First of all I must apologise that this tip is actually being published on Saturday rather than Friday... oops! But I should be excused as I was working with a formidable client yesterday who I am proud to say has a new self found confidence and a striking image to go with it!
The Friday (or should I say Saturday) tip for today is all about the little things that count towards the way we are perceived that we may not necessary notice, but that have a BIG impact. Now some of these things cannot be changed, only enhanced and worked on to minimise the effects they may have. A perfect example of this is evidenced by Cheryl Cole, who as we have just found out this week, has been dropped out of the US version of the popular XFactor due to her strong Newcastle accent. As unfortunate as this may be, it is testament to the fact that there are 'little' things that could in fact turn out to be career delimiting.
The following tips are therefore intended to highlight some of these 'little' things, so we start to recognise if they have impacted us in the past or have the potential to impact us in the future. If we understand that, we can then take the steps to avoid them all together or control the consequences they may have.
1. You are how you spea
Your image is more than what you look like and how you appear. Much of what you do and how you speak contribute to the impression you make. Instil in yourself the sense of success and confidence that comes with knowing that your appearance and communication is beyond reproach.
Having an accent is not a bad thing in itself of course, everyone has one! What matters more is that you communicate well through the way you pronounce your words and the tone you use, so you are clearly understood. If you are often asked to repeat yourself, or are instantly identified as to the corner of the Earth you originate from, right down the geographic coordinates, this could impact on your chances of success. For example, the way you speak can often mean you are only comfortable with speaking with a certain group or type of people. This limits your circle of influence and ability to network. In the world of business and success, communication is key and therefore you must be able to communicate effectively and well with all types of people. A deep London accent will not sit well in a board room or a sales pitch to potential investors for your brand. Cheryl Cole has shown us that a deep Northern accent cannot sit well on a US judging panel either. It's not so much that being from a certain part of the world should be delimiting, its more that not being clearly understood or lacking the confidence to be able to communicate and relate to others outside of your own culture can be detrimental to our image. If image is about how we are perceived, ultimately this also means we are automatically branded as soon as we open our mouths.
Remedy - work on tone, linkage and pronunciation.
2. You are what you wear and how you wear it
Many people know how to dress and dress very well. Whether they dress appropriately for the right occasion is a different matter all together. What is important is that when we dress well we avoid sabotaging the effect and image we are portraying by little things such as laddered tights or torn clothing.
Let me give you an example. I was at an event late last year, when a director at a top accounting firm got up to give a speech. I was really looking forward to the subject he was to talk on and I believe many people attending the event were too as it had popped up in conversation many times the night before. As soon as the director stood up to give his presentation, I lost all focus and till this day I cannot for the life of me remember what he was talking about. The reason for this was unfortunate, as he was walking over to the stage, I (and many others) could not avoid noticing the horrendous tear in the side of his shirt. Is it not an unfortunate thing that I can remember the colour of the shirt (pale pink) but not what he said? This may well have been the pinnacle of his career, he may well have stayed up very late the previous night rehearsing his speech, but that one distraction became the focus of the audience, not what he was saying. This type of incident is repeated very often, how many times have we focused more on the fact a lady was wearing too much make-up to notice what valuable message she had to deliver? Men, how many times at work has a woman provided valuable input to a discussion, but that input was marred by the fact you spent most of the time trying to remember where you had smelt her perfume before?
Ensure you are being noticed for what you are wearing and not how you are wearing it. Make sure its being worn correctly and there are no 'little' things that will focus the attention of others above what you have to say, or the image you want them to have noted by the time you walk out of the room.
Remedy - A few quick checks before you leave the house usually works! Some of the things you can look out for are:
- Dandruff or flaky scalp
- Too tight or too short clothing
- Visible underwear
- Dirty or torn clothing
- Bulging pockets
- Clanking jewellery
- Tattoos and piercings on show
- Body odour and bad breath
That's all for now folks, have a good bank holiday weekend and don't forget to check back for next Friday's tip for young women and dressing appropriately for work.
