I love Dilbert and today's comic reminded me of a speech that Norma Rist, of Norma J. Rist, CEO Consulting and I will be giving next month called:

"Presenting Yourself for Success - Etiquette in Corporate Meetings"

We will be talking about body language, attire, preparation, and verbal contributions.

When we talk about contributing to the conversation, we'll review how often you should speak, the fact that you should listen to 80% of the discussion before providing one insightful comment, but we'll also talk about knowing the language.

When you are in a meeting, making a presentation or participating on a board, it is important that you know the corporate speak: do they use acronyms, do they call them employees or associates, customers or clients and do they use sport metaphors.

Check out today's Dilbert and you'll understand what I mean.

Bottom line - when preparing for a meeting or presentation, know your audience and be prepared to speak their language.