First impressions can be effective or disastrous, but they are usually lasting—even when we know that we are experiencing them! When we meet others, our general objective is to establish confidence, trust and rapport. This is not always easy. Companies spend millions of dollars each year packaging their products—and so should you with your corporate image! The packaging must say something special about you. You may be the best in your field but if you don’t package yourself effectively, you are limiting your success.
Your company’s reputation is only as strong as your customer’s perception of the last person with whom they worked. Answer the following questions to examining your level of impression management competency:
Are you noticed when you walk into a room?
How is your entrance?
When greeting someone, do you offer your hand immediately, regardless of the person’s gender?
Are you comfortable with your handshake?
Do you make eye contact and smile when you greet people in meetings and throughout conversation?
Do you have any distracting gestures that get in the way of people fully connecting with you?
Are you aware of how you show you are nervous when you are under stress?
Are you conscious of the nonverbal messages you are sending?
Do you know what nonverbal messages are?
Are people always confused with the visual message you are sending?
In business, many professionals are not aware of how they are communicating with their visual presence. It’s been proven by research, that 55% of your first impression is visual. Visual consists of the clothes your wear, hopefully they cover 98% of your body, and the nonverbal message you send with your body language.
For example, if you are attending a meeting and you walk into the room with your eyes cast down, shoulders slumped and not connecting with anyone you are sending a clear and loud message. You lack confidence! You feel awkward! If you lack confidence why should any one else have confidence in you. Not making good eye contact sends the wrong message. In addition, to send the message that you are confident and approachable, keep a smile on your face and keep your body language open. Take charge of the unconscious nonverbal messages you are projecting and use it to your own benefit to project confidence and competence in any situation.
Unfortunately, we never see ourselves as others see us. If you are not getting the results you want in your career and you are willing to accept comments and make changes in your behavior and appearance, ask for feedback from others so you can better understand what is holding you back. You may want to ask your friends for feedback—but be careful not to select friends that are clueless themselves and show a visual presence of none awareness.
Here are three tips to help you unlock the secrets to promoting a professional presence:
Tip 1: Dress appropriately, wear only clothes that fit you well (this includes your body type) and are appropriate for each business occasion you attend. Understand the difference between traditional business attire and the different levels of business casual. Wear clothes that say you are there for business and should be taken seriously. Here is my definition of what is not business casual: If you wear it to the beach, on a hot date, or to the park—it’s not appropriate for business. With that in mind, keep mini skirts, jeans (of any kind), low-cut tops, clothes that are too tight or are not age appropriate, sandals, flip-flops (even the ones with Rhine stones) and sneakers for your weekend or at-home wardrobe only.
Tip 2: Women—wear appropriate makeup. Inappropriate makeup includes wearing too much or not wearing any at all. Women should wear mascara, lipstick or lip gloss, and blush to portray a “pulled together” image. Remember, your face is the first thing everyone sees, so put your best face forward.
Tip 3: Men—watch your grooming. Clothing and grooming choices send messages about your personality and mind-set and offer other clues about you as well. Appearing slovenly with your clothes will make others question if you are the same way with your work. (Slovenly includes wearing clothes that are not clean and pressed.) Also, keep in mind that it is not always the clothing items themselves that give a positive or negative impression as much as how you wear them.
To win the game you have to learn how to play by the rules. Keep finding ways to help you put your best foot forward—everyday.
The "Little Things" Do Count, Starting with How You Look
You can't judge a book by its cover, the saying goes, but many people still do. That applies especially when you're up there presenting. The first impression you make comes from the way you look.
People form impressions within the first few minutes of seeing or meeting someone. So the first impression you make as a presenter should be as strong as possible.
Start with your choice of attire.
How you dress is no substitute for the substance and delivery of your presentation. Still, it goes a long way toward supporting a well-prepared presentation. Your best guide: always dress for the audience and the event. More to the point, dress a small cut above your audience. So, for example, if your audience is wearing slacks and a shirt, you could add a sport coat.
Dress appropriately.
Business and social dress are not the same, so avoid attire that's overly formal or overly casual. If your appearance draws attention to itself, it'll draw attention away from you and what you're saying. You don't want your listeners to be distracted by your clothing, hairstyle, accessories, or any other aspect of your personal appearance. So save the sheer, tight, transparent, flashy, slick, or super stylish looks for the social life. When you're addressing a group of colleagues, every aspect of your appearance should be directing their eyes to your face, and not anywhere else.
So what's right and what's wrong?
There's no one set of rules for every occasion. Sometimes, you can be guided by your organisation's dress code. Some companies have written dress codes that are very rigid and specific. Other dress codes may be unwritten, vague, and/or flexible. In the end, you need to match your appearance to multiple aspects of your daily work, including your company's culture, but also that of an event or a client and to your role on any given day. If you work in IT, and occasionally need to crawl under desks, you probably shouldn't be wearing a fancy suit (or short skirt for that matter). On the other hand, if you have a meeting with the board of directors, you may need to wear a suit in an otherwise casual environment. Yet again, at some companies, anyone seen in a suit is probably interviewing for a job.
If you are wearing a suit...
First, a suit should fit. You should be able to move, even gesture, in a suit. You should be able to walk (no narrow skirts or tight pants). Make sure the sleeves are the right length, and that the suit is not too big or small as a result of dieting, binging, or the fact that you haven't worn it since prior to your adolescent growth spurt. If it has been that long since you've worn it, make sure it also isn't faded, threadbare, or hopelessly out of date. What you wear should help you to both look and feel comfortable. If your suit prevents you from breathing, get it fixed or replace it.
Colour
Use color to drive eyes toward your face. This means that the brightest elements of your attire should be nearest your face. For suits, it's easy—a dark suit with a lighter shirt or blouse and bright tie or scarf all works to drive the eye upward. On the other hand, light hosiery and shoes tend to draw the eye downward. The same concepts apply to more casual attire, but casual also means more latitude so double check in the mirror that the whole look drives the eyes to the face, ideally to your eyes.
Accessories.
The same principles apply to accessories. To the extent that you wear them, they should not distract. Avoid jewellery that is louder than you are (nothing huge, flashy, dangling, jangling, or otherwise noisy). Avoid ties that have golfers or modern art on them. Avoid scarves that drape to the floor. Don't stuff your pockets with any more items than you absolutely need, and don't have pens, pencils, or any other items poking out of your shirt or jacket pockets. Do make sure your shoes are polished and not scuffed. Your briefcase or purse also should fit the image you're trying to project—typically leather, well-maintained, and of a certain quality (but not covered with logos, and please don't display it on the tabletop—it belongs on the floor or at your side, never in anyone's face). And, if you can help it, don't take your briefcase or purse up to a lectern.
Grooming.
Starting at the top, make sure your hair is neatly cut and the color natural looking. Keep your hair out of your eyes and off your face. You should not have to fuss with your hair. Men, please trim those nose (and ear!) hairs and any facial hair. These days, you may even want to eliminate a unibrow (a single continuous eyebrow that extends over both eyes). Women, make-up should look fairly natural and appropriate to the circumstance.
final note.
It bears repeating: your audience can form its first impression of you before you speak a single word. It follows that how you look helps determine your credibility, for better or worse.
Your company’s reputation is only as strong as your customer’s perception of the last person with whom they worked. Answer the following questions to examining your level of impression management competency:
Are you noticed when you walk into a room?
How is your entrance?
When greeting someone, do you offer your hand immediately, regardless of the person’s gender?
Are you comfortable with your handshake?
Do you make eye contact and smile when you greet people in meetings and throughout conversation?
Do you have any distracting gestures that get in the way of people fully connecting with you?
Are you aware of how you show you are nervous when you are under stress?
Are you conscious of the nonverbal messages you are sending?
Do you know what nonverbal messages are?
Are people always confused with the visual message you are sending?
In business, many professionals are not aware of how they are communicating with their visual presence. It’s been proven by research, that 55% of your first impression is visual. Visual consists of the clothes your wear, hopefully they cover 98% of your body, and the nonverbal message you send with your body language.
For example, if you are attending a meeting and you walk into the room with your eyes cast down, shoulders slumped and not connecting with anyone you are sending a clear and loud message. You lack confidence! You feel awkward! If you lack confidence why should any one else have confidence in you. Not making good eye contact sends the wrong message. In addition, to send the message that you are confident and approachable, keep a smile on your face and keep your body language open. Take charge of the unconscious nonverbal messages you are projecting and use it to your own benefit to project confidence and competence in any situation.
Unfortunately, we never see ourselves as others see us. If you are not getting the results you want in your career and you are willing to accept comments and make changes in your behavior and appearance, ask for feedback from others so you can better understand what is holding you back. You may want to ask your friends for feedback—but be careful not to select friends that are clueless themselves and show a visual presence of none awareness.
Here are three tips to help you unlock the secrets to promoting a professional presence:
Tip 1: Dress appropriately, wear only clothes that fit you well (this includes your body type) and are appropriate for each business occasion you attend. Understand the difference between traditional business attire and the different levels of business casual. Wear clothes that say you are there for business and should be taken seriously. Here is my definition of what is not business casual: If you wear it to the beach, on a hot date, or to the park—it’s not appropriate for business. With that in mind, keep mini skirts, jeans (of any kind), low-cut tops, clothes that are too tight or are not age appropriate, sandals, flip-flops (even the ones with Rhine stones) and sneakers for your weekend or at-home wardrobe only.
Tip 2: Women—wear appropriate makeup. Inappropriate makeup includes wearing too much or not wearing any at all. Women should wear mascara, lipstick or lip gloss, and blush to portray a “pulled together” image. Remember, your face is the first thing everyone sees, so put your best face forward.
Tip 3: Men—watch your grooming. Clothing and grooming choices send messages about your personality and mind-set and offer other clues about you as well. Appearing slovenly with your clothes will make others question if you are the same way with your work. (Slovenly includes wearing clothes that are not clean and pressed.) Also, keep in mind that it is not always the clothing items themselves that give a positive or negative impression as much as how you wear them.
To win the game you have to learn how to play by the rules. Keep finding ways to help you put your best foot forward—everyday.
The "Little Things" Do Count, Starting with How You Look
You can't judge a book by its cover, the saying goes, but many people still do. That applies especially when you're up there presenting. The first impression you make comes from the way you look.
People form impressions within the first few minutes of seeing or meeting someone. So the first impression you make as a presenter should be as strong as possible.
Start with your choice of attire.
How you dress is no substitute for the substance and delivery of your presentation. Still, it goes a long way toward supporting a well-prepared presentation. Your best guide: always dress for the audience and the event. More to the point, dress a small cut above your audience. So, for example, if your audience is wearing slacks and a shirt, you could add a sport coat.
Dress appropriately.
Business and social dress are not the same, so avoid attire that's overly formal or overly casual. If your appearance draws attention to itself, it'll draw attention away from you and what you're saying. You don't want your listeners to be distracted by your clothing, hairstyle, accessories, or any other aspect of your personal appearance. So save the sheer, tight, transparent, flashy, slick, or super stylish looks for the social life. When you're addressing a group of colleagues, every aspect of your appearance should be directing their eyes to your face, and not anywhere else.
| "You don't want your listeners to be distracted by your...appearance."
|
So what's right and what's wrong?
There's no one set of rules for every occasion. Sometimes, you can be guided by your organisation's dress code. Some companies have written dress codes that are very rigid and specific. Other dress codes may be unwritten, vague, and/or flexible. In the end, you need to match your appearance to multiple aspects of your daily work, including your company's culture, but also that of an event or a client and to your role on any given day. If you work in IT, and occasionally need to crawl under desks, you probably shouldn't be wearing a fancy suit (or short skirt for that matter). On the other hand, if you have a meeting with the board of directors, you may need to wear a suit in an otherwise casual environment. Yet again, at some companies, anyone seen in a suit is probably interviewing for a job.
If you are wearing a suit...
First, a suit should fit. You should be able to move, even gesture, in a suit. You should be able to walk (no narrow skirts or tight pants). Make sure the sleeves are the right length, and that the suit is not too big or small as a result of dieting, binging, or the fact that you haven't worn it since prior to your adolescent growth spurt. If it has been that long since you've worn it, make sure it also isn't faded, threadbare, or hopelessly out of date. What you wear should help you to both look and feel comfortable. If your suit prevents you from breathing, get it fixed or replace it.
Colour
Use color to drive eyes toward your face. This means that the brightest elements of your attire should be nearest your face. For suits, it's easy—a dark suit with a lighter shirt or blouse and bright tie or scarf all works to drive the eye upward. On the other hand, light hosiery and shoes tend to draw the eye downward. The same concepts apply to more casual attire, but casual also means more latitude so double check in the mirror that the whole look drives the eyes to the face, ideally to your eyes.
| "The brightest elements of your attire should be nearest your face."
|
Accessories.
The same principles apply to accessories. To the extent that you wear them, they should not distract. Avoid jewellery that is louder than you are (nothing huge, flashy, dangling, jangling, or otherwise noisy). Avoid ties that have golfers or modern art on them. Avoid scarves that drape to the floor. Don't stuff your pockets with any more items than you absolutely need, and don't have pens, pencils, or any other items poking out of your shirt or jacket pockets. Do make sure your shoes are polished and not scuffed. Your briefcase or purse also should fit the image you're trying to project—typically leather, well-maintained, and of a certain quality (but not covered with logos, and please don't display it on the tabletop—it belongs on the floor or at your side, never in anyone's face). And, if you can help it, don't take your briefcase or purse up to a lectern.
Grooming.
Starting at the top, make sure your hair is neatly cut and the color natural looking. Keep your hair out of your eyes and off your face. You should not have to fuss with your hair. Men, please trim those nose (and ear!) hairs and any facial hair. These days, you may even want to eliminate a unibrow (a single continuous eyebrow that extends over both eyes). Women, make-up should look fairly natural and appropriate to the circumstance.
final note.
It bears repeating: your audience can form its first impression of you before you speak a single word. It follows that how you look helps determine your credibility, for better or worse.
 |
| "Susie Wilson Etiquette and Image Specialist" |
