Whether you are interviewing for a new job, trying to move ahead in your career, or hoping to impress or influence someone, an effective personal image is key. In these tough economic times, nearly everyone is trying to save a buck here or there, so here are the second 5 of 10 ways you can improve your image without spending a dime. Take my word for it, the effort you put into these activities will start paying immediate benefits for you.
6. Smile. Author Charles Gordy stated, "A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks." How true that is! I'll bet you know someone who is rather non-descript who suddenly becomes stunning when he or she smiles. But there's more to smiling than good looks. A DePauw University study showed that people who smiled more in old photographs had longer, happier marriage. Does that extend to personal and business relationships? Here's food for thought: "In a national survey conducted by Grass Roots, not smiling was one of three top complaints by 25.9% of customers, not meeting customers' needs was 26.4%, and not being friendly was 25.8 percent" (Lucie Willsie, Customer Perspectives). Since we generally display our friendliness by smiling, I'd say that over 50% of customer complaints were directly related to a sour countenance.
7. Eliminate your verbal pauses. Uh, OK, So, what do I want to say about, uh, verbal pauses? You know, verbal pauses occur when your brain is searching for the next words to say. According to business coach Steve Pavlina, "Verbal pauses are distracting in communication. They can make you sound less intelligent and clear. They muddle your message. Verbal pauses are simply noise, not communication" (StevePavlina.com). I would like to add that verbal pauses can also make you seem less honest and forthright. You may be seen as someone who is trying to figure out how not to tell the truth. Pavlina says that awareness and practice are the two best ways to cut back on those annoying space wasters. So, ah, let's get started!
8. Develop and practice your elevator speech. What's an elevator speech? My old pal Wikipedia defines it as "an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch should be possible to deliver in the time span of an elevator ride, meaning in a maximum of 30 seconds and in 130 words or fewer." Have you noticed that we live in a fast-paced world? People want information fast and clear. When someone asks you, "So what do you do?" they are not asking for a dissertation, nor do they want to stand around while you try to pin down what exactly it is that you do. Write down your elevator speech and practice it so that it rolls off your tongue like honey--or maybe I should say money.
9. Say "You're Welcome." This is one of my pet peeves. When someone thanks you for something, there is no other proper response than "You're welcome." "No problem," which seems to be the in-vogue response is just plain rude when you stop to think about it. The converse would be, "Helping you out was really a big problem for me, so don't ever walk through another door and expect me to hold it open for you!" Being courteous should not be thought of in terms of whether or not it was a burden. "You're welcome" is one of the most gracious sounding expressions in our language.
10. Speak well of others. It is not possible to fling mud on someone without getting it all over yourself. People who gossip or disparage others are not viewed as trustworthy, credible, or loyal. And business and personal relationships are hard to establish when those qualities are missing.
There you have it! My favorite 10 image principles that won't cost you much except some awareness and a little effort, which will pay incalculable interest.
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