something written down or explained multiple times, you must graciously do so. Not everyone is comfortable sharing that they have a disability, and by acquiescing, you demonstrate that you have listened and that you care.
Posted on Thu, Mar 18, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
Asking for a raise or change of title at work is never an easy task. Sometimes people wonder if the stress of asking is worth the eventual payoff. Yet, knowing the proper way to approach your superior with this nerve-wracking request will better position you to receive the increase in salary you seek.
The number one rule in asking for a raise is to plan ahead. Much like when you were interviewed for the position you now wish to get paid more for, avoid going in without having researched and found facts. Detail and document your achievements so your boss can see the success you’ve experienced and how your work has contributed to the company’s goals and bottom line. By researching competitive salary ranges for your position, you can better judge how much to request and what others in your role are making.
The second most important tip is to consider the timing of your request. If your company has been hard hit by the financial crisis, or is on a hiring freeze, asking for more money demonstrates a lack of compassion and can ultimately harm your future prospects within the organization. Mentioning to your boss, ideally over email so nothing comes as a surprise, that you are interested in discussing your salary and role with the company, shows that you respect his or her time. Tenure at the company is also relevant to timing: asking for a raise before one year of service is inadvisable.
After a meeting is scheduled, do not share this information with anyone in the company—this also applies once you have the answer to your request. More importantly, do not schedule a vacation immediately afterwards, or call in sick, regardless of the response, as you will be under increased scrutiny by your superior. If your boss does not grant your request, consider how you can better demonstrate your commitment to your job, or plan an exit strategy that will not hurt future employment prospects. Using these tips, you stand a much better chance of receiving a few extra dollars in your paycheck, and can look forward to future steps up the corporate ladder.
Posted on Fri, Jan 08, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
In today’s world of business, the old axiom of “network, network, network” is particularly relevant. Along with in-person networking events and cocktail hours, many people are choosing the online arena for meeting new business contacts.
Following certain rules of online networking etiquette can help make the most of these new relationships. The first is how to present your online persona so that those you are hoping to meet will know enough about you to confirm and respond to your outreach.
Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook, especially the former, are designed to facilitate connections between people, but it is considered poor business etiquette to seek an introduction without having filled out any personal information in your profile. If the only thing that is provided under the sender’s space for information is a name and home town, the request does not seem like it comes from a person interested in making a real connection.
Proper online business etiquette dictates that a full profile with accurate, spell-checked, and non-controversial information be completed before seeking new contacts. And it goes almost without saying that bombarding people with requests is disingenuous if you are doing so only to accumulate friends or group members.
As in the real world, there is an acceptable timeframe for responding to online requests. Proper online networking etiquette includes responding to requests for connections or recommendations within three days, but a request is in no way an obligation for affirmation. Once confirmed, you should send a small, cordial message through the network’s contact system acknowledging the new connection.
A more extensive note, however, should be employed when seeking a contact with whom there is no previous acquaintance. This message should accompany the request to join, indicating how the person was located -- i.e., through the job title search on LinkedIn -- and a note about the sender and his or her motives for contact.
When joining networking groups online, a good rule of etiquette is to introduce yourself via a brief email to the group admin after membership has been approved. Do not strive to be an over-sharer, or that one group member who comments and posts on every link that appears. When participating, review your post before submitting, and be sure that all links and information you submit are working and accurate. This ensures a seamless and convivial atmosphere that makes networking more conducive to results.
No matter which service you use, lessons of etiquette learned off line will translate well online. While online networking should not supplant in-person relationship-building, it is a modern, inexpensive, and easy way to gather contacts quickly. The key is to use gracious and considerate etiquette to stand out from the pack, and make a virtual connection translate into real-world benefits.
To find out more about Jeremy Willinger, please visit: www.jeremywillinger.com
Posted on Fri, Jan 01, 2010
by Jeremy Willinger
While designing and launching an effective social media platform is an exciting venture for any business, it should be approached cautiously, mindful of the rules of social media etiquette. Such awareness can actually help define your brand online, while also increasing the business’s bottom line.
In presenting a brand’s online identity, businesses have to relinquish a certain measure of control over how content can be accessed and reviewed, but the business should control the conversation. This oversight should stay within the realm of established business etiquette (such as keeping language inoffensive), and conform to the laws of social media etiquette, as in avoiding over-posting.
The script should stay true to the values the company was founded on. Business etiquette for social media extends far beyond tasteful, non-risqué profile pictures to the more subtle imperative of preserving the authenticity that customers expect. Online buzz is generated when people feel that the company is being true to its established brand identity -- or serious about a recent reinvention.
It is important to launch your social media website with content that is currently available. Videos, photos, events, and other material should be available for users and soon-to-be group members, fans, etc. One tip is that you do not have to accept every friend request if you decide not to. When navigating social media sites, be careful to research any preexisting groups that promote/discuss your business. If yours is a popular company, many times existing fans will take it upon themselves to create a page on Facebook. Conversely, if someone has an unfavorable view of your business, they might create a fake Twitter feed, or one with an unkind title. In this situation, a prompt note to the group or page administrators or Twitter users asking them to put up a disclaimer indicating that this isn’t the official page is proper business etiquette.
Social media is not a passive environment. Once your company is established in social media, it must stay in contact with those who have aligned themselves with your business. Proper social media etiquette for contacting people is much like the rules for personal emailing: Try not to bombard, think before sending or posting, and realize the value of time. Do followers need company tweets every 10 minutes? Only if it is the greatest product launch in the history of the company, and even then tweets should be spaced out appropriately.
One benefit of social media is its constant access to customers. This is both a blessing and a curse, because with the ability to inform fans, followers, and friends of new developments and content, these same individuals expect a shortened response time to their queries and complaints. Proper social media etiquette is to respond to any inquiry in a very timely fashion. Many times, people who hear back from a company soon after tweeting a complaint will document their positive experience with that business. This makes social media etiquette a great tool for establishing positive brand association.
This positivity should also inform the tone a business takes in the social media sphere. Brands should convey an attitude frequently assumed in many social and business settings: solicitous and engaging. When users post comments, cast disgruntled votes, or make public their displeasure, good social media etiquette honors all input to smooth feathers and obviate potential problems. Businesses must also consider that what they say is in the public domain: when responding to a posting on your company Facebook wall, to a Twitter follower, or to a LinkedIn message, for example, know that everyone will see it and that it can be reposted other places without a business being aware.
For any service or product, social media is an arena that can pay off when used correctly. In many ways, when a person engages a company, organization, or individual through Facebook (et al), they are already loyal -- the job of the business is to enhance that relationship. This relationship must stay professional, even in the world of social media.
Posted on Wed, Dec 09, 2009
by Lyudmila Bloch, Etiquette Expert NYC
What is business etiquette and why you should be concerned about it?
First of all, business etiquette is a very broad term, encompassing multiple aspects of the business interactions. These include business manners, business attire, business communications, business dining, client entertaining, business culture, cross-cultural differences, international protocol, basic workplace etiquette, netiquette and more.
Business etiquette, in my opinion, is a philosophy of building and fostering business relations based on trust, integrity, best practices, and cultural and regional sensitivities. Business etiquette is not a “business behavior code” – it can be defined only as “guiding principals for success in business.”
The meaning of “social etiquette” (a term derived mainly from the mandated practices of the French King, Louis XIV), has been widely misunderstood and poorly interpreted. For centuries, it has been associated with the elite social etiquette of “royals” and those of the “upper crust.” Therefore, even today, when you ask a regular person what is “etiquette,” you can expect to hear vague and snickering references to the proper use of utensils – fork, knife, and spoon.
I often say that etiquette is “not about fork and knife” – it’s about consideration and respect toward the people around us. Knowing which fork to use at a dinner table is good, but knowing how to avoid offending your fellow diners is about etiquette and manners.
Likewise, Business Etiquette is about how our business relationships reflect thoughtful consideration of the interests and wellbeing of others; and they are also deeply connected to our own business goals and aspirations. Mutual trust and communication will develop based on your personal qualities – integrity, respect, responsiveness – eventually leading to business growth, prosperity, and ultimate success! Every aspect of proper business etiquette will showcase your best business manners, thereby securing crucial partnerships for rewarding business outcomes.
Knowledge of business etiquette is, of course, not all it will take to ring your cash register, but it will minimize any misunderstandings or business blunders that can ultimately kill a deal-in-progress. The presence or lack of business manners might not be immediately apparent or visible, but will certainly impact your bank account!
Posted on Mon, Nov 30, 2009
by Jeremy Willinger
By now it has happened to everyone. You could be at a museum, watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster, at a romantic dinner, or undergoing surgery and sure enough, a cell phone rings.
Somewhere between Alexander Graham Bell and the newest unlimited talk and text plan, society became enamored with the ability to make and receive phone calls in the public sphere. The result: a never-ending stream of conversations one is forced to listen to no matter where they happen to be.
Proper cell phone courtesy is not a foreign subject, and this blog is far from the first to cover it. However, despite ubiquity in the media, most still have not transcended their impulse to answer a phone, regardless of setting or present company.
This can have deadly consequences. In the recent tragedy over New York City, for instance, in which a helicopter and a small plane collided, the air-traffic controller was too distracted by his phone conversation to warn of the impending accident.
On every phone, there is a vibrate feature which allows for tactile notification instead of sonically broadcasting the importance of the incoming call or text message. There is no reason a phone should not be turned to this setting in any enclosed public space. An even better choice, for more quiet locations like a movie theater, library, friend’s house or a place of worship, is the silent feature, which mutes all sounds.
Silencing your cell says to your host, and to those around you, that the present situation is stimulating enough to capture and hold your attention. Furthermore, you’re considering the feelings of those around you: no one pays $140.00 for a front-row seat at a Broadway musical to listen to your blaring ringtone.
But just because you have your phone muted does not mean all rules have been met. Leaving your phone on a table during dinner is a breach of cell phone etiquette and serves as a distraction for other people at the table. If you must take a call, politely excuse yourself from the table or venue and conduct a quick conversation in another room where you will be out of earshot.
At work, a phone should always be set to vibrate or silent and one should always curtail personal conversations and text messaging during work hours.There is no better way to make a poor impression on colleagues than to have your phone go off in a meeting, or let them see you whiling away office hours playing BrickBreaker on your BlackBerry.
Regardless of your surroundings, it is of critical importance to be mindful of volume. This pertains not only to your own voice, but to the setting of your ringer, whether you are using a speakerphone/walkie-talkie (and for the sake of decency, you should not be doing so in public) or you are playing a game or music.
Yet, even if your phone is on silent and you are keeping your voice low, you must also be mindful of the subject matter you are discussing in public. Would you tell a complete stranger about your romances, bodily functions, family strife, or financial transactions? If not, then don’t have conversations about taboo subjects in public.
The solution, it seems, is not turning to illegal cell phone jammers designed to create a mute zone by cutting off wireless signals around the device. The answer to cell phone abuse is public education, and the enforcement of cell phone laws such as California’s cell phone harassment law, and laws designed to curb usage when it threatens public safety, such as driving while texting.
With 87 percent of Americans owning a cell phone, we must police ourselves and be vigilant, no matter how careful we assume ourselves to be. Let us see each call as an opportunity to consider the needs of more than just the person on the line. Only after considering our surroundings should we guiltlessly enjoy all that our phones provide us.