Important Announcement! I'm Moving - check out my new webspace

I just wanted to get your attention and let you know that you can find my complete and updated resume, portfolio and teaching/consulting experience at my personal page over at heatherbuen.com. Any blog posts I have about career and workplace communication will be found over at my publication on Medium.com as a part of my 'Re-invention' process. You can find me over at The 'Re-Invention' Agent - speaking about change agent advocacy and life transition success.

Why Move?

When I first started all of this it was many moons ago and I began seriously blogging for money in 2010. I have built up an audience and through the bumps in the road, pregnancies, career changes and so on I have never stopped writing. Even when it became a chore, the voice never stopped and so I never stopped. I have evolved and some of that evolution was not very fun, but through it all and the grace of God I am here and I never stop evolving. I re-ivent and re-emerge and it's something I want to share with all of you. I admire the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world that challenge themselves and try something new. I guess I am in that boat. Stop by and read my thoughts over at Medium.com.

You can also visit my Lifestyle blog over at Dallas Single Mom and check out my portfolio and resume at heatherbuen.com. 

The most annoying people on the planet to work with

This is very funny and oh so true!

What your Google Search History says about you

Google has done a fantastic job at capturing data. They are the #1 search engine and for good reason since they are the experts at finding out what it is you want to read about. I have used Google since I was in high school and no other search engine even comes close to providing answers to all of life's questions. It's not a surprise to figure out what it is you can learn from Google, especially about yourself. Just type in https://history.google.com/history/ and you will get an analysis of your search history.

Google Search History Information for my - Dallas Single Mom Examiner

This data about myself is pretty useful. Everything from my top queries via my Google Account as well as top clicks and searches. This is the tracking of all of my web activity. It shows where I have been and gives me an idea of my thoughts for today.

Why I feel that this says a lot about you is because you can almost tell where your moods have gone to for that day as well as what was important to you at that point in time. It divides it up into categories from news, shopping, blogs, travel and more. 

It collects information on the following (taken from the Google Help Site)

Your activity	Browser details
Pages you visit Searches on Google Information about your search results, including private results Ads you respond to by clicking the ad itself or completing a transaction on an advertiser’s site	Internet Protocol address Browser type Browser language One or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser

My Google history definitely shows that I am a blogger and a writer with a lot of varied tastes. I think my tastes are eclectic and abundant. I'm so excited to get a glimpse into my days by having this tool. 

So what does your Google Search History say about you?

What are the communication norms in your meetings?

I was speaking to a fellow coworker about Toastmasters and why she wants to improve her communication skills. One of the things she mentioned that I have found is prevalent in the workplace is how meeting norms and communication can change depending upon the social culture that is prevalent in a company or organization.

All meetings should follow a set of norms and when a meeting doesn't follow this, it can be confusing for new meeting participants and can affect productivity.

Some guidelines to follow are:

1) Start on Time

2) Give enough time when scheduling a meeting - nothing bugs people than inviting them to a meeting the day of or just a few minutes before it starts.

3) Know your audience - who are you inviting? Are they the appropriate people or do they know who should attend?

4) Have an agenda - an agenda helps people prepare their thoughts and ideas for the meeting. Invite people to add to agenda if need be. An agenda also helps individuals determine if they need to be there, if they can send a replacement in their place and or if they can answer questions if they cannot attend

5) Stay on topic

6) Take Notes and send out follow up notes after the meeting

These seem like very simple guidelines but I have been in so many meetings that don't follow some or all of these. The person I spoke with discussed her experience at a different company where meetings were more formal and the person that presented had the podium (the floor) and everyone waited for the presentation to be over before they had questions. The company that I am presently at has a different set of norms. Meetings can be very impromptu or they can be very formal depending upon the audience in the room.

Getting to know the audience your speaking to can make meetings very effective and productive.

Your business card is an extension of you

In the next few days I will be attending a lot of different conferences and events where I will be giving out and receiving many business cards. Many years ago I started my professional career in Hawaii, which follows many business etiquette rules associated with Asian cultural preferences, specifically Japanese. Here and there being in TX, I may have become more casual to the practice but I must reiterate how important your business card is - It's an extension of you!

The reason why I have to stress this is because business cards should be received and cared for in the same way you'd like to business - with care and compassion. I really take notice of how a person receives a card to demonstrate their character. Here's an example:

You are at a conference and a person has a binder full of business cards. They take your business card, quickly scan it and put it in their binder and quickly move on. OR they have a hole puncher and they quickly add it to a ring.

How would you feel if your business card was just another card in the pile? It doesn't feel very good. Take some time to really recognize someone and the value that they can provide for you. If it's someone that you don't know very well, follow their lead. Receive the business card in the same way that they gave you the business card.

Follow up

Business cards seem antiquated with the smartphones and the technology that we have today, however business cards are the personalized image we have of ourselves and our companies. So treat them with care and follow-up. Even if it's just to say Hi, follow up with them and contact them. Learn a little bit about their company and who they are and reference it when you contact them. Ask them if there's anything they need right now or would like a referral for something. It's not necessary to have a pitch but you are establishing a relationship.

Treat a business card like your personal signature - with care!

Single parent finances: Are you ready for pretirement?

Single parent finances: Are you ready for pretirement?

How much investment do you have in YOUR startup?

Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, shared this wonderful slide-share presentation about managing your career with an entrepreneurial mindset. This wednesday, 03/13, I will be presenting a speech in Toastmaster's entitled, "Don't Sell Yourself Short." This speech is my speech #9 and is meant to persuade individuals with an end task in mind. This goal includes some of the elements associated with what is in this presentation. This presentation is just phenomenal and I really wanted to share it here!

Start-up of You, Visual Summary from Reid Hoffman