community

Uses and Abuses of Humor in the Office

February 23, 2009

I recently read a Harvard Management Communication Letter that explains how to use, and avoid abusing, humor in the office.  The biggest key to using humor effectively is to know your audience and avoid humor that attacks a person.  The article, Uses and Abuses of Humor in the Office, also includes some great points on [...]

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Nicknames: A Simple Team-Building Idea

February 19, 2009

A simple thing you can do to foster a sense of team-building at work is to name the section of your office something indicative of the people that make up that group of cubicles. Not only do you have the opportunity to be creative, but you give you and your peers a common identity by [...]

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Use Bulletin Boards to Build a Community

February 12, 2009

One of the great things about office humor is that it doesn’t need to be anything super involved–something as simple as a work bulletin board can do wonders for building a sense of humor in the office. When I was a Resident Advisor in college, we were required to post a new topic to bulletin [...]

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How to Take Advantage of Microblogging

February 10, 2009

Over the past couple of weeks, a tool/service called Yammer has been picking up traction where I work.  Yammer is basically a corporate version of Twitter–it allows for “walled” microblogging or, to put it more simply, the ability to post short notes that only people with your company’s email address can see. (Side Note: If [...]

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Let the Good Times Roll: Building a Fun Culture

February 9, 2009

An article from the Harvard Management Update explores the use of humor in building a strong culture at work.  The article, Let the Good Times Roll: Building a Fun Culture by David Stauffer explores the value of humor and ways to incorporate it correctly in the workplace. Some of the key points from the article: [...]

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Team Building with a Grossest Foods Party

February 5, 2009

I remember back in the fifth grade my math teacher would celebrate every quarter with a “Grossest Foods” party.  The idea was simple–people would bring in various desserts or snacks, as well as lesser enjoyed foods such as anchovies, and you would then eat dessert by mixing and matching the foods.  The person to eat [...]

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5 Tips for Better One-on-One Meetings

February 3, 2009

Regardless of your feelings towards networking, it is a crucial part of being successful in any business–corporate, comedy, or otherwise.  And the key to great networks is individual relationships, often built through “One-on-Ones” or “join-ups.” Building a Network One of the smartest things I ever did when I was an intern at a Fortune 50 [...]

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How to Host an Improvised Talent Show

January 22, 2009

Hosting a talent show at work is a great way to build a community, have some fun, and give individuals and teams a different kind of recognition.  But what if you don’t want to spend the time it takes to get a talent show up and running?  Or what if you have an organization-wide meeting [...]

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How to Host a Work Talent Show

January 15, 2009

One of the most impressive things about the people I work with is the talent that they have.  And I don’t just mean at the work that they do, but in what they do outside of the corporate workplace.  I’ve met with people who can sing, dance, perform magic, race cars, and build furniture out [...]

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Build a Community by Starting a Lunch Bunch

January 8, 2009

The office I work at in New York is an interesting mix of organizations and people–it is the melting pot for 4 recent acquisitions and some long-time company employees. As can be expected, the culture and sense of community has been a little disjointed. In an effort to build relationships and help everyone get to [...]

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