Many of us have cell phones that we use hands free while on the road. When you get back to your desk, are you still hands free?

When I'm at my desk and talking to a client on the phone, I'm usually looking at a spreadsheet or database, to help my client with a question. A few years ago I bought a headset for my office phone, and couldn't live without it now. It felt funny at first, but I got used to it within a couple of days.

Now I can work on the computer without sustaining a neck injury from wedging the phone between my ear and shoulder. I have a Plantronics headset, similar to the one shown below, but there are many brands and varieties, so you might find something that's more comfortable for you.

Continue reading Are You Hands Free?

Although the book is out of print, the advice from the 3M Meeting Management Team, in How to Run Better Business Meetings, is still pertinent.

"The controller is the diagnostician who determines when and where the company is ill. The manager is the surgeon who operates on that ailment.

The surgeons need a diagnosis, and not a course in anatomy. The simpler and more focused the [financial] presentation, the better.

The most creative job the financial presenter can do is select the meaningful data and present them in sharp focus. This makes for shorter, more lively presentation, and does a better job of preparing the managers for their work as surgeons."