Your Attitude Is Showing

07 Sep Your Attitude Is Showing

by Gloria Starr, Image Consultant. Printed with permission.

Everything you say, do and wear makes a statement about you. That statement can be positive or negative – it is up to you. Here are a few key points to escalate your visual integrity.

Image How you dress influences your behavior and other people’s perception of you. Clothing covers approximately 90% of your body in business situations. Everything you wear, say and do either makes a positive or a negative statement about you.

Colors of Business Success Black, grey and navy are the most accepted colors in the corporate workplace. Avoid yellow / greens, pastels and soft tints. Red, raspberry and emerald green are good colors if you are in sales, retail or in the communication industry.

Styles and Textures of Business Garment Success Business garments should have a matt or low sheen to them. If you are in the entertainment industries bright colors and shiny fabrics work well to draw positive attention to yourself.

Etiquette Your business and social etiquette speaks louder than your words. Improve your social skills and the success will shine brightly on you.

Small Talk Never gossip, undermine yourself or speak badly of others.

Polish, Posture, Poise and Positioning Each and every day people make judgments about you.

Communication Skills The words you select and use position you for greatness. Two, three and four syllable words showcase your intelligence and education. Avoid slang words and swearing.

Pitch, Pace, Pattern and Tonality Yes you can change your voice. Everyone has a range of pitch in their voice options. Think of how you speak when interacting with a baby. Then think about how your voice tonality is so very different when speaking with a teenager, or your boss or your dentist. Master your pitch, pace, pattern and tonality for a more professional version of you!

Gestures They communicate our feelings, thoughts, emotions and ideas. They illustrate and reinforce the words and provide a high level of believability when used properly. Gestures are culturally defined and involve various parts of the body including arms, hands, face, head and legs. Gestures should not be taken out of context and must be considered in conjunction with other body signals.

Gestures can be perceived as warm or cool. Leaning toward someone, smiling, touching, and the nodding of the head are considered to be warm gestures. Cool gestures, on the other hand, include hands on the hips, chin raised, slumping and little or no eye contact.

Nervous Gestures fiddling with your hair or jewelry, drumming the fingers, biting fingernails, looking at your watch or tugging on the ear lobe. Men and women size each other up. Effective body language can indicate a leadership role without the title to match.

Covering your mouth with your hand may communicate that you are not being truthful or that you may lack confidence. Fiddling with the change in your pocket may indicate a concern for money.  In a selling situation, the buyer may be communicating a concern for the cost of the service or product if they jingle or fiddle with the change in their pocket.

Your facial expression should reflect the mood you are in or the mood and energy you wish to create. Knowledge and congruency between the spoken word and body language is a powerful combination. Learn to use it effectively and to your advantage.

Adding value to your life through knowledge and empowerment.