New Rules @ Work

I think you'll find this little book by Barbara Pachter (with Ellen Schneid Coleman) most interesting in an interpersonal or organizational communication class. One reason I like the book is that it deals with topics we generally avoid. For example, when you're passing someone you know on the street or in a hallway at the office, at what point do you acknowledge the person. And how does the closeness with which you approach each other influence the form of the acknowledgement? Here is Pachter's answer: "If you make eye contact with someone who is within ten feet of you, you mustacknowledge the person with a nod or a smile. At five feet you must say someting: "Hello," or "Good morning." A simple rule to resolve a simple but often uncomfortable situation. The book is filled with stuff like this. It's subtitled: "79 etiquette tips, tools, and techniques to get ahead and stay ahead."