WEBVTT - Gift wrap your work

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to gift trap your work. Do a

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<v Speaker 1>good job on the substance of your work, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>but also pay attention to how you are presenting it.

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<v Speaker 1>Often the latter is the difference between the recipient being

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<v Speaker 1>satisfied or delighted. I am sure you can recall times

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<v Speaker 1>when someone presented their work in a way that was

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<v Speaker 1>particularly thoughtful. Maybe it's a mechanic who, after working on

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<v Speaker 1>your car, make sure that the radio station and mirrors

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<v Speaker 1>are just as you left them. The driver's seat is

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<v Speaker 1>adjusted so that you can reach the pedals, perhaps even

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<v Speaker 1>backed the car into the parking place so you can

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<v Speaker 1>just hop in and drive away. Of course, you primarily

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<v Speaker 1>care whether the mechanic fixed the issue in question, and

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<v Speaker 1>it certainly wouldn't be a big deal to adjust the

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<v Speaker 1>seat or to back out the car. But not having

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<v Speaker 1>to do those things makes you feel cared for your car.

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<v Speaker 1>Mechanic has gift wrapped his work. The same sort of

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<v Speaker 1>care is appreciated from knowledge workers too. Maybe it's a

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<v Speaker 1>colleague who emails you several questions that are numbered for

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<v Speaker 1>ease of responding, or the person who sends you a

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<v Speaker 1>document that could be sent as is, but he also

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<v Speaker 1>uses comment bubbles to highlight and make notes about sections

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<v Speaker 1>that you might want to handle differently. That is so

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<v Speaker 1>much more convenient than getting a separate, lengthy email about

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<v Speaker 1>potential changes. By contrast, I am sure we have all

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<v Speaker 1>also received work, even really good work that has combersome

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<v Speaker 1>to process. You kind of have to grit your teeth

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<v Speaker 1>to get through it. Who wants that? When there is

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<v Speaker 1>another option, When we put ourselves in the shoes of

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<v Speaker 1>those who will receive our work, we can present it

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<v Speaker 1>in ways that will be convenient and welcome. Just like

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<v Speaker 1>pretty wrapping paper and bows make a gift feel special,

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<v Speaker 1>a thoughtfully presented piece of work, we'll make the recipient

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate it more. Now, the best wrapping paper depends on

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<v Speaker 1>the recipient, but here are a few universal guidelines. First,

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you have fulfilled the expectation without extraneous information.

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<v Speaker 1>If your boss asks for a list of potential speakers

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<v Speaker 1>for an upcoming event, provide a list of recommendations with

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<v Speaker 1>notes about why each person might be good and links

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<v Speaker 1>to their easily accessible bios because you have checked those links,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, or pasted in a very short version of each.

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<v Speaker 1>This isn't the time to talk about changing the venue,

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<v Speaker 1>or about how last year's gift bags or about how

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<v Speaker 1>last year's gift bags were underwhelming. You also want to

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<v Speaker 1>be clear on what you're delivering in any action required.

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<v Speaker 1>This can often be handled in an email subject line,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, agenda for Friday's meeting for your review by

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<v Speaker 1>Thursday a m. If any information is contained elsewhere, like

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<v Speaker 1>a shared drive, be sure to say what that is

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<v Speaker 1>and how to get it. And this is something that

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<v Speaker 1>is often ignored but does matter. Make sure you are

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<v Speaker 1>presenting your work at a time the recipient will appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone wants to get what they asked for before the

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<v Speaker 1>hard deadline for receiving it. Beyond that, though, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>nice touch to avoid delivering something at four pm. If

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<v Speaker 1>everyone leaves the office US at five pm. If you

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<v Speaker 1>know the person is going on vacation, all the better

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<v Speaker 1>reason to get it in before departure. Regardless of the specifics,

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<v Speaker 1>putting some thought into how you present your work allows

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<v Speaker 1>your good work to shine. People don't get caught up

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<v Speaker 1>in retrieving lost information or wondering where things are or

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<v Speaker 1>not knowing what's required. You might feel a little sheepish

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<v Speaker 1>going to a fancy birthday party and presenting a gift

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<v Speaker 1>with Christmas wrapping paper that is half falling off. I mean, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>it's the thought that counts. But part of thinking of

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<v Speaker 1>another person is thinking about how they might be delighted.

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<v Speaker 1>Gift wrapping can help with that, and gift wrapping our

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<v Speaker 1>work is just as important. In the meantime. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's b the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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