Feign “important” text messages.
I’ll admit it – I’ve done it, too. Standing in a room full of unfamiliar faces, attempting to mask the discomfort I feel about not knowing who to approach, or how, I instinctively fish around in my purse for my blackberry, furrowing my brow when I find it, pretending to tend to an “urgent” message.

Whether you’re meeting up with two potential clients, or you’re entering an event with 200 seemingly-random people in attendance, initiating conversations can often be – err – easier said than done (yes – pun intended! ). Talking about how happy you are that it’s nice and sunny outside (or how frustrated you are that it’s raining), or how magically delicious the spicy sauce on the mini crab cake hors d’oeuvres is, can only take you but so far. When advising clients on how to communicate more effectively, one strategy that I recommend is to “put the onus on yourself to make the most effort in conversations.” Now, by effort I do not mean yack everyone’s ear off for hours, however, it’s important to remember that you can only expect to get as much from a conversation as you are willing to put into it. And unless you’re a mime or a monk (or a member of the Halitosis Club of America), conversation is an absolutely crucial part of building meaningful personal relationships and successful businesses.

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A recent graduate of Harvard University, Lauren currently works full-time as a Marketing Associate in the Consumer Products Division at L’Oreal USA. Having spent 4 years as a Social Anthropology major (no, she didn’t study bones and fossils; it’s the study of people and cultures) and a lifetime as someone with entrepreneurial tendencies (at age 7, Lauren was selling her parents possessions, unbeknownst to them, for $1 a piece out in front of her driveway), Lauren decided it was time to put her knowledge of people, her ability to quickly build a rapport with others and her knack for business to good use.

We’ve all been there…
Maybe you forgot to set your clock. Maybe you set it, but you weren’t paying close enough attention and that wretched little dot was in the PM position. Maybe it actually went off… and in your sleepy stupor, desperate and wincing, all you could think about was clicking it back off.

Being late – particularly, being late AND looking like you’re late because you just woke up – is one of the worst impressions you can make with customers, clients, interviewers, and the like. If you’re armed with some quick tricks of the trade, oversleeping doesn’t necessarily mean you actually have to BE late or look like you just got out of bed…

Taking the following actions will get you out of the door in 15 minutes (or less) and, more importantly, could save you from personal and professional embarrassment.

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