What is it we need to do earn a vote of confidence from our audience? It is how we look, sound or is it what we say? Do actions count or is it an emotional reaction that instills confidence?
Today, the time we spend with folks is very limited so each interaction must count. Stephen Covey says we must invest in relationships like a bank making deposits so when you need to withdraw funds are available.
How we talk and act on what we say consistently begins to build confidence with those we have relationships with in all areas of business and life. When we do this in every interaction, we will have the confidence of our audience 90% of the time.
We know all cotton fabrics wrinkle. Some, like linen, wrinkle more than others. So, we know when wearing linen our clothing will look wrinkled. However, there is no excuse for wearing wrinkled clothing that got that way because of carelessness in taking of it.
Here are some easy tips for keeping clothing wrinkle free:
• Keep items on an hanger.
• Allow clothing to hang loosely in your closet.
• Buy a wrinkle free fabric spray such as Travel Wrinkle Remover and Fabric Refresher by Austin House.
• Hang clothing in bathroom during a shower. Steam removes wrinkles.
These tips will help you remain at least 80% wrinkle free.
Wrinkled clothing shows lack of polish which is not the image we want to present.
How many of us ever see our back? Today I rode up an escalator and looked at several backs. This is what I saw:
Pants too tight
Skirts too short
Shirts half tucked in
Worn heels on both men and women
Cracked heels of folks wearing backless shoes
Bra straps showing
Matted hair
Half-dyed heads of hair (mostly around the crown of the head)
To ensure you are not one of these folks, keep the following in mind: Always look behind yourself in a full length mirror. If you don’t have one, consider purchasing one. Or have someone in your household give you a quick look over.
Looking good includes a good looking back.
The Wall Street Journal, July 7th “Keeping Your Foot Away From Your Mouth” piece,is about recent gaffes by the CEO of BP and Michelle Obama. Mishaps like these have a viral shelf life that never fades especially if they come from a notable person. “Miss-speaks” always seem to make for a press worthy situation.
Some words of caution. When you’re in a very volatile situation work from a script you can share among colleagues or a communication coach. Practice hearing yourself verbalize it at least three times. If there is a policy involved, get your statement approved by the appropriate personnel. I really believe that 90% of time gaffes are an innocent mistake.
So, get in the mental habit of practicing your talking points. It will help prevent you from using a poor choice of words at the worst possible time.
