“Best measure of your success in business and social interactions is the impact you create in your first impression.”
Your first impressions are formed within 7 to 17 seconds of meeting someone for the first time. When you meet someone, s/he creates an opinion about you. As a prehistoric survival mechanism, the human brain is hardwired to make assumptions based on what we see. Your Image is your visual resume. Much before people know about your strengths they decide about you based on your visual resume.
As a decision-maker, it is but natural for your family, friends, clients, employees, and colleagues to look up to you. Therefore, it is vital to always look your best while epitomizing your personality, values, characteristics, lifestyle, and beliefs, ultimately sending out or projecting a certain visual message.
Fortunately, you can learn how to create a positive impact in the first meeting and make these decisions work in your favour, through my Personal Image Consulting sessions.
Image consulting is managing one’s Appearance, Behaviour, and Communication to project a suitable, genuine, and smart image. It is about managing your first impressions.
Who needs Image Consulting?
Image Consulting is for everyone who wants to upgrade his/her style to match roles and professional and social goals. Be it a student, a working professional, a socialite, or a celebrity. An employee’s or a CEO’s image will have an impact on the company’s image; a socialite’s or celebrity’s image plays a great role in their careers.
As an Image consultant, I come across some common questions:
I believe in simple living. How will Image Consulting help me?
Image consulting and image management do not necessarily mean high fashion brands or glamorous clothes. Image Consulting is adapting an appropriate style –suitable to our attitude, goals, and the audience we interact with. A classic example can be Mahatma Gandhi’s image in South Africa and when he consciously adopted dhoti clad image later. This epoch-making decision was taken by Gandhiji in Madurai after he decided that he has to work for and with the poor people of India and how can he identify with them if he wears different clothes from them. A change in his philosophy and life goals is simply reflected in his appearance, behaviour, and communication.
Is Appearance part of Image consulting only about Western clothes and culture?
No, Image Consulting is about appropriate (as per occasion) and authentic (that suits you) dressing. It includes Indian as well as Western styles, a blend of fashion trends, and the use of the right accessories.
How is Image consulting different than Personality Development?
Personality development is a generic improvement in all spheres of the individual’s life. Image Consulting is the art as well as the science of consciously creating an authentic and appropriate image (reputation) that is in harmony with one’s personality type.
Here are a few tips to help you manage your image in business or at the workplace:
Appearance & Grooming:
What you wear tells the story of who you are—it can tell your frame of mind, educational background, country or place of origin, and social attitudes.
1. Think carefully about who it is you’re trying to influence and why. What do they care about and why is it important? The way you’d dress at a business conference full of middle-aged folks is different from how you would dress at a high school reunion. Whatever message you’re trying to send to the world, never forget the clothes you put that message in will determine the way it’s received. So, choose your look carefully.
2. Wear clothes that flatter your personality. Choosing outfits as per our features and mood is equally important to project a genuine image. Avoid copying styles from catalogs.
Behaviour:
People are constantly observing your behaviour and forming theories about your competence, character, integrity, and commitment, which are rapidly disseminated throughout your workplace.
Behaviour and etiquette are also about being socially skilled and aware of essential protocols.
1. Say what you mean and mean what you say: Please, Thank you, and Sorry are golden words of courtesy and you should mean them when you say them.
2. A well-bred man will always show respect to a woman.
Communication is the human connection & the key to personal and career success. Polite language, clear thoughts, and assertiveness make your communication effective.
1. Choose your message and words as per the situation and audience. Evaluate your message if it is accurate, brief, and clear.
2. Showcase Self Confidence & Positive Attitude through a strong handshake – a confident handshake is an unspoken word that initiates conversation. Beware of your body language signals. Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel that you’re being dishonest.
Have more questions? Book an appointment with me and find your best version.
Wish you a splendid reputation with influence (appearance), sophistication (etiquette), and confidence(communication) in business!