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February 27, 2013

Is There a Polite Way to RSVP “No” When You Really Should Go

Filed under: Wedding Wording & Etiquette — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 8:02 am

Pristine Specialty Response Set by PaperDirectYour second cousin twice-removed’s fourth – but still surprisingly formal – wedding. Your college roommate’s third baby shower in as many years. Your husband’s annual – always potluck-style, never-catered – work party, held in the dank, gloomy break room in the back of the warehouse.

Maybe it’s for the benefit of your mental health, your wallet, the sake of convenience, or maybe you truly have a scheduling conflict; sometimes you’ve just gotta RSVP with a big old “NO” – even when you know you technically could, or should, RSVP “yes.”

But here’s the good news: When you get stuck in one of those “heck no, I won’t go” situations, there are a few ways to soften the no-RSVP blow.

Etiquette, PleasePristine Specialty Response Set by PaperDirect

According to Ms. Emily Post, queen of all things etiquette, whether you reply “yes” or “no,” the rules of polite society dictate that you must RSVP promptly. That means responding a day or two after you receive the invite, regardless of how far in the future the event is planned.

After all, RSVP is an acronym for “Répondez, s’il vous plait.” Translated from French to English, that means “please reply” – in other words, a direct command, not a suggestion.

So get the dirty work done fast. Not only will the event host appreciate your quick response, it’ll give her more time to forget – and forgive.

Stylish Specialty NoteCards by PaperDirectThe Prettier, the Better

Make your negative response more attractive by wrapping it in a beautiful package. RSVP cards, also known as response cards, provide a more formal – and by extension, more polite – way of turning down or accepting an invitation.

For even more positive impact, hand write your response. In today’s digital world, full of printed text and electronic communication, a note written by hand means so much more and sends a much more personal message – in this case, your regret at not attending the event.

As for the wording of your decline note, don’t feel like you must go into great detail or over-explain. A simple “I regret that I must decline your kind invitation” will suffice.

Following these etiquette rules will mitigate any potential hurt feelings that your no-RSVP may cause. Your polite courtesy – and the fact that you bothered to send a handwritten RSVP note in a timely manner – will be remembered much longer than the fact that you didn’t make it to the event.

 

February 26, 2013

Positive Reinforcement Works Wonders for the Struggling Student

Filed under: Student Recognition Ideas — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 7:47 am

“Finish your homework or you’re grounded!”

“If you don’t get those grades up, I’m taking away privileges!”

If you’ve ever uttered these words – or others like them – you’re definitely not alone. As parents, finding the best ways to help your children succeed in school can present a challenStar Student Award Casual Certificates by PaperDirectge.

But while attempting to change your kid’s behavior by threatening to enact punishments may be a completely natural parenting fallback – and, let’s face it, sometimes just a whole lot easier – it’s actually not the best way to help a struggling student.

Though it may seem counter-intuitive, offering rewards is actually a more effective method of getting your kids (or students) to do what you want.

Here’s why.

Skinner’s Box

The year was 1948, and psychologist B.F. Skinner had a problem. He was trying to do something that many felt impossible – train pigeons. After all, pigeons aren’t exactly known for their staggering intellectual capacity.

After much trial and error, Skinner discovered that if the pigeons received positive reinforcement – in the form of a treat — every time they did what he wanted them to do – which was pushing a tiny lever — the birds learned the desired behavior very rapidly.

Skinner named his method “operant conditioning” – and the fields of psychology, education and behavior management were never the same!

The Power of Positive ReinforcementFestive Streamers Casual Certificates by PaperDirect

If positive reinforcement can work wonders on a bunch of pigeons, just imagine what it can do for your student! Positive reinforcement can be something tangible, like a sticker, a lollipop, or a special certificate acknowledging their improved effort.

Positive reinforcement can also be intangible, like a hug or a smile. Praise is effective, too. When offering verbal positive reinforcement, be specific. Tell your child exactly why you’re proud of them, such as:

  • “You got most of your spelling words right this week! I can tell you’ve been working hard.”
  • “I can’t wait to tell the family about the good grade you got in math. How wonderful!”
  • “Your teacher told me that you’ve been trying harder in class. I’m so proud of you!”

Citizenship Award Casual Certificates by PaperDirectPositive reinforcement works best when it’s delivered immediately after the desired behavior takes place, or at least as close as possible. Best of all, you don’t have to wait until your student’s behavior is absolutely perfect in order to offer positive reinforcement; in fact, you should reinforce every incremental step in order to encourage continuing progress.

Studies show that random rewards are the most effective way to change behavior –so mix it up! Reward all positive behaviors with a smile or a hug, and dole out the special stuff, like treats or certificates, at random intervals. Above all, be consistent and emphasize positive reinforcement over punishment.

February 20, 2013

Host Your Own Office Dundies –Ten Employee Recognition Awards

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 7:26 am
employee recognition awards

If you’ve ever watched the hit TV series The Office, you will remember the infamous Dundie episodes, where boss Michael Scott gives out employee recognition awards to his staff.

He does this through made-up songs, horrifyingly embarrassing remarks, and inappropriate skits.  Though entertaining to watch, you could imagine how it could be rough to sit through.

In order to avoid a drastic Dundie situation, we have come up with ten recognition award ideas (some funny, some serious) for the employees in your office – to be presented in whichever manner you see fit (although you may not want to take your inspiration from Michael Scott).

Office Dundies 1

Employee Recognition Ideas:

1 Customer Service Award – Give this to someone who has gone above and beyond to make a client/customer happy. This person would possess and demonstrate a customer-first mindset, and always exceed expectations when interacting with clients/customers.

clown design sticky notes

2. Biggest Distraction Award – This is a humorous award that could be seen at the Dundies! This award would go to someone who is a hard worker but also knows how to have fun in the office. This should be the office “clown” and someone who is great at lighting up the mood in long meetings. This isn’t meant to be a disciplinary award, but rather a ‘thank-you’ award for keeping office morale up. A set of Post-it® Notes with a clown design is a fun little reward for these employees.

3. Cleanest Desk Award – This one is pretty self-explanatory. This award would go to the person whose office space is always the cleanest and tidiest. Which brings us to the next award…

4. Messiest Desk Award – Though this may seem a little harsh, if someone is known for having a very messy desk in the office, that person probably wouldn’t mind being called out on it. In order to avoid hurt feelings, make sure this person has a good sense of humor.

5. Would-Be-Winner of Trivia Award – This honor would go to the person in your office that always contributes interesting, yet sometimes irrelevant, facts to conversations and meetings.

6. Moving On Up Award – This award is actually a Dundie Award from The Office, given to Darryl because he was promoted to Shipping Manager at Dunder Mifflin. You can steal this idea and give this to an employee who has recently been promoted.

7. Cool Cucumber Award – This prize can go to someone who remains calm in the face of issues and situations where the easy option would be to freak out. They handle work issues very well and are always reliable in stressful situations.

coffee lapel pin thank you award

8. Caffeine Consumer Award – This is for the person in your office that either always has coffee or energy drinks in their hand. Every company has that one person in the office that would have a mental breakdown if the company ran out of coffee.

bird themed weekly desk pad

9. Early Bird Award – There is always the one person in the office who is a morning person at their desk every day at 7am sharp. This person deserves some recognition for braving the wee hours of the morning, and what better way to do it than with an Early Bird Award!

10. Organization Award – This award can go to the person in your office who always has all their work in line as well as the contents on their desk.

If you are looking to put these awards or recognitions down on paper to host your own Dundies, be sure to browse PaperDirect’s line of award certificates, trophies and plaques.

February 19, 2013

March 1st is Employee Appreciation Day–Honor Your Rock Stars!

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 7:11 am

It’s almost the first Friday in March – are you Excellence Specialty Certificates by PaperDirectforgetting something? Nope, it’s not your anniversary – phew! – or your youngest kid’s birthday, but it is one of the most important holidays of the year: Employee Appreciation Day!

And that’s one holiday you don’t want to forget! After all, the success of your business depends in large part on your employees’ performance, and happy workers who feel appreciated are a lot more likely to do a good job. Do you think your staff feels appreciated? Do you think their paycheck is “appreciation” enough? You may be surprised to learn that your team doesn’t view the workplace the same way management does.

Since it first appeared on calendars in 1995, Employee Appreciation Day has reserved the first Friday in March as a time for employers to officially acknowledge their employees’ hard work with more than just a regular paycheck. So don’t let Employee Appreciation Day slip by this year; instead, reward those rock star employees of yours with special recognition that lets them know just how important they are!

In almost every single workplace, there are employees who work hard day in and day out, never say “no” to anything that’s asked of them, never have an unkind word for anyone and just do their work. It is these employees who often get overlooked when it comes to giving an occasional pat on the back. They’d never point out something they did that went above and beyond the call of duty as that would be “tooting their own horn.” They just sit back quietly and read/hear about how wonderful the select few are doing.

Hand Write Some Kind Words

In a world dominated by e-mailing, texting and Tweeting, the handwritten note has gone by the wayside. Seriously, when was the last time someone took pen in hand and sent you an actual, handwritten note?

This phenomenon has resulted in two effects:

  1. A widespread epidemic of truly terrible penmanship
  2. Handwritten notes’ rare status means that they’re extra meaningful.

Vintage Elegance Specialty Thank You NoteCards by PaperDirectFortunately, the “meaningful” part totally cancels out the sloppy handwriting part. So pick out some beautiful thank you cards and set aside an hour to write out some personalized notes telling your employees exactly why you value them.

Relax

Make an investment in your employees’ morale and hire a local masseuse or manicurist to come to the office on Employee Appreciation Day. They can go from office to office, cubicle to cubicle, performing their services in 10 or 15-minute increments. Just make sure your employees know that participation is voluntary!

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If your company can afford it, make Employee Appreciation Day a half-day. Let your workers go home early that day to spend time with their families. Not many things say “thank you” quite as much as paid time off!

Whichever route you choose, it’s important to let your employees know how much you value their hard work. Even if you don’t have the time or means to hold a large celebration, even a certificate of appreciation will boost morale.

If your management team only speaks to employees when a mistake is made, you can be certain your employee morale is low. People may even dread coming to work. That can all be changed with a few kind words, a note, an early day out on a Friday or some other “privilege” that is earned. Think back to your last ten conversations with employees–how many of those ten interactions included a positive word or something that let the employee know you value him or her? If you’re hard-pressed to remember the last kind thing you said to a worker, then there’s a very good chance your employees are unhappy.

February 13, 2013

Anniversary Celebration Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — PDWriter @ 9:54 am

Good Vibrations Casual Invitations by PaperDirectIs your anniversary coming up and you’re trying to think of a unique anniversary celebration idea that won’t cost an arm and a leg? Throwing a party for someone (or yourself) doesn’t really have to cost a lot of money. You can still have a well-decorated party with lots of tasty food and yummy drinks on a tight budget–you just have to be a little creative and open-minded. Here are some suggestions that aren’t the same old thing you see at every anniversary celebration.

 

Celebration Ideas that Don’t Cost a Lot

While lavish gifts are nice, they may not be quite as meaningful or thought-provoking as Excellence Casual Invitations by PaperDirectanother gift that will not cost nearly as much. Check out these anniversary celebration ideas that can be incorporated into just about any party to celebrate a couple’s love:

  • Arrange for a replica of your wedding cake to be made. This isn’t terribly expensive and will be a sentimental touch for your anniversary party. If you have a good picture of your wedding cake, most any bakery should be able to make the exact cake with any changes you’d like to make.
  • You can have family help create a video to memorialize your life together. This costs absolutely nothing, really, and will be a treasure you will have for the rest of your lives. Start with pictures of the happy couple as children, include pictures from when they dated, then got married, had children and so on. Arrange the pictures and videos into one and set to music. If you want to pay for a professional videographer to put this together, it’s money well spent. You and your spouse and family members will have this to watch and enjoy for years to come.
  • Prior to your anniversary party, ask family and friends to write a short paragraph or two about a special memory they have of you and your spouse. Compile all the snippets into Formal Engagement Casual Invitations by PaperDirecta scrapbook and display it on the table for all guests to see. You can also have family members to make poster boards of family photos. These can be displayed on easels all around the party venue. You can also ask family to put old movies on CDs so you’re able to watch home movies anywhere you like with ease.

Whether you’re throwing a huge bash or are just having a few people over for a quieter, more intimate gathering, PaperDirect has anniversary party invitations, banners and even thank you notes for all the lovely presents you’ll receive! Shop online–it’s easy, fast and convenient!

February 12, 2013

What are the “Rules” for Wedding Reception Seating?

Filed under: DIY Wedding Accessories — PDWriter @ 7:31 am

Estate Specialty Folded Place Cards by PaperDirectStylish Specialty Folded Place Cards by PaperDirectYou’ve set the date, picked out your colors, ordered your flowers, and managed to talk your fiance out of reuniting his old Twisted-Sister-meets-the-Backstreet-Boys cover band from high school to play the reception. Crisis averted! Now comes the real challenge: Creating a wedding reception seating plan that works… for everybody.

Family dynamics can be — shall we say – a bit complicated. Maybe you can’t seat Aunt Nancy within dirty-look range of her ex-husband Bob and his brand-new wife, or maybe your fiance’s sisters — who haven’t spoken since 1992 — need to be seated on opposite sides of the room. Or perhaps you just want your wedding reception to run as smoothly and enjoyably as humanly possible.Seashore Scene Folded Place Cards by PaperDirect

Either way, a bit of planning combined with the right tools will make all the difference. For a stress-free wedding reception, consider these simple tips.

Keepin’ it Real… Formal

We know, we know, you’re a free spirit who doesn’t like rules and hates being micromanaged. But unless you want the next episode of “As the World Turns” taking place at your reception, you’re going to need a formal seating chart.

Stylish Specialty Folded Place Cards by PaperDirectIt’s really not as difficult as it sounds, either. Simply create a spreadsheet of all the yes-RSVP invitees and then organize them by relationship: bride’s friend, groom’s family, bride’s family, and so on. Highlight your more “sensitive” guests by color. For instance, if Nancy can’t sit by Bob, highlight their names in the same shade. That’ll make them stand out — so you’ll be sure to seat them far, far apart.

Draw it Out

Draw a map of the room – tables included — and assign each table a number. Use your spreadsheet to create groups of guests for each table. Mix it up by grouping those who know each other together, placing singles with other singles, and quieter guests with more gregarious invitees.

Traditionally, the bride and groom sit at the front or most central table, surrounded by their wedding party. However, if you’ve got guests who’ll feel like they’ve been banished to Siberia if they’re not at a central table, make every table more special by spreading the wedding party out across around the room.

When you have a rough outline, write each guest’s name on a post-it note. Stick the notes, organized by table, onto the room map. You’ll probably have some tweaking to do as late RSVPs trickle in, so keep your chart handy.

Simplicity + Planning = Reception SerenityDancing Daisies Table Tents by PaperDirect

Now that you’ve created your seating chart, make it easy for guests – and wait staff, if you have them – to find their seats. Individual place cards add a sophisticated, personal touch at each place setting, while customized table tents feature a list of each table’s guests. Both can be customized to complement your wedding colors and theme.

Be ready for the unexpected; some guests may no-show, while others might arrive without bothering to RSVP at all. Keep some space open just in case.

Most importantly, don’t wait until the last minute to create your wedding reception seating plan. Just a bit of planning leads to a smooth, stress-free event that all will enjoy.

For more fun, simple ideas to make your wedding even more amazing, check out our Paper Direct Blog. From beautiful DIY wedding invitations to thoughtfully worded thank you cards, we’ll help make that special day unforgettable.

February 11, 2013

Order Easter Flyers in Plenty of Time for the Holiday!

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 7:06 am

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Easter Sunday is March 31, 2013, so now is the time to order all your Easter holiday supplies like invitations, flyers and banners. Are you planning a big Easter egg hunt for all the kids in the family, or is your neighborhood having a special outdoor celebration on Easter? If so, you need to get the word out with Easter flyers from PaperDirect. You’ll love all of our selections in a variety of lovely pastels and festive designs to suit all tastes. As you contemplate your Easter flyer choices, check out some interesting Easter facts and maybe you can include some of this information in a game for the kids or adults. Why not make a learning experience out of your Easter celebration this year?!

Hidden Eggs Border Papers by PaperDirectEaster Facts

Easter is one of the oldest and holiest of all Christian holidays, even more so than Christmas. What does Easter celebrate? Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on the cross and on the third day, He rose from the dead. Known as the “Resurrection of Christ,” Easter is believed to bring joy and relief to Christ’s followers, who began to celebrate this day to commemorate the blessed event. Here are some interesting facts about the most important Christian holiday of the year:

  • The word “Easter” comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg
  • Easter will always fall between March 22 and April 25
  • The egg has long been considered the symbol of rebirth
  • The earliest Easter egg baskets were the shape of Peter Cottontail Border Papers by PaperDirectbirds’ nests
  • Approximately 90 million chocolate bunnies are made each year for Easter
  • Second only to Halloween, Easter is a huge “sweets” holiday
  • About 76% of people who eat chocolate bunnies eat the ears first

Do you need Easter flyers for an Easter egg hunt, religious celebration or some other type of holiday festival? Just order online at PaperDirect and your Easter supply shopping will be done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 4, 2013

Random Acts of Kindness Week

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — PDWriter @ 7:44 am

Friendly Neighborhood Homes Border Papers by PaperDirectThough it’s a wonderful idea to have set aside a week in early/mid February to acknowledge Random Acts of Kindness, wouldn’t it be nice if every week celebrated random acts of kindness? If you make a point of doing nice things for people you know or strangers, then you are surely making a difference in the society in which we live.

For those of you who may not make time to perform random kinds acts for others or just can’t seem find the time to donate time or material things to the less fortunate, maybe you can set a goal for yourself to actively take part in Random Acts of Kindness week which will be here in just a few short weeks. To learn about the work the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has done in the past, please visit its website.

Here is some basic information about this wonderful organization:

Established in 1955 as a nonprofit organization for people committed to spreading kindness. The RAK Foundation is privately held and funded, and it accepts no donations, grants or membership dues. The RAK Foundation has no religious affiliation, and the goal is to encourage the practice of kind acts in all aspects of society. Here is the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s mission:

“The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to pass it on to others. We provide free educational and community ideas, guidance and other resources to kindness participants through our website.”Hands on Learning Vinyl Banners by PaperDirect

How about a  party to kick off Random Acts of Kindness Week? PaperDirect is your online shopping source for invitations, banners, fliers and other supplies you’ll need to celebrate this wonderful cause.

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