Business Casual Tips for Summer

By Rosemary Haefner

We’ve been waiting months to store away our away our scarves and sweaters. But there’s a down side to the balmy weather: Even if you take off your suit jacket, the shirt underneath it is plastered to your sweaty back before you board your train.

Business casual dressing is a challenge year-round, but figuring out what clothing is acceptable for the office — but comfortable enough for the heat — gets even harder in the summertime. Are polo shirts professional enough? Do you really need to wear pantyhose when it’s so hot you can barely pull them on?

Before you go shopping for your summer work wardrobe, consult your company’s dress code. You may have a formal policy on whether seasonal pieces like sandals and T-shirts are acceptable. If your company does not have a written dress code, ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind if industry do I work in? Is it typically very conservative?
• What is my office culture/environment?
• What image am I trying to portray?
• Do I have frequent contact with customers?

  Some general guidelines

• Spring and summer clothing are defined by bright, cheery colors. Don’t be afraid to add some of this color to your work wardrobe. Even the most conservative wardrobes can look more seasonal with a colorful scarf or pin. That said, don’t go overboard. A pink shirt, skirt, shoes, scarf and handbag will have you looking more Easter egg than office chic.
• White and lacy clothing are especially popular this year, but if you choose to wear these fabrics, also make sure you’re wearing appropriate undergarments. A little overexposure can go a long way in souring your credibility.
• You should also always keep a cardigan or blazer at your desk. It can provide a quick cover-up if you get called in for an important meeting, and can also come in handy in an overly air conditioned office.

  The gray area

  When it comes to specific seasonal attire, employers’ policies vary greatly. Check with your employer before wearing:

  Sandals and open-toed shoes — If your toes are going to be exposed, keep your feet clean and neatly pedicured.

  Capri pants and gauchos — Some styles of these cropped and flowing pants can be quite dressy. If you choose to wear them, pair them with dressy, professional heels.

  Polos and T-shirts — Stick to conservative, basic styles in a good quality material. Shirts should never be too tight or have large prints or logos.

  Trendy jewelry — Big earrings, necklaces and belts are very popular right now, but use discretion when wearing them to work. Avoid wearing accessories — like large earrings that jangle — that can become distracting to others.

  Leave these at home

  Above all, avoid any clothing that is sheer, sloppy or revealing. The following are some of the worst offenders:

• Denim shorts
• Short skirts
• Halter, strapless or tank tops
• Flip-flops
• Workout attire
• Beachwear
• Midriff-bearing clothing
• Concert T-shirts or shirts with offensive slogans or logos

  Bottom line: Go ahead and enjoy the season, but when it comes to office wear, always err on the side of conservative.

  Rosemary Haefner is the Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. She is an expert in recruitment trends and tactics, job seeker behavior, workplace issues, employee attitudes and HR initiatives.

Solicit Some Help

Talk to your neighbors and find out who else is willing to share in the planning. You probably could plan a block party by yourself, but the more neighbors you get involved, the better the turnout will be.

Create Some Structure

Do you want to have a classic block party, where the street is blocked off? If so, be prepared to file for a permit, and you may be restricted with regards to permitted dates and starting and ending times. Alternatively, you can ask several neighbors to host in their front yards, which avoids the need for a permit altogether. For an even greater deviation from the classic block party, set a separate location, such as a nearby park, public trail or open space.

Set the Scale

How big will your block party be, just your one block, or several blocks in the neighborhood? The bigger the party, the more details to coordinate (but also, the more the merrier).

Decide on the Food

Once you have set the scale and scope of your party, it’s time to talk food. How will you pay for the party? What food will be provided, or is it completely potluck? Will alcohol be permitted, encouraged or discouraged?

Plan Some Activities

Generally speaking, food, music and people are the only basic requirements for a great party, but a few well-planned activities can go a long way toward keeping kids in the neighborhood entertained and out of trouble (which ultimately means more fun for the adults, too). For starters, plan to rent a projector and show family-friendly movies on a large outdoor screen or a hung white sheet. Next, you might consider having neighbors set up lawn games such as croquet, lawn bowling, badminton, volleyball, etc. Some neighbors with small children may be willing to volunteer their sandbox and toys, while others can play host to a basketball hoop.

/>Remember to invite people (at least with a “save the date” card) well in advance to ensure that your party is well attended. Additionally, ask for cleanup volunteers in advance so that after the party, your neighborhood returns to its former splendor.

Have fun planning your block party and remember to rent the LCD projector from Projector123.com. Projector123.com is fast, easy, reliable and more affordable than you may think. Click here now to learn more.

/>It is estimated that approximately one-third of today’s movies are adaptations from previously published books or short stories. Therefore, there’s a very good chance that the books you’re choosing for your book club will also have films associated with them.

While learning and broadening one’s horizons are certainly good reasons for participating in a book club, we cannot discount the social benefits. That’s why it makes sense to transition from book to book with some kind of social gathering, and a movie night certainly fits the bill.

With rental projectors as low as $129 per weekend including round-trip shipping, it becomes an easy and affordable way to celebrate the completion of each book. Members may wish to chip in to defray costs (consider that in an ideally-sized book club of 10 or so people, a weekend rental would cost just $13 per person).

Setup and takedown are easy, and a DVD can be projected onto any blank wall or solid-color sheet hung from the ceiling.

Likewise, you may wish to invite friends and family to this event, as an expanded form of socializing. This also gives family members a chance to hear other perspectives on the movie, as gleaned from members’ study of the book.

What can you do if the book is so new that it has no Hollywood counterpart? Choose a film from a similar genre, the same category or style, or the same author. As long as you keep the film “in the spirit” of the intention of the book club, you will be good to go.

We hope you have enjoyed our three-part series on planning fun and entertaining book clubs. Projector123.com is your one-stop shop for rental projectors for book clubs and other social gatherings. We rent only high-grade LCD rental projectors that are versatile, reliable, and easy to operate. Click here to discover why Projector123.com is as easy as 1-2-3.

Extending Invitations

When extending invitations to friends and acquaintances to join your book club, be clear and up front about your intentions for the club. That way, the people who say “yes” are the folks who are genuinely interested in the purpose of your club. Don’t pressure anyone into joining, and don’t be offended if someone says “no” because it’s usually not personal.  People are busy and need to prioritize their extracurricular time. If you pressure someone into joining, they will likely not read the books assigned, or will find excuses not to attend club meetings. Go for willing participants only.

Group Size

The ideal size for a book club is around eight to eleven people. This makes it relatively easy to find a common date/time that works for everyone, as well as facilitating easy hosting in someone’s living room or den. Initially, it’s best to invite no more than 12 people, as you can always extend more invitations if you find you’re getting a lot of “no”s.

Structure of Meetings

Depending on the nature of the group and the common intention, you can have as much or as little structure to your meetings as you like. Here is an example of a highly structured meeting schedule, which you can adjust for less structure.

Book Club Meeting Agenda

7-7:20 PM             Meet & Greet (social time, snacks)

7:20-7:30PM             Call to order, roll call, review current assignment

7:30-8:30PM             Individual sharing on pre-prepared questions, average of 7-8 minutes per person

8:30-8:45PM             Q&A

8:45-9:00PM             Set next meeting date, time and location; determine next assignment

9:00PM            Meeting adjourned

Consider that the greater the focus on “learning,” the greater the need for structure; whereas, the heavier the focus on socializing, the less apparent need for structure. A social book club meeting might last for the same two hours, but in a much more casual setting, where individuals share their experiences with their reading, while enjoying snacks and beverages. Conversation can easily lead to off-topic discussions.

In addition to meeting structure, there are also social logistics. For example, where will meetings be held? Will one person always host, or will members take turns? Are refreshments provided potluck style, or does the host supply snacks and drinks? Is alcohol allowed or encouraged or reserved for after-meeting socializing? The group should come to agreement on these issues and other logistics. In fact, your first meeting will likely be a planning meeting, designed to address these and other such club formation issues.

Choosing the Books

/>This is by far the most collaborative part of creating a book club. There are many different ways to choose reading selections, including but not limited to:

-       Everyone takes a turn choosing the book

-       NY Times bestseller list

-       Amazon bestsellers within a particular genre, author or category

-       Spontaneous selection (“this sounds like a good read”)

-       Suggestions from Oprah or other societal icon

-       Club members submit their top 3 picks and selections are drawn at random

Whether you choose a highly structured book club format, or a more casual group discussion, remember that a rental projector from Projector123.com is an affordable and exciting way to treat the group to a social-only break when transitioning between books. Click here to rent a projector now. Remember to come back and see us for part three – the conclusion of our three part series on book clubs.

1 – As Americans become increasingly busy and overscheduled, it helps to have built-in reminders and accountability to help us remember to take time out for reading and recreation.

2 – With the rise in social media and social networking, more and more people are making conscious choices to connect in person with other individuals and groups.

3 – In 1996, Oprah Winfrey announced the launch of “Oprah’s Book Club,” a designation that would take certain authors from the realm of the unknown to instant bestseller status virtually overnight. Oprah’s intention was to “help get America reading again,” and the ultimate result was the formation of countless local book clubs amongst avid fans.

4 – Most Americans admit to suffering from a condition known as “information overload,” which in part includes being inundated with countless book recommendations, which most people do not have the time to commit to reading. Joining a book club allows an individual to focus on just one hot-topic book at a time, and to explore its meaning in-depth with other readers, further expanding the whole experience.

Starting a book club is easier than you may think, but it all begins with a clear intention. Setting a proper focus for your book club can help alleviate frustration and disappointment down the road (for yourself and other book club members of your group).

Here are some possible intentions you might consider:

1. To become more educated or well-read.
2. To have fun and socialize.
3. To hone your conversational skills.
4. To meet new people.
5. To read books you otherwise would not have chosen.
6. To use group discussion to learn more about a particular book, author, or genre.

These are just a few of the reasons for starting a book club, but it’s important to set your intention so that you can invite others who share the same focus for the club. For example, if your primary reason for starting a book club is to explore literary works and classics that you never got around to reading in college, so that you may have a better understanding of allegory, a particular genre, or literary genius, you will likely become annoyed with a group member who joined simply to have fun and meet new people.

Once you’ve created your intention for the book club, the next step is to gather members. We’ll cover that in our next installment in this three-part series. In the meantime, why not check out rental projectors at Projector123.com? Since many popular books ultimately are made into movies, it is highly likely that you will want to connect the written word to the on-screen enactment of your club choices, and with a rental projector from Projector123.com, you will be able to bring the big-screen experience into your own living room. Click here now to learn more.

Of course, if you’re looking for a seriously fun way to spend a weekend (or longer) this summer, then plan for a rental projector from Projector123.com. At a total cost that rivals two trips to the movies for a family of four, projector rentals are a great way to beat the heat this summer with family movie fests, gaming competition, home movie viewing and more. Click here now to reserve your rental projector (and that’s no joke!)

/>Suggestions for Summer

by Sheila Moss

With winter over and summer on its way, people are beginning to plan exactly how they will spend the long, lazy days and enjoy their favorite season. As usual, I have a few suggestions for you:

EXERCISE: This is easily accomplished without fuss while mowing grass. Grass, as every one knows, grows one inch per minute in the summer.  That means that if you run as fast as you can while pushing the power mower in front of you, you can finish the yard at least 30 minutes before it is tall enough to mow again.

PICNICS: Picnics are a wonderful way for the family to spend time together in an unstructured manner.  If you do not have time to prepare a picnic basket, feel free to stop at a fast food place and grab a bag of burgers. Food just tastes better when enjoyed in the fresh air.  The ants, bees, and flies also enjoy eating outside where they can enjoy the food without hazardous obstructions, and they don’t eat very much.

PARKS: Parks are a favorite way to enjoy the outdoors with a variety of different activities.  There are often hiking trails and playground equipment for the kids.  Be certain to pick up a tube of lineament on the way home to ease the aches from too much walking, band-aids for the kids knees,  and some ointment for mosquito bites.

VACATIONS: Most people try to plan some time off work during the summer season.  This gives a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the traffic jams while trying to reach your destination.  Further more, you can spend a fortune to sleep and eat and see numerous interesting sights, such as other tourists doing the same thing. You will have an opportunity to visit destinations far different than your home and to push, shove, and sweat with strangers.

SWIMMING: This is a favorite activity for summer because it keeps you cool during the heat and provides healthy activity at the same time. Water activities can be great exercise and you can have fun in the sun while getting a healthy tan.  If you do not have a tan to show off, cover those white legs with a towel and wear a jacket and sun hat and maybe no one will notice. If you do this correctly, only your ankles and the back of your neck will be sunburned.

COOKOUTS: Different foods are more readily available in the summer months, and a variety of foods can be prepared out of doors. Cooking over a charcoal fire gives food a taste not obtained with other types of cooking.  Be sure to watch the food carefully, and keep your cell phone handy to summon the fire department if the deck catches on fire. Don’t worry about the charred and dry meat, just slop on the barbecue sauce and eat it anyhow.

CAMPING: Many families enjoy getting back to basics by spending time living in the great outdoors and enjoying getting back to basics.  Spending the night outside is far more enjoyable, however,  if it is not raining.  In the event of rain, we recommend moving to a motel.  While this is more expensive than camping, it is also much more comfortable than soggy sleeping bags and squishy tennis shoes, which tend to spoil the outdoor experience in a hurry. It also helps immensely with keeping the raccoons out of your food.

SPORTS: There are many summer sports that can be enjoyed by individuals or as team activities.  If tennis, golf and organized team sports no longer hold your interest, try some of the more extreme sports such as rubber rafting and bungee jumping.  You will have an experience to remember and the hospital bill will be worth every penny.

And there you have it, suggestions for fun ways to spend your summer at home, on the road, or at far away locations.

Have fun…  And be sure to remember to send a postcard so we can see what we missed while setting in front of the TV under the air conditioner complaining about the heat.

LCD rental projectors have a great many uses. In the business realm, rental projectors may be used to draw a crowd at a trade show, roll out a new product line at a conference or employee training, close more sales with compelling graphics and video, or provide additional AV support at a large corporate gathering. In social settings, projector rentals are ideal for weddings, rehearsal dinners, retirement parties, graduation celebrations, birthday parties, anniversary parties, memorials, family movie nights, gaming competitions, and much more.

The first point to consider when choosing a rental projector company is location. Depending on where you live, it may be foolish (and cost-prohibitive) to limit yourself to renting from a local AV rental shop. For starters, smaller towns may not have an audiovisual rental location, or may only have dated or unreliable equipment. Almost always, you can expect to pay a huge premium if you choose to rent from the hotel or venue where your meeting or social gathering will be held. Some rental companies deliver or ship throughout the U.S., and thanks to contract negotiations with FedEx and other delivery services, the end cost is more affordable than you may think.

The next factor in your decision should be equipment. There are many different types, brands and quality levels of rental projectors, and you’ll want to rent a projector that is best suited to your specific purpose. Specifically, you’ll want to consider whether you need a low-lumen projector or a high-lumen projector. Lumens simply refer to light output, and the brighter your ambient light or environment, the higher the lumens you’ll need. For example, bright sunlight requires the highest lumen projector in order to be seen.  Some rental companies offer diverse rental projectors that can serve as high-lumen or low-lumen units. Be sure to ask plenty of questions to ensure you’re getting the right kind of projector for your event.

/>Next, find out what kind of support is available to you during your rental period. Are the provided instructions easy to understand, or designed more for technical experts? Is the unit easy to set up and take down, or will it require some advance practice? Do you need to purchase or request special cables to use the projector with your laptop, or are universal cables provided?

Finally, you’ll want to consider cost. On average, you can expect to spend $100-$150 on a rental projector, plus shipping or delivery expenses. If you rent a unit locally, you may be asked to place a deposit as well. If you rent a projector from the hotel or venue where your gathering is to be held, your costs could be closer to $200.

Naturally, Projector123.com provides all this and more. We ship high-quality, diverse use rental projectors to any location in the U.S., and we offer 24/7 telephone support during your rental period. Of course, with our easy 1-2-3 quickstart instructions, it’s unlikely that you’ll need added support, but we’re here for you if you do. And weekend rentals start at just $129 including round-trip shipping guaranteed on time by FedEx. What are you waiting for? Click here to rent a projector from Proejctor123.com today.

Why Rent a Projector?

Giving your dad a rental projector is better than actually purchasing an LCD projector for a number of reasons. For starters, if you bought him a high-quality projector, he’d likely insist that you spent too much money. Whereas, a rental projector is affordable, providing just the right level of indulgence for Father’s Day.

Secondly, buying a projector for dad means one more thing he’ll need to store, clean, and maintain. In contrast, a rental projector is ideal for a weekend of family fun, without the expense and hassles of ongoing maintenance.

Finally, when you rent a projector for your dad, you can give him what he really wants – a weekend with the family, with everyone gathered together.

How to Celebrate with a Projector

Here are our top three favorite ways to celebrate Father’s Day with an LCD rental projector.

1. Film Fest of Dad’s Faves. Pick out some of your dad’s absolute favorite movies or older television shows, pop some popcorn and let the film fest begin. You might stick to a theme (Dirty Harry, westerns, action films, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gunsmoke, Rockford Files, Seinfeld, etc.) or you might choose to mix it up. Remember to include a broad range of dad’s favorite snacks, from appetizers to salty-crunchy snacks to sweets.

2. Family Movies. If your dad is like most dads, he was the one behind the camera at most family events. Many services (online and locally) offer still-to-DVD transition, as well as VHS-to-DVD conversion. This means you can collect the family’s favorite home movies and have them converted to DVD for everyone’s enjoyment. What better way to view home movies than in larger-than-life format with a DVD projector rental?

3. Night at the Movies. In this diverse type of film fest, each person chooses a movie dad hasn’t likely seen, but that he’s sure to love. You might include “Night at the Museum,” “Grumpy Old Men,” or “The Bucket List.”

Can’t decide among the above options? You can always combine options or let dad choose his favorites. Whatever you choose, remember to rent a projector from Projector123.com. You’ll get a reliable, professional-grade LCD rental projector that’s easy to set up and won’t break the bank (especially if you can get all dad’s kids to chip in). Click here now to reserve your father’s day rental projector.

A World of Visual Learners

Nearly two-thirds of the population tend to learn visually, so if you’re relying solely on the spoken word to close your sales, you’re almost certainly leaving money on the table. Visual aids help cement the key points of your presentation, and also aid in retention of information. This can be especially helpful if you find yourself giving your pitch to a decision-maker who ultimately has to get approval from a higher decision maker. The more key fact they can relate, the better the chances of receiving the green light for purchase.

Problem Solving: Means to an End

It has often been noted that the best sales professionals are those who can truly listen to their prospects, discover the prospect’s most pressing problems, and offer feasible solutions for resolving the problems. In this way, problem solving is a means to an end for any sales professional worth his or her salt. Now just imagine how much more of an impact a sales representative can make with visual support. This makes it even easier to demonstrate the problem-solving features and benefits of the product or service in question, through the use of key facts, statistics, research, demographics, client testimonials, etc.

To Envision Themselves

The best sales professionals are well aware that one of the most certain ways to close a sale is to assist the prospect in envisioning themselves happy, and finally free from their most pressing problems. When the prospect sees themselves as happy as a result of using your product or service, the sale virtually closes itself. Visual aids assist in this mental envisioning process, also called “visualization,” which has been studied in depth for decades. The positive response is remarkable, and you will notice a difference in your closing rates when you can incorporate this envisioning process into your sales conversations with prospects.

/>Overcoming Objections

Preparing a presentation ahead of time allows you to address the most common objections, without feeling as though you are overcoming objections (which is considered a turnoff by most prospects). For example, if the most common reasons for someone not to buy from you include cost and time investment, you can easily refute these objections with clearly displayed data in your PowerPoint presentation.

The Polished Professional

Let’s face it – a sales professional who arrives and presents a polished, clear and informative presentation in a highly professional format (such as a portable LCD projector) appears far more polished than a sales professional who arrives with only a briefcase. Audiovisuals close more sales, period.

As if these aren’t reason enough to rent a projector for any key sales presentation, Projector123.com provides even more reasons: you’ll find only professional-grade, fully reliable, surprisingly affordable projector rentals, delivered when and where you need them. Click here now to learn more.

Keep It Short

This is the most common rookie mistake in the creation of photo slide shows. And why shouldn’t it be? It can often be difficult to edit down the lives of two extraordinary people into just a few minutes’ worth of images. However, if it’s a truly tasteful slide show you’re after, the shorter, the better. Ideally, you’ll want to keep your slide show to an absolute maximum of ten minutes (although seven minutes is truly perfect). Any longer, and your family will merely feign interest while your friends wonder why they aren’t included in more of the photos (after all, there’s a snapshot featuring every pet you’ve owned since the third grade). Keep it short and sweet.

/>Stick to the Topic

Yes, we know how much you love the maid of honor, how she’s stood by you through think and thin, and how much you appreciate and value her friendship. But she’s not the one you’re marrying! Keep your photos relevant, which means the majority of the photos should be of the bride and groom, with a sprinkling of photos including parents, grandparents (if you’re close to them), milestone events, and a smattering of siblings and very close friends. Remember, the more people you include, the more likely you are to leave someone out and have to deal with hurt feelings.

Skip the Embarrassing Stuff

The easiest way to make your video montage tasteful is to choose appropriate photos. That means no drunken binges, no pictures of you-know-who with what’s-his-face, no ex’s, and no childhood photos of the bride or groom in the bathtub. Anything incriminating should be omitted. When in doubt, leave it out.

Choose Classic Music

This is not the optimal time to showcase the Billboard top five, or your favorite hip hop ditty. Your wedding slide show should be classic, so choose a classic love song or two, the song you will dance to at your wedding (for your first dance together as husband and wife), or “your” song that’s stuck with you since you first began dating. After all, you don’t want to look back years from now while watching your slide show and say, “What on earth were we thinking?”

Once you begin coordinating your slide show, the next item to check off your list is the projector rental. Don’t pay more than necessary for outdated and questionable equipment at the hotel or reception hall – instead, trust the projector rental professionals at Projector123.com. From outdoor weddings to indoor events, Projector123.com rents only top-notch equipment at surprisingly affordable prices. Best of all, we’ll ship your rental projector to any location you specify, so you won’t need to transport the rental projector from location to location. Click here now to make your reservation.