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Business Basics: Formality is Your Edge

Written by: Gloria Starr

Article Overview: Business Basics: Formal Attire is on Its Way Back Image counts in business, and how you dress is a key element of the image you present.

Business Basics: Formality is Your Edge

Image counts in business, and how you dress is a key element of the image you present.

Twenty-five years ago, I was married to a dairy farmer living 50 miles from the nearest city. I could milk cows, tell you when the crops were ripe, drive a tractor and deliver a baby calf. Image and dress for success didn't matter. I was just happy having clean coveralls.

My other job in those days was as an instructor in the small business development programs at the local college. I taught classes four evenings a week and it was a 100-mile round trip daily. It did not take long to discover that it took more than substance and knowledge in my fields of expertise to be perceived as a credible professional.

Image mattered. I had to dress up and present myself at my personal and professional best.
Fast forward to 2006. There was a big learning curve along the way, and now I am recognized world-wide for my expertise as an executive coach and professional speaker on impression management, etiquette and ambassador skills.

And here is what I learned along the way: image counts.

WHAT YOUR IMAGE SAYS ABOUT YOU
There are a lot of smart people languishing in the lower echelons of companies, and one of the main reasons may be their lack of understanding the importance of image, personal presentation and effective communication skills.

Companies place a premium on dress, manners, effective body language and the subtle rules of knowing precisely what to say and do in any given situation. Clothing covers approximately 90 percent of the body in most business situations, so it is inevitable that what you wear makes a statement.
As companies scramble to break into new markets and win contracts, image has become the key that opens the door. The demand for skills that enable people to perform appropriately in business and social circles has skyrocketed.

IMAGE INCLUDES MANY THINGS
Key players in the business arena are masters of communication. The truly successful are aware that everything about their personal presentation must be coordinated and polished to project a message of congruency. This means clothing, car and accessories.

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Article Tags: fashion, Gloria Starr, image, impression management, style



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