Boardroom Player Gifts

"We'll grab those stock options and kick them downfield."

"I'm going to bombard you with graphs until you agree with me."

"Can I savor this for a few moments? The ball's never been in my court before!"

"Marshall, somewhere out there, just waiting for us, is a loophole in the system."

"I'm razzled, but not dazzled."

'Great news this quarter! Losses are up in smoke, profits are high, and we're seeing lots of green!'

"Hoskins, try saying 'profits are up' without the finger quotes, okay?"

'The good news is, we did as well as expected last quarter. The bad news is, we didn't expect to do too well.'

"In the event of an actual S.E.C. investigation, legal representation will drop from the ceiling."

"Great plan. Could we get some more details?"

"I see we're going up against the Big Guys."

"Oh dear...I don't think negotiations are going too well..."

'To close the deal, I had to make some minor concessions.'

"Before I read the financial report I have to ask... do any of you have a weapon?"

'Congratulations Smith, you got that promotion. Commiserations Reid, you got that demotion.'

The Importance of Planning Thoroughly in Advance

'Now this is exactly what I was referring to when I talked about 'scope creep'.'

'Well, I'm not very satisfied with our customers, either.'

"I will now fend off questions from the audience."

"He's not sleeping. He always dims his display while downloading data."

'You can't put him out to pasture - he owns the pasture!'

'Maybe you should reconsider those place cards, Ms Harris?' (Negotiation talks/Good Guys/Bad Guys)

'This merger will cut jobs 40%, reduce salaries 30% and increase the work hours 25%. Your job is to make this look like the best thing that ever happened to our employees.'

'You're closer to the Big Guy than anyone. Will you help us kill him?'

Around here it got a little tricky...

'Who wants the talking stick?'

'Chin up, Simpson, it's for the good of the firm.'

Presentation Skills: 1. Be Prepared.

"I'm tired of being used as a scapegoat."

"When everyone's an 800 pound gorilla, nobody's an 800 pound gorilla.".

'Almost finished.'

"Finally we have something in common...mutual distrust."

'Interesting. At first, I didn't pick her as dominant.' - Child chairs meeting at Toys Inc.

Phil, I'm just too depleted to function. I need to take the afternoon off and recharge my batteries.

'My advice to you Winslow is, don't be afraid to fail. Unless you know what's good for you!'