How Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Works with the Environmental Defense Fund Sunday, Feb 14 2010 

When Henry Kravis and his partner George Roberts founded Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in 1976 with support from the First Chicago Corporation, their specialization was in highly leveraged transactions. However, they have set up a novel green project that centers not only on how much money they can net, but in addition on how ecologically friendly each of the firms in their portfolio currently are. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) merged a year ago, hoping to make environmentally aware business practice a commonplace concept. Their objectives include encouraging their affiliated firms to tackle procedures which may endanger the environment e.g. toxic waste not to forget excessive water consumption.

Eco-efficiency (the phrase was first used by the WBCSD) defines their mission’s framework, utilizing techniques like optimizing data centers for efficiency, increasing the durability of products and maximum use of renewable resources. Irrespective of the fact that the project was an enormous success, people just did not understand how fantastic the results were until Ken Mehlman, the executive in charge of the Green Portfolio Project, studied the first year’s profits. Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken found that practicing eco-efficiency not only diminished the overall impact on the planet, but was also increasing the profits from all their business organizations besides. Currently, KKR and Ken Mehlman have succeeded in getting almost every last firm in their portfolio actively involved in eco-efficiency. Still, when you consider that the group has a current business portfolio worth eighty-six billion dollars, you can be sure this wasn’t a simple achievement. KKR with the EDF in association with Ken Mehlman have also extended the original Green Portfolio project. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co joined the EDF’s Climate Corps Program a venture that teaches students studying for a Master’s in Business Administration how to introduce cost-effective, green practices. What is more, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to create metrics and analytic tools which business organizations can use to measure and manage resources. This type of info is critical as any business can evaluate each of their daily operations and ascertain exactly how they can solve any problems while at the same time letting staff to view their environmental impact.

Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have made going green more attractive for business organizations all over the world. Their developments have set a high standard for organizations in any industry and proved that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.

A Guide: Volunteering Your Time Thursday, Jan 28 2010 

I expect you know that volunteer work is a great way to strengthen community bonds and in the same stride assist the poor. Traditionally, however, arranging to be free to volunteer often consumes very time that could readily be put to better use. And don’t you agree that if you had your friends from work active alongside you, you’d all enjoy yourselves more while volunteering? Thus, some companies are making themselves into points of organization encouraging their employees to support the community through volunteer activities. A leader in this field is Adaptive Marketing LLC of Connecticut who developed shopping and financial benefits programs such as Shopping Essentials (MVQ*SHOPESSNTLS) to consumers. Fortunately, company sponsored charitable work is more than once-a-year collections for charity. Looking at just one company, Adaptive Marketing has offered staff chances to get involved in everything from shoe recycling campaigns to tree-planting weekends. Once all the relevant information — date, location, time, type, et cetera — had been prominently posted it became very simple for staff members to set aside the time for volunteering and what program they’d join.

The volunteers will want a opportunity to select initiatives, naturally. At Adaptive Marketing, the people who brought you Shopping Essentials (MVQ*SHOPESSNTLS), members of staff can pick and choose from a wide range of volunteer drives. You’ll find so much to be done; taking part in the education and entertainment of young adults, helping with environmental programs, or supporting local artistic projects to list a few that have already been tried. A volunteer who enjoys himself is an effective volunteer, consequently, through offering such a variety of projects Adaptive Marketing guarantee that their staff will make progress on as many as possible. When firms urge their employees to consider volunteering at a local school, it is often for an individual event or a regular undertaking. Regardless of how little time you have, there’s going to be some initiative you can take part in, and consequently time is no block against volunteering. It has always been a regular practice for firms to assist the people of their hometown. A sense of community goodwill is generated by the volunteer work done by Adaptive Marketing’s staff members, and the staff members of companies like it, over the course of company-supported programs like those discussed earlier. One thing volunteer projects are guaranteed to do is leave your staff feeling good about themselves, generating a motivated company.

How Businesses Can Show Their Conscience and Stay Profitable Friday, Jan 22 2010 

One of the most famous of the U.S.A. third-party firms managing loyalty and club membership initiatives is a business called Trilegiant. So, guided by President Nathaniel Lipman, the business uses its experience to interface with several names, travel, shopping, health, entertainment, and consumer guarantee services, all to ensure you enjoy your customer experience more. This business isn’t unknown, we should note. Having over three decades’ development across an expanding region (now covering six states) and three thousand members of staff, the company from the state of Connecticut has nothing left to prove. Currently, they provide services to upwards of twenty-five million consumers spread across America. The company’s aim is to find risk-free innovations, allowing consumers to ensure quality, make savings, and all without purchasing becoming awkward. Examining one example, the Buyers Advantage program provides a way to obtain affordable protection on long term warranties, return guarantees, and repair costs, thereby ensuring their assurance as regards their acquisition. Alternative projects such as HealthSaver offer quality healthcare which won’t break the bank, and that only discusses a couple of the great programs that the firm administrates.

Helping out the whole populace is a goal of Nathaniel Lipman and his staff members. For example, during 2005 40 staffers teamed up to earn above thirty thousand dollars in donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Not only that but they did it in just five days — now that’s amazing! Just as crucial to Mr Lipman and his staff is educating clients. A fact that troubled the staff was that, in 2005 alone, there were an estimated six million four hundred and twenty thousand registered road collisions in the United States of America. The real number is much higher — there’s no way to keep track of the undocumented fender benders and more serious collisions, and “collisions” don’t include occurrences of “road rage”.

In order to prevent customers and their families from being included in these statistics, the Autovantage car club discount company made the decision to distribute yearly road rage information in 2007. To enhance your safety, the useful tips and collated information these factsheets contain are written to ensure you’re aware of problems ahead of time. Lipman’s Trilegiant is an ideal example of a firm which understands the standing of its community. They synthesize devotion to charitable causes and their drive to inform the population with their services to benefit clients’ retail experiences. To summarize, they are a conscientious community-minded firm.

Devoting Some Time to Study the Acclaimed Business Leader Naveen Jain: Dedicated Humanitarianism at Its Foremost Sunday, Jul 26 2009 

Today compassionate philanthopy is probably even more important than ever. You are certain to have seen mention of Mr. Naveen Jain in connection with him being the co-founder & CEO of Intelius, Inc. the predictive intelligence market leaders. On top of having made the Forbes list “400 Richest in America” in 2000, this maverick entrepreneur has been honored with a number of distinguished awards, foremost the Albert Einstein Technology Medal, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the WSA Industry Achievement Award. But that is certainly not where it ends. Because Naveen Jain and his relatives are every bit as avid about their philanthropic deeds and will seek to help out as often as they can. The young generation positively constitute our most priceless resource. This entrepreneur views children as the central focus of his charity dealings, and he takes every chance he comes across to help them. This obviously, is why he is always meticulously leveraging every possibility he can to offer support wherever it is practicable. So Naveen Jain, his relatives and those at Intelius, Inc. give their their time to charities such as the Vedic Cultural Center, the University Preparatory Academy, and TreeHouse. They offer plenty of material assistance, but most importantly they dedicate lots of time and attention to those kids who need it the most. Beyond, he helps by sponsoring the Children’s Hospital, intent on advancing children’s health, as well. Because Naveen Jain is a former student of XLRI Jamshedpur and the Indian Institute of Technology, it is no surprise that formal education enjoys an exceedingly significant priority in his charitable operations. This incorporates deserving causes and good causes that are local, state, and nationwide. In doing this, Intelius and its CEO are funding voluntary organizations and charities like the Indian American Education Foundation, Hopelink and United Way.

Getting sustenance over to the impoverished of the planet is another critical objective for Jain and those around him and he undertakes no differentiation as to whether the individual in peril is very young or mature, or where they live, be it the biggest city or the lowest shack. While Naveen is very conscious that the aspiration to feed every destitute person in the world can look like an impossible task, he also understands that the unachievable can indeed become achievable provided the whole world works in concert. If this entrepreneur obtains his objectives, there will come a unquestionable conclusion to privation and hunger everywhere in the future.

You may believe that functioning as the head of a highly flourishing market leading company on top of being a dedicated family man would provide him no surplus time for donating and support. However Naveen Jain makes certain that all of his charitable projects obtains all the help he can feasibly contribute. This entrepreneurial man is decidedly way more than a mere leader of web commerce. He is actually a highly humane individual and a true community benefactor.

The Art of Networking Tuesday, Feb 24 2009 

Networking is an art that will eventually lead to more business. You cannot take the process lightly; if you want to succeed you must constantly connect with others.

Everyday you see people, talk to people, stand in lineups, buy goods and services. Each one of these people you interact with could lead to more business. My husband is always talking to people in lineups. As a matter of fact, some people do not like it but most of the time you can meet some really interesting individuals. The point of talking to strangers is to find out what they do. Do not talk about yourself, connect through their interests. If you don’t find a business connection, then at least you have become acquainted to another person in this world. If there is something in common, you may exchange business cards and perhaps do business in the future.

Networking should be an all day activity and not just at leads exchanges events, association meetings, and community picnics. You work with people everyday: try and get to know them better. You never know who is in their circle of influence. Your neighbors may work in an office where you are trying to get a connection, so may the other people that are at your kids’ soccer game. You just never know where the next good lead will appear.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. - EzineArticles Expert Author

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprints for Success - Networking: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprints for Success Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2006. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

Router - Tracing Your Packets Saturday, Dec 20 2008 

Few people will really care about the path that your packet takes when sending a message, but if you’re one of those high tech egg heads then this article may be of great interest to you. It can become very addictive so proceed with caution.

If you’re using a Microsoft Windows based operation system, then it’s very easy to trace the route that your message has taken. Not only that, you can see exactly how many routers it took to get your message from point A to point B. You can do this by using a program that is on your computer called Traceroute. That is exactly what the program does. It traces the route a message takes to get to its final destination.

To run the program you have to go to a DOS prompt. After doing this, go to the C:\windows directory and type tracert followed by the URL of the Internet site you’re connected to at the time. It will give you a rather technical spec sheet of every IP address it stopped at along the way until it got to its final destination.

The first number on the spec sheet tells you how many routers it went through to get to its final destination. Then each individual router listed on the page is numbered from 1 down to the last one which is actually the final destination. The next 3 numbers on each line for each router shows how long the packet took to get to that router. The next piece of information on each line is the actual name of the router the information went through. Yes, routers have names. This may be important to the users but is totally irrelevant to the router itself. Finally, the last piece of info on each line is the actual IP address of the router itself.

The amount of time it takes information to get from one router to another varies depending on how much traffic there is on that route at the time. Normally, it is no more than a couple of seconds. But occasionally, it can be longer. That is why sometimes you will be trying to access a web site and it seems to take forever. This can be for a number of reasons, but usually it is because along the way one of the routers is not working correctly and has to be bypassed. Sometimes the actual final location itself is down or having problems and the delay is the last router in the chain trying to connect to the network.

Traceroute is not limited to just checking the number of routers between you and an Internet site. You can use it to check the number of routers between you and any other computer on a network. As long as you know the IP address of the other computer you can trace the route of the packets between you and the other computer.

In our next instalment we’re going to look at how routers handle denial of service attacks and other problems.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Routers

The Power of Words: Networking Your Way to New Connections and a Better Outlook Saturday, Oct 4 2008 

Whether you’re looking for a job, have a job, are hiring or even none of the above, networking can be invaluable part of who you are and what you do. But networking isn’t just about the free lunch (if there is one - and you know the old adage about that anyway).
When it comes to the language of networking, be sure it’s all about them and less about you. Like advertising, networking is all about a “what’s in it for me” approach. But the approach needs to be turned around so that the person benefiting is your conversation partner and not you, yourself and you.

If and when you make the exchange about them and not you, you will find that opportunities begin to present themselves to you in ways you may not have even imagined.

If you want to get the most out of business networking and cultivate a network of endless referrals, follow these commandments:

1. Build, don’t sell: Don’t view your encounters as selling opportunities, but as relationship builders. Nobody wants to be cornered or pressured. You’re not “sponging” off of others for your own benefit (that approach will turn others off quickly).

2. Listen. Don’t go on and on about your experience, your business, your education or your significant other. Ask questions and listen to the answers so you can find some common ground upon which to have a real conversation.

3. Ask. Questions and comments about their companies and even their hobbies and families will get you further than just the typical, often boring business card exchange and small talk.

4. Be specific. Don’t generalize or assume when discussing what you do or what you are looking for. Give specific scenarios so your conversation partner knows how to help you should the opportunity arise.

5. Be a connector. Find ways to refer others to one another even when there is no direct benefit to your job or business situation.

The real work begins after the event. Follow up, preferably within 24 hours, with a handwritten card or e-mail (there are arguments for choosing one or the other, just make sure you do at least one).

If you’ve promised to give them a name, number, web address or other information about a potential customer, employee or business connection, be sure to follow through and send it along. If the situation warrants it, call them a few days later to arrange a time to meet for a coffee or have lunch and start from there.

Final thoughts: Remember, whether it is a job fair, a business event or even a social situation, treat networking as an exchange of ideas, information and experience.

Be generous in sharing your talents, experiences, and ideas, and the benefits will come back to you many times over.

Allison Nazarian is president and chief copywriter of Get It In Writing, a Florida-based company that helps businesses nationwide harness the power of words to sell, inform and publicize. Allison can be reached at 561.487.3917 or anazarian@getitinwriting.biz.
Copyright© Get It In Writing, Inc. May be reprinted without permission of Get It In Writing, Inc and Allison Nazarian if in full, unchanged format and with complete attribution to author.

The Secrets of Effective Networking Thursday, Oct 2 2008 

Before we talk about specific networking tips I want to address
a critical aspect of networking that is often overlooked.
Sometimes we are so eager to network that we don’t stop to
consider whether or not we are investing our energy in the
right places.

Listen, you can go to all of the networking meetings under the
sun and collect hundreds of business cards while you’re at it
but if you’re not hanging out with people you can do business
with, you might make some new friends, you won’t necessarily
grow your business.

If you want to grow your business by networking it is
imperative that you network with: people who are your ideal
clients, people who know your ideal clients, and/or people who
do business with your ideal clients. It’s that simple. So
before you sign up for your next networking event, ask yourself
if it is a good fit for your business.

When you network with people who need your products/services
(or know others who do) there will be a natural interest in
knowing more about your business. Stop, not so quick - the
story of you and your business comes later. First, let’s walk
through what happens at a networking event and I will give you
a tip for each step.

Step 1: Meeting People

Enter the room with confidence, stand up straight and smile.
Look for a friendly face and introduce yourself. If you don’t
see an opportunity to meet someone right away don’t panic. A
sure fire way to strike up a conversation is to get in a line
(to sign in, for food, for drinks, for the restrooms). You can
also approach the person hosting the event and ask for an
introduction. In addition, if the list of attendees is
available prior to the meeting you can identify someone you
would like to meet and approach someone to ask if the person
you are looking for is at the meeting.

Step 2: Getting to Know People - The Ed Principle

Instead of trying to be interestING (focusing on the ‘ing’) be
interestED (focus on the ‘ed’) in the person you are talking
with. You don’t have to worry about what you will say (except
for your brief pitch which comes later). In fact, you can make
it a goal to talk as little as possible, I promise you will be
remembered as a marvelous conversationalist. Memorize this
phrase: ‘Tell me more about…’ and use it! Just relax, be
yourself and listen.

Step 3: Giving First

Yes I know, the reason you are networking in the first place is
because you want to get something. You want to meet more of
your ideal clients and meet people who can refer to your ideal
clients. But don’t forget, networking is a two way street. It
is about building relationships. I know you have something
interesting to share, so why not give first? Perhaps you can
recommend a great book or website, share an article, or maybe
you can make a valuable introduction.

Step 4: Your Perfect Pitch

Eventually the person you are talking with may ask you what you
do, so be ready! Don’t ramble on about how long you have been
in business or how your business process works. Do prepare a
fabulous, short, and memorable pitch (10-30 seconds long) that
clearly communicates what you do and for whom you do it.

Step 5: Ending a Conversation

Remember, all conversations must end at some point so don’t be
afraid to politely excuse yourself and thank the person for her
time. Reasons to wrap up can include going to get another
drink, something to eat, going to the restroom, or needing to
talk with someone before they leave. Whatever the reason, be
honest and be genuine.

Step 6: Follow Up and Follow Through

This one is so simple and important yet somehow it frequently
gets ignored. If you promise to do something (call, send an
article, make an introduction) do it!

Think about making use of these networking tips the next time
you plan to do some networking. The truth is people do
business with people they know, like, and trust. This occurs
over time and is all about building relationships, not about
collecting business cards. Be yourself, be real and have fun!

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward

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You can, as long as you include this information with it:
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tips plus bonus report at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com

Networking Meetings - After the Meeting Monday, Sep 8 2008 

You’ve had a successful business networking meeting. You’ve gathered dozens, maybe more, business cards. You remembered to make notes on the cards to remind you about the person you met. What Now?

Follow-up is important, but before you do that… you need to get organized…

1) Sort through your cards and split into 3 distinct piles; Hot, Warm and Cold…

HOT: These are the people who you have arranged to contact, either because they want information from you or you have thought of someone you can put them in touch with. They are the people you are probably more keen to create a business relationship with.

WARM: These are the people who you believe you could do business with, either selling or purchasing, in the future. But you have no strong reason to contact them immediately.

COLD: These are the people who have no direct connection with what you offer; cannot provide a service or product you need and do not easily bring to mind anyone you could connect them to.

2) Take action with the cards you’ve sorted:

HOT: Contact each person and arrange to meet for coffee or a more formal meeting. Or drop in with the information he/she has requested from you. Personal delivery makes a good impression.

WARM: Write a letter to each person, reminding him/her where you met and what you talked about (actually what THEY talked about). Make sure the letter talks about him/her and, if you do mention what you offer, make sure you write from their point of view and highlight the benefits your service or product provides.

COLD: There is no reason to keep these business cards - so discard them.

3) Keep a close eye on the progress you make with the contacts whose details you’ve decided to keep… create a chart that shows how you are developing the relationship. (see my article: Networking Meetings - Refer, Refer and Be Referred - The Referral Matrix)

©2005 Original Work by Carol Bentley

Learn more about Persuading People to Buy… Subscribe to your free reports, with no obligation, at http://www.CarolBentley.com

Carol is the author of ‘I Want to Buy Your Product… Have You Sent Me a Letter Yet? (How to create powerful sales letters, advertisements, flyers, brochures, web pages and newsletters that persuade hundreds, or even thousands, of additional customers and clients to buy from you!) by Carol A E Bentley (Rated 5-star on Amazon.co.uk) This book is available at a special offer at http://www.CarolBentley.com/offer

Carol is one of the highest paid direct response copywriters available. If you would like to talk to Carol’s office about having her work on your current or next sales project you can use the contact form on her website http://www.CarolBentley.com/contact.asp

Have We Met Before? What to Do When You Can’t Remember Who Your’re Talking To Tuesday, Sep 2 2008 

You see him from across the room. You know him, but you can’t remember how you know him. Now you have a problem: you want to break the ice but your uncertainty is holding you back. Uh oh, he’s heading in your direction. What do you do?!

If you’ve ever been in this situation before, you know how uncomfortable it can get - especially if you really should know who the person is. What’s more, it’s not uncommon to evade those whom you cannot remember for the fear of embarrassment.

But your uncertainty shouldn’t generate a “Please Don’t Let This Person Talk To Me” attitude. That would hinder your approachability. People forget people everyday. But with the right attitude, questioning, conversational direction and communication tools, the following techniques will help you pinpoint who you’re talking to without risking total embarrassment.

Attitude
Like every other skill in the world, this too starts with attitude. Don’t dwell on the fact that you have no idea who the heck you’re talking to. Empty your mind of distracting thoughts like, “This guy’s office has been down the hall from mine for 11 years,” or “How could I forget her name? She’s my sister!” These self-loathing thoughts will impede you from actively listening to what people are saying, the contents of which may contain a valuable clue.

So don’t feel bad when you blank on someone’s name, occupation or the time when you first met. Remember: everyone’s been there before. It’s not the end of the world!

Iceberg Right Ahead
Here’s a full-proof tool for figuring out who people are. You can’t buy it at a store or find it in a Land’s End Catalog. In fact, every year millions of people fail to communicate effectively because they forget to use this tool. So if you want to learn information about the person you’re talking to, open up. Your ears, that is.

Listen for iceberg statements. These are key words, phrases or sentences under which 90% of the important information awaits your discovery. But be patient. And as soon as you hear that iceberg statement, follow it up with a probing question that will dive beneath the surface. In time, what you need to remember about someone will be revealed to you.

Know the Questions, Not the Answers
Let’s say you’re already talking to someone, but you can’t remember who they are. And, you aren’t comfortable admitting to your memory lapse. In this situation, the most effective technique is to ask open ended questions to encourage people to disclose who they are.

But beware! Don’t get haunted by the “How Are You Ghost.” He’ll get you every time! Instead, ask open ended, not overly specific questions that probe for information. More often than not, your inquiry will empower them to open up and something will jar your memory.

For example, imagine that you can’t remember where someone works. Simply ask her questions that allude to general scheduling like, “What’s on tap for this week?” or “What projects are keeping you busy?” Another great topic that’s bound to narrow down job possibilities is travel: “Any trips or travel plans coming up?”

Offer Free Information First
In a classic episode of Seinfeld, Jerry was unsure of a certain woman’s name. So, during their conversation he told a story about various nicknames he had as a kid. Then he asked her if she had any nicknames. This is a great example (albeit an over exaggerated one) of how self-disclosure provides an outlet through which one party will reveal the exact same information that is so desperately needed by the other.

Therefore, if you need to know a specific fact about someone, offer your free information first. Make a reference to that which you seek to discover and follow it with an inquiry that will empower the other person to reveal the same. And because self-disclosure is reciprocal, you will hear key words and phrases that will restore your memory and rescue you from embarrassment.

Use a Third Party
Every book written on how to remember names, faces, people, etc. will tell you to introduce them to a third party. This works every time. If you can’t place a person’s name, position, company, family, then use your socializing skills to bring two new people together. Tell the person whose information you’ve misplaced, “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Gary, we work together at Amcorp.” (Before you do this, signal or whisper to Gary that you need his help with the other person’s information.) Gary, being the polite conversationalist he is, will elicit an introduction and a conversation that will eventually draw out the information you need.

Now, if someone across the room catches your eye but you can’t seem to remember them, third parties are perfect for pre-conversation preparation. Before approaching the pseudo-stranger, find someone else you KNOW and ask them all about your forgotten friend. With a few simple questions, you will easily gain the knowledge to become more approachable so you can connect and communicate with anybody - even the people you forgot.

Use Props
If you’ve reached a point in the conversation where you don’t feel comfortable admitting you forgot, can’t think of any open ended questions or don’t have access to a third party, there’s always props. The most effective prop is someone’s business card. It contains all the pertinent names, logos, websites and other visual “Ah ha’s!” that will lubricate the hamster wheel known as your brain. But don’t tell them you lost their card - that’s just as bad as saying you “forgot” their name. Simply request another card and quickly glace at it while you thank them and put it in your pocket.

Depending on where you are, dozens of other props are useful for jarring your memory as well: nametags, promotional items, briefcases, table tents, etc. The point is that people remember that which appeals to their visual sense three times more than the other senses. So use props when you can!

Honesty is the Best Policy
The easiest and most gracious technique for finding out how you know someone is honesty. It’s always the best policy. And it’s like the old saying goes: “If you’re honest, you don’t have to remember anything.” Now obviously, the willingness to admit you’ve forgotten something - or in this case, someone - is not an easy thing to do. In fact, sometimes it’s downright humiliating! But honesty is the quickest way to solve a conversational mystery. So if you don’t have a problem flat-out telling people you can’t remember who they are or how you know them, here’s how to take one for the team.

First and foremost, DON’T say the word “forget.” That will only make someone feel unimportant. It’s less offensive when you use polite verbiage that downplays the idea of “forgetting” with such phrases as “Please remind me,” “Could you help me with,” “I’m terrible with remembering,” and “It slipped my mind.” People will be glad to offer the information you have misplaced in exchange for you admittance of a temporary brain poof.

I Know I Know You
The longer you interact without knowing who you’re talking to, the more uncomfortable you will become. Uncertainty is a communication barrier that hinders approachability, and the only way to reduce it is to identify and extract information about people. Use the techniques of questioning, free information, third parties, props and active listening. (If all else fails, just admit that you’ve suffered a memory lapse!) And with practice and the right attitude, you’ll never have to say “There goes what’s-her-name from that thing with the guy at the place” again.

EzineArticles Expert Author Scott Ginsberg

© 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, “The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags” and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators - one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.