Category Archives: Office Administration

What’s your firm’s risk if your employees drive personal vehicles on company time?

What’s the risk to your firm when your employees drive their personal vehicles for job-related duties? National SDA hosted a webinar presented by Daniel Brown and Oscar Goedecke of Travelers Indemnity Company. They offered risk management strategies: Continue reading →

IRS raises standard mileage rates for 2015

#tbt: On business writing

Excerpt from a previously published SDA article:

Are you still writing “Enclosed please find . . .”? Please stop. It’s old fashioned and you wouldn’t talk that way. [You] won’t find one writing consultant that will tell you it’s okay to write like that. Just ask Mannie Sherberg. He presented a session on business writing, at the SDA Leadership 2001 conference. Continue reading →

Check this out: Superscript and subscript tips

Our favorite Microsoft Word guru, Dorothy Skans (Parsons Brinckerhoff), shares two tips for superscript and subscript. Continue reading →

#tbt: The power of professional organizations

More than 10 years later, the wisdom of SDA members still holds true (excerpt from a 2003 Seattle chapter newsletter).

If you were looking for Seattle Chapter SDA members who can attest to the powerfulness of the organization, you wouldn’t have to look any further than the four panelists at the October program:  Terry Bolender, Robbie Ralkowski, (both lifetime Seattle chapter members); Stacy Rowland, and Linda Flynn (former member).  They offered insight, made suggestions, provided advice, and shared personal anecdotes on how SDA can serve as a building block and enrich your professional career.

Key themes

  • Obtain leadership skills (and build confidence and self-esteem)
  • Obtain a broader educational/career base
  • Become a well-rounded design firm administrator
  • Develop a design-industry network
  • Understand one’s position and the role it plays in the overall profitability of your firm
  • Get involved
  • Stretch yourself within your firm; step out of your comfort zone
  • Create lifetime friendships

Who is leading the meeting, and how effective are they?

When was the last time you sat in on the perfect meeting? The meeting in which the leader started and ended on time. The meeting in which the leader distributed the agenda two days prior. The meeting in which the leader did not allow attendees to negatively impact the meeting. Where are those great meeting leaders when you need them, and how can you develop that reputation? We asked local communications expert, Candace BelAir, her thoughts on effective techniques to ensure your meeting exceeds your attendees’ expectations.

SDA: One of the greatest fears people have is public speaking, but that doesn’t always mean they are presenting to a group of 100-plus people. Sometimes they have to lead a small-scale meeting, which you would think would be an easy thing to do, but their knees are still shaking. What makes leading a meeting so scary? Continue reading →