Recommend page to a friend

Contact us

Web site comments

Add to favorites (bookmark)

HOLDUPS Funny things happen on the way to jail

It seemed like the typical armed robbery. A man rushed into a grocery store, glared at the owner behind the counter, and yelled the typical: "Give me your money or I'll shoot!"

The owner, Mohammed Razzaq, almost complied. But something bothered him. Then he had it.

"Where's your gun?" he asked.

The would-be robber tried to brass it out on technicalities. He didn't actually have a gun with him, he admitted, but he would go get a gun if Razzaq gave him any more problems.

With that no-so-threatening promise, the man slunk out.

Source: The 176 Stupidest Things Ever Said, by Ross and Kathryn Petras,
Doubleday Publishing, 1996

More Top Tips

"To swear off making mistakes is easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas."

Leo Burnett

Imagine that your customers are your boss and that they'll evaluate your performance at the end of each quarter.

Source: Rick Buckingham, writing in Personal Selling Power, P.O. Box 5467, Fredericksburg, VA 22403.

To manage well, think of yourself as the sixth player on a basketball team, says Dan Ferguson, board chairman of the Newell Co. If employees call you into the game, you should be happy to play. But if they don't need you, you should be just as pleased to stay on the sidelines and cheer them on.

Source: Mouser Report, 124 E. Carolina Ave., Crewe, VA 23930.

Is It a Team Or a Group?

How can you tell the difference between a group and a team? Consider this definition from Larry Hart, president of Summit Performance Associates in Atlanta:

• A group that shares a common ZIP code is a group. If it shares a common mission, it's a team.

Hart also offers these guidelines to help you decide when a task requires an informal group and when it requires the effort and coordination of a team:

• A group will do if the task is not complex and the group's relevant experience level is high.
• You need a team if the group's experience level is low and the task is complex.

Source: Larry Hart, writing in Atlanta Business Chronicle, 1801 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309.

Your Message Bears Repeating

How do you get your message through those hundreds of ad messages we're bombarded with every day?

One way: Sell people the same benefits in different ways--over and over again. Examples:

• The first page of an Evelyn Wood speed-reading brochure says: "Double, even triple, your reading rate."
• The second page says: "You can cut the time you invest in reading in half or by two thirds...."
• Later on, the brochure says: "Multiply your present reading speed two--even three--times...."

Source: 500 Strategies, Tips & Ideas for Membership Professionals, edited be LeAnn Zotta, The Association Advisory Council, P.O. Box 260677, Littleton, CO 80126.

When Leaving That Message

Don't leave a message that says, "Call me at 2:45 today."

This communicates that the person will have nothing better to do at that time. Be more flexible.

Try this: "If you can, please call me after 2:45. Otherwise, I'll be available almost anytime tomorrow."

People resent it when you communicate that your time is more important than theirs--and the first message implies that to many people.

Source: The Zweig Letter, cited in PHC Profit Report, 3150 River Road, Ste. 101, Des Plaines, IL 60018.

A Writing Tip You Can Use

When writing a letter or memo, always let the reader know what it's about in the first paragraph. Start by saying, "I'm writing to tell you that...."

Continue with the rest of the letter. Then cross out the first six words. What remains is a clear statement of purpose that helps both the reader and writer.

Source: Jennifer Hawthorne, 1105 S. D St., Fairfield, IA 52556.